Six Tips for Looking Good on Camera

Looking good on camera is mostly about feeling comfortable. As a talent under those bright lights, it’s best if you can forget about your appearance altogether and focus on being yourself.

Next time you’re shooting a video, consider the following six tips to make sure you are looking (and feeling) good.

Clothing

When it comes to dressing for a shoot, solid colours are always a good bet.

Try to avoid big logos, wrinkled clothes, or tight patterns, as they can all be visually distracting to your viewer or even ‘buzz’ on camera.

When choosing your look, be aware that a suit and tie will send a different message than a ripped t-shirt. Also remember that when you are comfortable, you look comfortable. There’s no use in going over the top with your outfit if it means you can’t breathe properly or get loose.

In the end, your look should stem from your brand and whatever message you’re trying to convey in the video. There are no hard and fast rules.

Makeup

If you’re preparing to be in a video, do whatever you’d normally do on an average day.

In our humble opinion, the best makeup in videos is the makeup that viewers don’t even notice. Getting in front of a camera is already pretty intimidating for a non-actor, and asking folks to put on special makeup for a video can add another layer of unfamiliarity.

For our company videos, we don’t ask any of our subjects to wear makeup. But then again, if you’re the one stepping into those bright lights, then it’s up to you!

If you’d feel more comfortable being in front of a camera after you’ve applied some powder and mascara, then by all means, go for it or let us know and we can bring along our friendly hair and make-up artist.

The most important thing is that you feel like yourself. If you go with a look that’s totally different from your day-to-day appearance, it’ll be harder to feel genuine on camera.

Blotting paper can help reduce oil and minimize shine.

Camera placement

Keep the lens just above the talents eyeline. This placement will help to prevent a double chin situation and will yield a much more flattering angle. This rule applies if you’re shooting with your webcam too! Make sure to raise your laptop up off the table and angle it down toward your face, ensuring the camera is just above your eyeline.

Lighting

When we light a subject we aim to remove all harsh shadows on faces by using a nice big soft light.

Background

There’s a reason we use a dark grey background in many of our company videos. We’ve found that muted blues and greys are universally flattering, whereas bright colours, like orange and red, will reflect colour back onto the subject and affect the way the camera records skin colour.

Performance

When you first jump in front of a camera, it can be a bit intimidating.

Try your best to focus on owning each line. Take those hands out of your pockets, stand or sit up straight, and finish each line with gusto (just not too much gusto). Also keep in mind that when you’re on camera, you’re on the whole time, so make each moment count. Sure, you can edit out some things in post, but that bored face you make between your first two lines might just make it into the final cut.

If you’ve pulled an all-nighter or are getting sick, consider rescheduling the shoot. There’s only so much you can do to look great if you don’t feel great.

At the end of the day, the PURE crew are here to make you look good.  So arrive with plenty of time to the shoot, come prepared with a few outfit changes and get a good night’s rest to you are full of energy. 

And enjoy the process!