Every single person I media train for on-camera presentation asks me the question: “What should I do with my hands?”
And before I can answer, they say, “Keep them folded in front of me, right?” Where oh where did this instruction come from? Being a robot on camera is the best way to get your viewer to stop watching. Watch why.
When you are making a video for your website or creating a YouTube channel for your company, always aim for a conversational and personable tone. Many of my clients are sorry to hear that even just being yourself on camera requires rehearsing. That’s because just being you probably isn’t enough to reach through the lens and grab the audience. As Oprah says, you need to be your “best self.” I would argue you need to be yourself but BIGGER. My very unscientific work shows that 95 percent of people who first go on camera are too mellow. In person they are engaging members of society, but on video they come across as boring, dull, and oops, I just turned them off. The other 5 percent are such energetic nutcases that they come across great on camera, or maybe slightly manic and need to turn down the volume. Watch Gary Vaynerchuk Wine Library TV or CNN’s Richard Quest to see what I mean.
You probably know whether you tend to be more reserved or extroverted but surprises always happen when the camera turns on. One mild-mannered student of mine morphed into the Muppet, Guy Smiley. He had watched so much bad local television news that he automatically assumed a plastic persona on camera. With some practice, we turned him into a camera-friendly version of himself.
Watch this video to find out who the Camera Ready experts think are awesome on camera in the fields of broadcast journalism, entrepreneurship, e-retail, and non-profits. Who do you think comes across really well on camera?
On Wednesday night, here in NYC, Google Presents: YouTube Brandcast. The evening is being billed as “an exclusive first look at YouTube’s original programming and insights into the world’s biggest audience,” as part of the Newfronts (the event for digital video content platforms to sell ad space upfront like TV channels have always done).
YouTube is revamping itself in an attempt to emphasize quality in addition to quantity video. I’ve always believed that production quality does matter. Videos like Shit Girls Say would never get so many views if they weren’t beautiful AND funny.
Here are some wise words on quality from my college drinking buddy (Sussex 1993-1994), Josh Spanier, who is now Google’s Head of Media.
“The ubiquity of everyone’s face digitized is a daunting reality for those looking to emerge from the clutter. What are content makers to do, aside from drown in this pixelated sea? But here’s hope: Not all content is created equally. Anyone can opine online; but the massive majority of online content is just chatter. Today, the axiom needs to be updated to “quality content is king.”
That quote comes from the Forward that Josh has generously written for my eBook CAMERA READY. It’s very nice and strange when old friends become terribly important.
You are looking at the new manoushz.com.
It’s been a steep learning curve but after four months and the very professional, patient, and aesthetically cool services of Sara Bacon at CommandC, I’m ready to embark on me 2.0 (ok, at my age it’s more like 3.0).
Why invest in a new website? Two reasons:
1. I’m launching my multimedia eBook CAMERA READY in June. This will be HQ for people who want to rock on camera.
2. I wanted to learn about design and branding and, frankly, clarify my plans. Creating a new website forced me to focus.
Please let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions for the site. My husband thinks my name looks intimidating in the logo. I think my crowd is sophisticated and multicultural enough to embrace my multi-syllabic name, non?
My buddy and I are kicking around story ideas for a program that can’t be unveiled yet but you will hopefully hear in the next few months. Anyway, here’s a late night musing I sent him. Would love to know if I’m the only morbid social media user put there…
“Meanwhile, story idea- who are going to be the caretakers of the
Internet? As more and more people who are social media etc users kick
the bucket, what happens? Will Facebook have a policy that their page
turns gray, or they just get deleted? I read one guy’s website bio (professional services guru David Maister) who
said basically, I’ve stopped speaking, publishing, and blogging so yeah,
my website will still exist but I’m retiring. Might he as well be dead?!
Did you know I still am not on Facebook because I have a theory that
people do Facebook because they are afraid of death? Facebook of
Death…”
P.S. Actually found interesting article about Facebook’s policy here from AllFacebook.com
I’m really starting to hate the term “media training”. I feel like such a cheeseball when I tell people that’s part of what I do. It makes me think of Ron Burgundy, Will Farrell’s corny anchorman who is all mustache and no substance. So I’m working on a redefinition….
Traditionally a “media trainer” coaches someone to talk to a reporter and give a decent interview while looking composed. But seriously, how many companies, non-profits, or professionals are dealing with the traditional press on a daily basis? And should that even be their priority? Local or national media coverage can give you a boost but creating your own media constantly is key- from tweeting, to having a facebook page, to making videos for your website. And coming across composed (snooze…..) isn’t necessarily the way to go.
