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We’ve all heard of some live television blunder or
misspeak which is so hilarious that it’s retold over
and over for a good laugh. These cautionary tales can
feed into our insecurities when we’re asked to be on
camera. This can be true even if we’re not generally
shy about public speaking.
You could be anxious because you’ve never per-
formed on camera before or because you have and
it didn’t go as well as you hoped, so you’re afraid to
relive the experience. Some people are nervous every
time the camera rolls, even if they’ve been performing
for many years. Others just need to get accustomed
to the feeling a few times and then develop a level of
confidence or ease in front of the camera.
With so many factors feeding into this kind of stage
fright, it can be hard to get past them to deliver a
good performance. The reality is that even the most
celebrated actors and influencers have these moments
and it’s rarely detrimental. We’ve collected a handful
of sensible tips used across the film and video industry
to help people appear more comfortable and natural in
any type of performance. Combine these with practice
techniques and you will be camera-ready when the
time comes.Practice
Often, nervousness is based around fears of the
unknown. We tend to run worst case scenarios in our
mind and, if we don’t have experience to disprove the
likelihood, we might become worried about the pos-
sibilities of embarrassment, failure and rejection. Much
of that can be alleviated with practice, though.
There are many ways to practice your readings. Try
several and stick with what feels good to you. Start
with as much privacy as you can find so that you’re
able to speak out loud and be experimental. Try the
following tips:- First, go over your script, then try speaking improvi-
sationally. This will allow you to ease into the process
a little easier. - Practice in front of people—friends, family, col-
leagues, strangers. Be bold about it or work a line or
two into conversations just to gauge the reactions. - Run through it slowly and then speed it up as fast as
How to be comfortable in front of a camera
you can to help with familiarization and relaxation.- Try it with different kinds of body language and hand
placements. Tilt your head slightly and do a few things
with your hands to find your comfort zones and flatter-
ing angles. - Run through it with your own camera or even just
your phone. When you watch the recording, notice
your eye movements, cadence and tone and body
language.
As much as practicing can help, be careful not to
overdo it. If you’ve memorized every word and inflec-
tion and practiced dozens of times, you’re at risk of
being over-rehearsed. This can come across as robotic
or insincere. It can also make the director’s job difficult
if they have a different vision of the performance.
Don’t let the script run the show
In creative filmmaking and method acting, the script
is an important tool to tell the story and give the
characters depth. For other kinds of filmmaking and
videos it’s important in different ways and should be
used less rigidly. In many cases, the script is a way to
organize thoughts, keep the speakers on the right path
to ensure the final product is what it’s meant to be.
Use the script to understand the content and con-
text for vlogs, documentaries, tutorials and personal
projects and then try to speak as naturally as possible
during filming.
One of the best ways to keep the script from being
too central and keep your speaking voice natural is to
completely avoid teleprompters or cue cards. Notes
can be helpful, though, particularly if you’re feeling
nervous about being on camera. Your notes might
be a paper in front of you to glance at when needed.