Tips On How To Be Comfortable On Camera?

DeanzEpic

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I've recorded lots of videos, but sometimes I still get nervous/awkward on camera and as a result I talk really fast and say "ermmm" and "ahh" a lot. Any tips on how I can become more confident/comfortable on camera?
 

LyfeWithDragons

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While there are a lot of ways around getting rid of the "erms" and "ahhs", getting over the awkward/nervousness of it all is a bit different. Course you can simply edit out the awkward parts, but you can't really edit them out of your life, right? So with that in mind, let's move on to something better!

A few good methods would be to keep some cue cards ready so you don't lose focus of what you're talking about; they don't have to be full on scripts mind you, just something to keep you on track. Another trick would be to talk to the camera for awhile, recording or not. Just prop it up, hold it, whatever you are going to do and have a conversation with it. Now, I know this seems silly, but that's the point. Once you are doing something so ridiculous by the time you are actually recording, it won't seem as awkward. Plus, I feel that gives you some time to relax, and get prepared for the real thing!

As a person whom suffers from both depression and anxiety heavily, I completely understand where you are coming from, and it's not something you can just "get over". I know with work, and some time you'll be able to conquer this. If you need any advice, or help on anything please don't be afraid to ask! :D
 

BecomeAPrime

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My solution for it was literally to "just do it" It does not get much simpler and time on solves almost any problem you'll ever have doing almost anything. People say you'll do something sometimes 10,000 times wrong before you do it right once.
 
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Neimers

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I thought I would be really comfortable with the camera recording, but it honestly feels like someone is constantly evaluating me. I really think the only way to get better is to just continuously record over and over many times a week. I've sat in front of my camera at least once everyday and just randomly talked and deleted footage just to have the experience. Whether I was actually saying anything productive didn't really matter, but if I could at least generate a conversation no matter how silly it was in front of the camera, that's when I knew I could feel more comfortable.

Another easy method is to write out a script before hand! I used to just sit there and talk and fumble and mumble and say ahh or ummm, but when I wrote out a script it was so much easier to get through the video. It's also to act out your script before you film. Sit there and talk to yourself about how you want to deliver the lines, it gives you a better sense if you're acting real or not.
 
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Munchito696

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While there are a lot of ways around getting rid of the "erms" and "ahhs", getting over the awkward/nervousness of it all is a bit different. Course you can simply edit out the awkward parts, but you can't really edit them out of your life, right? So with that in mind, let's move on to something better!

A few good methods would be to keep some cue cards ready so you don't lose focus of what you're talking about; they don't have to be full on scripts mind you, just something to keep you on track. Another trick would be to talk to the camera for awhile, recording or not. Just prop it up, hold it, whatever you are going to do and have a conversation with it. Now, I know this seems silly, but that's the point. Once you are doing something so ridiculous by the time you are actually recording, it won't seem as awkward. Plus, I feel that gives you some time to relax, and get prepared for the real thing!

As a person whom suffers from both depression and anxiety heavily, I completely understand where you are coming from, and it's not something you can just "get over". I know with work, and some time you'll be able to conquer this. If you need any advice, or help on anything please don't be afraid to ask! :D
The more you talk on camera the more you'll get used to it. I had nervousness when I was in the Navy and had to talk in front of crowds. I got a training position which required me to stand in front of my whole division and regulate training. At first I was nervous and probably looked very stiff in front of everyone, but by the time I was getting out I had fun with it and was one of the best trainers in our department. It got to the point where I would actually make the training interesting and fun versus dry and just reading off of a Powerpoint. Now that I've been out for a while, I get nervous again because I'm out of practice. I had to do something in front of people at my current job last year and I felt nervous again.

One tip is to slow down how fast you talk just a little bit. This way you have time to think as you talk. I had a guy that worked drive through at Carl's Jr with me a long time ago that did this, he talked fast to coworkers but I noticed he slowed down when talking to customers. I have tried this and it works to get the stuttering and "um, uh" to a low level.
 

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Like someone mentioned before, practice often helps to overcome these things. But another helpful tipp, that was given to me as well, is to try replace your uhms and errs with silences or pauses.
 
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nad

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Just cut out those pauses and "eehm".
Look at big vlogging youtubers. A lot of them have cuts all few seconds to keep the video interesting. Watch those video to find out how to cut it in a way that it doesn't look weird.
 