Here’s where my “new media training” (“Cool Media Creation”? “On-Camera Upgrading”?) comes in…let’s say you are a researcher at a non-profit and suddenly you are being asked to be in a video about your fact finding missions. Uh, that sounds time consuming and anxiety producing, you think. Not if we sit down and sketch out 2 reasonable ’30 second stand-ups (you speaking to camera) that succinctly explain who you are and what your doing (“Hi, I’m Jane Non-Profit it and I’m in Kampala talking to Ugandans who have been granted money by our organization. In this video you’ll see how your donations are actually building local businesses.” Video montage follows.) We practice, pick out a shirt. It takes Jane an extra 30 minutes on her trip to film it. And BOOM- she’s making a connection with people who believe in the cause, possibly raising more money, and giving everyone a glimpse into her work, in addition to her written report.
Some people LOVE being on-camera and are good at it. Most people kind of stink or just don’t take simple steps (like looking the right way, or adjusting their webcam, or organizing their ideas) that would help them make a better impression, bigger impact, etc, all those true cliches.
We are starting to conduct all our business by video, whether it’s informal like skype or internal like a company webchat or for the outside eye, like how-to’s on your company’s website. If you have a better term for “media training”, PLEASE leave me a suggestion.
I’ve been checking out Poll Position, the new website from former CNN chief news exec Eason Jordan. I got to know Eason over the summer when I hosted Mediabistro’s Start-Up Bootcamp and he asked some of the most pointed (and best) questions. Poll Position has already been quoted by Reuters, Fox News, etc. Here’s how Eason describes his endeavor:
“We provide exclusive public opinion poll results and an online platform for everyone to vote and comment on big news and timely issues. Polls are conducted in two ways: scientific polls (by phone) that reflect a representative sampling of the American people, and online polling, which reflects the views of Poll Position users voting online.”
Politico applauds the site’s transparency but wonders if Americans are as versed on current events as Poll Position needs them to be: “Each survey questions at least 1,000 people on a wide variety of topics, many of them on the news of the day. As a result, some polls elicit a large amount of ‘no opinion’ answers — like a recent poll on ESPN’s decision to yank Hank Williams Jr. from its NFL broadcast. 26% of respondents had no opinion.”
Maybe they had ‘no opinion’ because they aren’t ill-informed, just unexpectedly see multiple points of view (some call it wishy-washy)?! Here’s how I answered the following questions online:
Is cellphone restroom talk OK? Yes, if it’s me.
Was electing Obama a mistake? Depends on the alternative.
Electronic readers or books? Both.
Check out Poll Position. How does it compare to Gallup (arguably the most well known poller)? Give Eason some feedback at @EasonJordan
I was relieved to see that something interesting & educational, not just commercial (I was picturing hotel lobbies), is happening with Microsoft’s Surface computer technology. I did a piece on it for Reuters over 4 years ago (see below). Now, according to the Nieman Journalism Lab, the New York Times is working on ”a Times’ screen-top version of a kitchen table. It’s based on Microsoft’s Surface technology, modified by the Research & Design Lab to create a Times-oriented user experience that reimagines the old ‘around the breakfast table’ reading of the paper.”
Cool. Watch the original video from 4 years ago and then watch the new demo for an interesting contrast and comparison.
Today was Session #1 of mediabistro’s StartUp Bootcamp.
So incredibly impressed that paidContent founder Rafat Ali was our opening speaker…I know it is hard to nail that man down so props to MB! Since he left paidContent almost exactly a year ago he’s been traveling the world, trying to get a life again, and figuring out the his next big idea. He gave us a hint: it’s not his site Guidism, which he hasn’t posted to in months.
My 3 big takeaways:
1. Accept that the Big Idea you have right now will NOT be the one you end up launching. Kind of a good life lesson.
2. Social media etc. are not enough- to generate interest/$/support staff you must be old school and meet people face to face with a short, tech savvy presentation. If you aren’t ready for that, go to events and watch others in action.
3. Rafat said his next project was going to focus on consumers and travel. He was very cagey. Yes, he has the financial freedom to follow his passion….but the amount of time that any new venture requires means that you better be TOTALLY into your idea, not just think it’s a clever money-maker.
We have people participating from all over, from Missouri to Luxembourg. So looking forward to finding out if they have a business idea or are hoping inspiration will strike this summer….
The Human Rights Watch film festival is on at Lincoln center (6/16-6/30). I’ve been doing regular work for the organization, running media training sessions for their researchers from all over the world. We’re also talking about launching a new social media project that could really explain to people what HRW researchers actually do so watch this space.
Meanwhile, I’m hoping to see “Green Wave”….here’s the New York Times’ description (watch the trailer above):
“Outspoken expressions of rage and self-determination run through Ali Samadi Ahadi’s “Green Wave,” in which Twitter messages and blog entries by protesters in Iran’s 2009 post-election uprising are animated, with the actual texts used as subtitles. The technique recalls “Persepolis” and “Waltz With Bashir,” although this is not a personal story but a collective one.”
Hats off to friends and family members who made it to last Sunday’s vigil in Union Square to mark the 2nd anniversary of the uprisings.
