You may have read about the technical aspect to make a great video shoot. Like what to wear, how to make your office look great and how to film your products and services in the best light. But there isn’t much information online about how to prepare mentally for the shoot day!
Video needs to be engaging and genuine to hold your audience’s attention – your audience doesn’t want to watch a boring corporate video! Succeeding in business is all about mindset and training, right? So too is mastering your performance in a video shoot.
The aim of this article is to help get you thinking about practice and mindset, before you step in front of the camera. If you are the star of the video, or are managing your team, be sure to share these tips, so you can make a video masterpiece!
Why mindset is important in video production
Having the right mindset is important if you are making any type of video for your business. It means coming into the video shoot day with a clear intention of what you want the video to achieve. Video is all about capturing emotions and communicating feelings to your audience. It’s actually all that touchy feely stuff that will make your video a success! Being in the right frame of mind and feeling prepared is going to help your performance.
Don’t just wing it on the day!
Corporate videos are high value pieces of content that will live on your website and social pages and be watched for years to come. You want your video to feel exciting and engaging. This can only be achieved if everyone in the video puts their best foot forward.
We know this from a few less-than-ideal experiences when busy executives tried to “wing it” on the day. They didn’t know video was a business priority, so they hadn’t done any practice! Our goal is to get your whole team to embrace the video production process.
How do you want your audience to FEEL watching your video?
“Keep in mind that with the abundance of influencers and content creators, video is moving away from feeling corporate to feeling relatable!” – Michael Kircher, Storylight Producer
In the creative and planning stage of the video you will have figured out what your video is about. You should also be able to pinpoint how you want your audience to feel watching it. Different brands have different personalities, just like people. What is the balance between professionalism and authenticity you want to strike? Talk to your team about how you want to be perceived on camera? And who is your audience that will be watching this?
Video’s that feel too corporate don’t work because the audience immediately feels they are being sold to. These days business videos need to be full of emotion and authenticity to create a lasting impression. Generally being more yourself is best. Keep in mind you need to be professional too if you are representing your company.
A good guide in a corporate video is to act like you are having “professional fun”. It’s great to see smiles on camera! But don’t go overboard looking like you’re telling jokes around the water cooler. Our video editors will do a great job of selecting the best moments where people have their best authentic smiles.
How to practice for a video interview?
To make a good interview you don’t have to read from a script! No one, unless they are an actor, can read a script in a convincing way word for word. The best results always come when you say things in your own words.
Making good interview sound bites
What helps instead is to have talking points or key messages to prompt your answers. Practice talking through these key messages and become familiar with your content. You should get into the mindset of saying the same answer in a few different ways and being able to really shorten one of your answers.
This technique is used in media training because it creates impactful “sound bites”, ranging from 3-20 seconds, that are perfect for editing together your story. If you say something wrong, you can just pause… take a breath… and pick up just before your mistake.
On the day of the shoot, you can relax, let the interviewer and videographer guide you through the process. We prep our interviewees with the advice “I’ll provide prompts or questions, just weave these into your responses. And have fun with this back-and-forth process.”
Even practice talking in front of a mirror
You can also practice in front of a mirror or on your phone and watch the footage back. This can feel a little strange at first, but it gets you really comfortable with you! If you can be kind to yourself you can learn from mistakes and improve your presence on camera.
Be prepared to make mistakes on camera
Having the right mindset for making mistakes is important too. You want to practice enough on camera that you are comfortable making mistakes. It’s very likely you are going to have say some answers multiple times to get the content you need. But don’t worry, because even professional presenters make many mistakes! Video production crews are always patient and will help guide you through the process – it’s out job!
Video editing out your mistakes?
In the edit process, mistakes, ums and arghs will get cut. Then your best lines will get edited together for a perfect story. Just remember, there are no right and wrong answers! If you are too worried about saying the wrong thing, your best performance won’t shine through.
Expert interview tips for a business video
While you are on a role towards becoming Hollywood actor!! Here are some expert tips to take your video performance to the next level!
Uptalk tip for video presenting
Practice finishing your sentences with a confident tone. It’s easier said than done, where here in New Zealand “uptalk” is very common. That’s when your voice rises at the end of a sentence, making it sound like a question? Try ending your sentences with a downward inflection. A great tip for practicing is to lower your chin on the last word, which naturally lowers your voice.
Remember that smile
It’s really important to smile throughout a video interview or when presenting straight to camera. This is crucial for social media video content, as the sound could actually be turned off – people can only see you so smiles elevate your video. It is always a balance between looking cheesy and being yourself. Practicing on camera first will help you get this smile balance just right.
Making your video feel personal
When your audiences watches a video they normally watch it alone. Your speaking tone should feel personal, like you are talking to one person or customer. Imagine you are talking to one person, maybe a loved one or friend, who can make you smile. Really have that person in your mind!
You can also use the word “you” to create a more personal connection with the person watching the video. For example: ‘At [your business], we help you achieve’. Adding ‘you’ instantly makes it feel more relatable.
What to do on the morning of a video shoot
The shoot day is an exciting day! All your practice is done and you can enjoy the process that the video production team will manage. It’s best to set aside some time before the shoot to completely relax. You don’t want to be rushed or thinking about the last meeting or project.
Beforehand, do what makes you feel refreshed. Get a good night sleep, eat your energy breakfast and do some exercise! If you’re a coffee lover have your favourite brew – but don’t overdo it!
Help your team on the day of a video production shoot
If you’re managing the shoot day for your team you can help by making a day of the shoot. Keep the environment fun, possibly with music and food, so that everyone feels valued for participating. Remember, you aren’t wasting resources by having staff participating in a video. Your video is an investment in the growth of your business!
How to take direction from the video production team.
On the day of the video shoot a director or experienced videographer will be guiding you to capture the best moments on camera. They will give directions on where to be and how to perform.
It really helps the director if you are comfortable following their directions. It is a bit like acting and it’s likely you will be asked to do certain things a few times on camera!
Improvise to create your own video moments!
Making good videos is always about creating authentic looking moments. If you feel something will work in the moment, give it a try and go for it. A good videographer will capture these candid moments. If the camera is pointing at you keep going, you’re doing a great job!
Trust the process!
At Storylight we hope that every shoot is a great experience and that making a new video will elevate your team and build their confidence.
In our experience the teams that lean in and own the process are the ones who create video content they’re proud of. Trust yourself, trust the process, and just show up as your best self!
