Film & Editing Blog - Behind the Scenes

We make movies, that's what we do! one of the things we do regularly is to film real people giving a presentation or "sales pitch" for a promotional movie. This might only be 30 seconds or a minute long but what we've found is that everyone is different. We have one client who in a 2 hour filming session can, without a script, produce over 30 short 1 to 2 minute direct to camera speaches, each on a single take! It's great for him, he enjoys it and it's an extremely productive filming session. So what we've done is put together some handy hints and tips on how to be a super star and keep your cool when you're in-front of the camera:

Practice what you want to say:

Know what you want to say and how you want to say it. If you're not the kind of person who can "ad-lib" without "ummms" or drying up - and let's face it most of us are not, then the best trick is to write your speach out... practice it in front of a mirror, friend or even your mobile phone camera until you can do it without any pauses or notes. On the day it's OK if you want to do it in one take or several, as we can edit it together, but being able to do a single take is great for productivity and your confidence. By doing this a few days before the filming you get to "sleep on it" which really helps you to integrate it.

Breath:

When you're sat there in front of the camera with lights and microphones, the most important thing to do is breath. Taking a few deep breaths will calm you down, relax your vocal chords and slow your mind down a little. You can even close your eyes to relax a bit more. Quite simply as you relax your words flow better, your memory improves and you come across in a much better way too.

Find out about the process:

There's lots of information on this site about what happens, what the factors are that go into pre production and post production. The more you understand about what is going happening then the more relaxed you'll be... you may even find yourself having fun and being really curious. It's a fact that the more familiar we are with our situation, the more relaxed we are.

Choose a role model:

Ever wondered how famous people seem so good in interviews? well one of the tricks is to do a little visualisation:

1. Think of someone you really admire who is great at talking.
2. Close your eyes and relax and see them in front of you doing their thing.
3. Now imagine yourself moving into them so you become them, as you do this take the time to imagine how that feels, what it sounds like and what you would see differently.
4. Spend some time just being there and allow yourself to melt into it.
5. Imagine a big button infront of you, when you're really into the experience and you've got it as good as you want it then program that button so that the next time you close your eyes and press that button, you activate the feelings of being this person.
6. When you go to do your talk for real, sit there and close your eyes for a moment and press that button... you'll be surprised what happens...

This is a technique known as Modelling and Anchoring which many famous people from Princes to Filmstars use.

It's just you and an old friend:

Imagine that the camera lens is just your best friend, that's who you're talking to. Or some people imagine it is their ideal client or best customer... whatever works for you... that way you actually project real feelings into the camera - and it really works!

Get some good coaching:

There are some great coaches out there who can teach you these and other skills that can turn you into an even better public speaker and presenter. We're happy to recommend the following people:

UK - Leeds & Manchester: Nick Kemp Training

UK - West Sussex: Andrew T Austin

UK - Solihull, Birmingham: Jo Waddell

USA - New York Area: Doug O'Brien