Last weekend I created my first ever web cam video for a scholarship contest. It was so much harder than it looks! Yes, today creating a video to view online is made technically so simple, but being in the video while in your home office is tricky.
Making sure you are viewed in your best light from your home office is important. Most of us have the majority of our first impressions happen online. So, based on my last adventure in online video filming and prep I set out to find tips and tricks for making your first impression online a glorious one.
I enjoyed this video from 7 Figure Marketing, she’s pretty frank about her pet peeves when it comes to web cam videos. I see this a lot in videos online. Some of the actions to take to ensure your video is something a visitor will watch she mentions include:
- Be mindful of the angle you are being shot at
- Try to deliver your message without a script, addressing your viewers by looking into your web cam
- Understand how the lighting in the room will affect your face
The lighting was a big one for me. My home office has good lighting for me to work under, however I found when I shot the video I could never get it quite right. Strobist gave out some fantastic pointers on setting up lighting by using a desk lamp and even setting up a back drop.
Apart from the environment you are in, the way you present yourself in terms of clothing, makeup, and hair will also make or break the video. Some things to think about:
- Wear your makeup a bit darker than you would normally
- Make sure the color of your clothes works with your complexion on film: white tended to make my face look pink in every light I tried, so I put on a gray top instead.
Finally, pay attention to how your voice sounds on on the video playback. For the voice over piece I ended up using my Logitech headset and playing around a bit with the sounds controls to ellimnate background noise.
If your computer does not come with a web cam, or if the one it does have is low quality, I use Logitech’s QuickCam when I’m on my desktop PC. It’s affordable and does the job.
