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Master the delivery
In some instances, particularly with personal projects,
you might actually be the on-screen talent instead of
hiring professionals. In other cases, such as a commer-
cial advertising project, you may have amateur talent
because the business owner wants to appear in their
video. Regardless of the circumstances, there are some
things you can do to ensure a seamless delivery.
Get your scripts into the hands of the talent as early
as possible so they can begin learning it. While it’s
critical to follow the script, be available to hear any
feedback. Perhaps they find a phrase confusing or a
word difficult to pronounce. These things will be hard
to deliver and a quick edit might solve the problem so
they can be comfortable in front of the camera. Addi-
tionally, discussing the real purpose of the video with
the talent will give them insight that adds a layer of
believability to their delivery.
It’s important for anyone speaking on-camera to use a
measured cadence and tone. For voice-only recordings,
a lot can be managed in post-production if needed. You
can speed up or slow down various segments. We’d
like to avoid it, but it can be done. With video, though,
slowing down or speeding up affects the visuals, so
tempo matters.
Your on-screen talent should enunciate each word
clearly and try to keep their volume as steady as possi-
ble throughout. Many vocal coaches encourage the use
of simple exercises to help warm up the facial muscles.
A quick online search will yield a lot of tips for this.
Such exercises are especially helpful for amateur talent.
Also, if there are multiple speakers, you’ll want them
to try to match their volumes as much as possible. This
saves from extra editing work.Practice, practice, practice... but don’t
over-do it
Once they are familiar with the message and script-
ing, give them an opportunity to practice in front of the
camera a few times before doing any production takes.
Watch the playback together to discuss what works and
what doesn’t. Explaining why you like or dislike parts
of the playback can help them make adjustments. Are
there mannerisms they used that are distracting or arethey just the right amount of casual? Does the inflec-
tion in their voice sound nervous or confident?
Be cautious of over-rehearsing. If the delivery is
too rehearsed, it begins to deteriorate in other ways.
It can sound unnatural or worse, like a bad stage
performance. The best videos will seem genuine as
if the actors are not acting at all. The goal is to be
both relaxed and articulate so that your message is
believable and the audience is interested in hearing
what you have to say. After all, if they can’t watch
it through to the end, they’re probably going to miss
that very important CTA.Put it to good use
Hopefully, with these concepts in your arsenal of cre-
ator tools, your upcoming projects will be better than
ever. You’ll be able to have strong conversations with
clients or your own crew about the real purpose of the
video. Enter your planning sessions mindfully and
question each decision to confirm it serves the pur-
pose. Consider the backdrop, the colors, the wardrobe,
the props and the accessories. Have analytical discus-
sions about the lighting and music. If you can’t find
the purpose, don’t use it.
The purpose should be reflected in your scripts for
clear messaging without any fluff. Everything revolves
around the ultimate goal of getting the viewers to the
CTA in a comfortable way. Once you’ve coached all of
this to the talent, they’ll be able to practice with pur-
pose. When filming commences, follow the shot plans
closely, too. Every frame matters. Each zoom, tilt and
pan is intentional and draws the audience in without
distractions.
You’ll find that delivering your message in multiple
ways truly impacts the quality of your finished prod-
ucts. It creates a more compelling viewing experience
and holds the audience’s attention longer. All in all, the
best way to convey the message of your video is to put
a lot of time into the pre-production planning stages
and deliver the message in the most digestible way
possible. Keep this at the forefront of every production
to boost results and please the viewers as well as the
clients.
Learn more at: fujifilm-x.comHow to articulate your video’s message to audiences
Sponsored by Fujifilm