Where, how and how to shoot video monologues

The shooting process of a person in the frame raises many questions. I will try to answer the most common.

I'll start with how to choose a place to shoot . What background is better to shoot?

This question worries everyone who shoots a video with their participation in the frame. They ask me quite often and are surprised by my opinion, because most of the video marketing gurus hear something completely different.

Surely you have already heard that you need to shoot video messages to the audience on a neutral background. And they saw how the majority embodied this, finding a plain wall at home.
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So against such a background, it’s better never to shoot.
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Because, if you call a spade a spade, non-professionals in the shooting advise it, picking up the tops from some guru-marketers. Or those who, at best, come from photographs where a white background is a common thing. But it is precisely white pure color that special smooth plain background with professional light, and not a wall of uncertain color.
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No professional cameraman or director will ever put a person close to a wall when shooting. On TV, you will not see such frames - I mean large competent channels. On the contrary, the person will be asked to take a few steps from the wall or any other background.



A plain background is good when it is planned to add captions or graphics, but it is more demanding in terms of lighting, appearance, and even diction, because the viewer has nothing to look at.
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The interior or street background gives depth to the frame, creates an atmosphere and carries additional information, so this also needs to be taken into account. And they are more vital and closer to the viewer - they better create a feeling of confidential conversation and reduce the distance. It also matters and influence.

Therefore, different options are suitable for different purposes - all this needs to be thought out. But a pure monophonic background is more difficult to organize at home - you need not only to buy it, but also lighting fixtures. But if you decide, it makes sense to get a green background and use the huge variability of chromakey.


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Next. View angle shooting. If during the monologue shooting the camera stands above a person, it visually reduces it, and if the lens is aimed at a person from below, it increases it. As a rule, it is better to mount the camera at eye level. In general, the classic camera operator installation point for a person in the frame is as follows: for a standing person - at chest level, for a sitting person, speaking in professional jargon - “from the navel”. Then the eyes fall into the golden section of the frame and work accent.

Most filming requires a reduction in time and action. This is possible when using breaks and inserts. Simple cutting with jumps is illiterate, although now it is very common. This creates distrust of the person in the frame, because it is clear that he does not show everything and has hidden something ... Therefore, it is better to use interruptions. Interruptions are plans other than the main object, but from the same environment - the hands of the talking person, objects on his desk or behind his back. Such shots not only facilitate installation and improve the quality as a whole, but are also able to bring the atmosphere and reveal the content in its entirety.

A person’s camera can be diversified by making pseudo-multi-camera shooting. What it is? This is when several takes of different sizes and angles are removed, and during installation parts from different takes are taken and connected - a much more dynamic action is obtained. Of course, this requires more shooting and editing time, but the result is worth it. You just need to be careful and observe as closely as possible in each take the location of the presenter and the proximity of the microphone so that there are no differences in sound either.



And which camera is better to shoot conversational video and how to do without expensive equipment? - you ask.

If we talk about the choice, then there are some circumstances that may affect the preferences of a particular model.

The choice of camcorder directly depends on:

1. Your budget
2. What will you shoot
3. Where will you shoot
4. Who will shoot and edit the video
5. How often will you shoot a video

If you plan to shoot video messages and interviews, then in this case, the main thing in the camera will be the ability to connect an external microphone.

You can, of course, add to this:

• the presence of shooting at least in Full HD (video resolution 1920x1080);
• the presence of flash memory;
• large battery capacity.

Almost all of these advantages have a camera in a good smartphone.

The main thing:

• it is good to fix it with all sorts of special devices and tripods available today;
• shoot in a well-lit place facing the light source;
• shoot in a quiet place and use a headset to secure sound quality;
• to build the correct composition of the frame, in which the "air" above the person’s head is present in the correct ratio - not a lot and not a little in the large and medium plan.

What can I say? - I hear your next question.

What to say in your video message depends on the specific purpose of this video. A greeting on a site, an invitation to a webinar, video lesson, or a thematic monologue have different goals, and therefore will require different text in the frame. But they all obey the same laws of retaining spectator attention — the laws of dramaturgy.

What is important in practical terms? This is a bright catchy beginning, for example, a controversial statement, an unusual picture or a sound that attracts attention, because there are only 15-18 seconds when the viewer decides whether he should look further. This is the presence of intrigue, the role of which can be performed by the announcement of what will happen next or a story with an unknown end so far. These are the emphasis - pain points, ownership, objections, benefits. And it is very important to have a clear conclusion with a call to a specific action, be it to leave a comment, follow the link, subscribe or buy right now.

And again I hear your objection:

- To write is one thing, but how to say all this in front of the camera?
- I tried to act in film - it was scary ...
- I forgot my own train of thoughts and found words with difficulty ...
- My mouth was dry, and my voice was trembling ...
- I didn’t know where to put my hands ...
- I didn’t like myself in the frame ...
- How to defeat the camera’s fear?

To reduce voltage before shooting, I can advise you to do the following:

• Move to remove the muscle clamp.
• Drink water to reduce dryness in the mouth and in the body as a whole caused by stress.
• Rub your hands and earlobes because the most important organ in speech formation is the brain, and if it does not work well, then the most perfect diction will not help.
• Do self-massage by alternately pressing on the nail phalanges of one hand, then the other.
• Remember what and to whom you want to convey and go!

But the most effective way to defeat the camera’s fear forever is doubles. Remove your video messages as often as possible, view them, analyze. Experiment with the appearance and places of shooting, think over the image and gestures. Remember the main message of your video message when shooting, and you will not notice how fear will run to the other, leaving you in the company of pleasure and goals achieved.