INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILMING VIA COMPUTER CAMERAS:

Please review these recommendations for creating the perfect pre-recorded presentation.

GETTING READY:

CLEAN THE LENSE

Clean your computer camera lens (otherwise your video may come out blurry).

QUIET & CLEAN SETTING

Find a quiet setting with a nice, clean backdrop. Make sure there is no music or talking happening in the background. Sometimes a clean background of books or room appears cleaner than straight white which can look stark. If going this route, make sure you are the focus and not what’s behind you. Please make sure that anything in the image is audience friendly.

LOCATION

Decide where you will sit when recording the video.

You will be looking right at the camera and shooting footage from your chest up.
You want to be fairly close to the screen so that it picks up your audio clearly.
If using the computer camera, raise it if necessary so that it’s looking slightly down or directly at you and not up. Trust us, it helps.

INTERNET CONNECTION

While your Wi-Fi connection may be strong at certain times, we recommend using an ethernet cable to run a hard line internet connection to your computer or laptop and turning off your Wi-Fi. This helps to ensure that your internet connection stays strong and consistent throughout your presentation and will not cut out.

LIGHTING:

NO FLASH/CAMERA LIGHT

Do not use camera flash or light.

WINDOWS

Avoid having a window or light source behind you. (Otherwise, you’ll look like a silhouette). Instead, have your light source more to the side of you or behind you.

INDOOR LIGHTING

If possible, place a lamp or light source behind your camera. Practice some poses to make sure you’re lit well and not reflecting.

SOFT LIGHTING

Try to use a soft light vs. a hard, bright light. (Hard lights will create shadows).

FRAMING/ COMPOSITION:

NO ZOOM

Make sure you are not zooming in or out. The zoom feature will produce a blurry, unusable video.

CENTER YOURSELF

Make sure to frame your video so that you appear in the center of the frame/view.

FRAMING

Frame your video so that the top of your head is very close to the top of the frame/view (you do not want a lot of extra space above your head). A general rule: Place two fingers above your head – and make that the tippy top of the frame.

WHILE FILMING:

AVOID SHAKY FOOTAGE:

Prop your computer or camera up on a flat, sturdy surface. If you are using someone to hold the camera, make sure they are holding it with two hands and are being extremely steady. We want to avoid it looking like the video is shaking/etc.

TALK DIRECTLY TO YOUR AUDIENCE:

Look straight at the camera lens as you film. Pretend you are making eye contact with someone – look right at them vs. up/down/all around.

SMILE:

You can not only see someone smile – you can hear it, too! Smile as you talk.