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DeanzEpic

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While there are a lot of ways around getting rid of the "erms" and "ahhs", getting over the awkward/nervousness of it all is a bit different. Course you can simply edit out the awkward parts, but you can't really edit them out of your life, right? So with that in mind, let's move on to something better!

A few good methods would be to keep some cue cards ready so you don't lose focus of what you're talking about; they don't have to be full on scripts mind you, just something to keep you on track. Another trick would be to talk to the camera for awhile, recording or not. Just prop it up, hold it, whatever you are going to do and have a conversation with it. Now, I know this seems silly, but that's the point. Once you are doing something so ridiculous by the time you are actually recording, it won't seem as awkward. Plus, I feel that gives you some time to relax, and get prepared for the real thing!

As a person whom suffers from both depression and anxiety heavily, I completely understand where you are coming from, and it's not something you can just "get over". I know with work, and some time you'll be able to conquer this. If you need any advice, or help on anything please don't be afraid to ask! :D
Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely try this out. Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets nervous sometimes :)[DOUBLEPOST=1464015739,1464015573][/DOUBLEPOST]
My solution for it was literally to "just do it" It does not get much simpler and time on solves almost any problem you'll ever have doing almost anything. People say you'll do something sometimes 10,000 times wrong before you do it right once.
I guess you're right. Practice makes perfect. Thanks for the advice :)[DOUBLEPOST=1464016085][/DOUBLEPOST]
I thought I would be really comfortable with the camera recording, but it honestly feels like someone is constantly evaluating me. I really think the only way to get better is to just continuously record over and over many times a week. I've sat in front of my camera at least once everyday and just randomly talked and deleted footage just to have the experience. Whether I was actually saying anything productive didn't really matter, but if I could at least generate a conversation no matter how silly it was in front of the camera, that's when I knew I could feel more comfortable.

Another easy method is to write out a script before hand! I used to just sit there and talk and fumble and mumble and say ahh or ummm, but when I wrote out a script it was so much easier to get through the video. It's also to act out your script before you film. Sit there and talk to yourself about how you want to deliver the lines, it gives you a better sense if you're acting real or not.
Thanks for your advice! It seems pretty solid and I'll use it :) I know exactly what you mean, it feels like the camera is looking at you and judging you negatively. Its seems pretty silly, but I know its all in my head.
 
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xingcat

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Practice, practice, practice! But don't discount editing, either! You can make yourself look like a really eloquent speaker by recording short bits and editing them together. A lot of people on camera look like they're able to spout a huge amount of facts and figures, thoughts and stories, and they just happen to be edited really well! :)
 
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DeanzEpic

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The more you talk on camera the more you'll get used to it. I had nervousness when I was in the Navy and had to talk in front of crowds. I got a training position which required me to stand in front of my whole division and regulate training. At first I was nervous and probably looked very stiff in front of everyone, but by the time I was getting out I had fun with it and was one of the best trainers in our department. It got to the point where I would actually make the training interesting and fun versus dry and just reading off of a Powerpoint. Now that I've been out for a while, I get nervous again because I'm out of practice. I had to do something in front of people at my current job last year and I felt nervous again.

One tip is to slow down how fast you talk just a little bit. This way you have time to think as you talk. I had a guy that worked drive through at Carl's Jr with me a long time ago that did this, he talked fast to coworkers but I noticed he slowed down when talking to customers. I have tried this and it works to get the stuttering and "um, uh" to a low level.
Thanks for the advice :) I'll try it out[DOUBLEPOST=1464016362,1464016266][/DOUBLEPOST]
Like someone mentioned before, practice often helps to overcome these things. But another helpful tipp, that was given to me as well, is to try replace your uhms and errs with silences or pauses.
Thanks for sharing that tip! I appreciate it :)[DOUBLEPOST=1464016490][/DOUBLEPOST]
Just cut out those pauses and "eehm".
Look at big vlogging youtubers. A lot of them have cuts all few seconds to keep the video interesting. Watch those video to find out how to cut it in a way that it doesn't look weird.
Thanks for that tip :)[DOUBLEPOST=1464016723][/DOUBLEPOST]
Practice, practice, practice! But don't discount editing, either! You can make yourself look like a really eloquent speaker by recording short bits and editing them together. A lot of people on camera look like they're able to spout a huge amount of facts and figures, thoughts and stories, and they just happen to be edited really well! :)
Practice + good editing...Got it! :) Thanks for sharing, that's pretty solid advice :)