Learn How To Be More Confident On Camera

Do you want to be more confident on camera?

For those of you don't know me I'm a YouTuber. I'm happy to say I've had millions and millions of views and I also have a film-making background, a theater background, and I'm a musician.

Today I wanted to talk today about camera confidence. A lot of people have a hard time believing my story about how I used to be a very shy kid, and I've been able to go from that to today. I actually direct my own videos. Sometimes some pretty elaborate videos. Some go viral, some don't, a lot don't! But I've had great success with being on camera.

Some people have a hard time believing that all this included a journey. I want to share some tips I learned from that journey.

 

A lot of those tips I actually learned from working in Hollywood, as well as directing my own films, my own web series, as well as Hollywood workshops I took as a director and as an actor. That I think a lot of people could apply to regular online videos – simple things like if you wanted to do Facebook lives or you wanted to get on YouTube those same Hollywood techniques work the same.

What holds you back?

Have you ever watched yourself on video and you cringe at the sound of your own voice? Some of us have been there?  I have been there.

I hated the sound of my own voice. It didn't sound the way I was used to and sometimes I didn't like how I looked on camera. I would be embarrassed. Kind of like you ever not liked a picture of yourself that somebody tagged you in, maybe on Facebook it's that kind of feeling but on a video. So some people are afraid to start on video because of that.

They're afraid of what people will say, they're afraid of how they look, and then some people they might have the camera confidence in terms of how they look but they have other fears regarding  video. They might be afraid of what people think in terms of if these people are professional enough to be on camera, old enough, young enough to be on camera. Or maybe you don't have the authority to be on camera for something you do, something you love or a business you run.

You feel like it's for other people to be on video. So there's this common kind of Impostor Syndrome. People have trouble getting the courage to be on camera or when they're on camera they struggle with being confident and thus being authentic.

I know a lot of people struggle with that so I thought I would share some tips. I'm going to be doing a live every day this week to promote this upcoming course that I'm doing. It's a beta course so this is like a one-time chance to work with me live every week in a very small group setting for a very discounted price.

This course will help you with not only camera confidence but how to tell a story as a filmmaker does. You can use it in your own small online videos. So that you can grow your business and can grow your brand.

How to feel confident on camera?

First of all, if you feel uncomfortable being on camera, I want you to know first off that I've been there. That used to be me when I was a kid. I was afraid to be on camera. I was afraid to be on stage even though I loved performing. And I loved to sing; I had a talent for singing. I had a gift but I was afraid to share that gift because I had such terrible stage fright.

And so some people they either don't start on camera or when they're on camera they look nervous or they don't seem like themselves. They seem a little bit uptight and stiff.

Relive a Moment

First of all, when you are on stage, it's because you're internalizing everything. You're turning everything in on yourself. Your mindset is on “how am I performing” and “oh my gosh everybody's looking at me”. Or if it's on the camera it's: everybody's going to look at me and you're fixating on the camera on the situation and it's getting to you in your own mind. Whereas when you speak to your friend you look very natural. If somebody secretly filmed you would look completely authentic because you're having a real conversation.

The key to looking authentic and feeling confident on camera is to put yourself back in that original situation. You need to use your imagination a little bit. This is why actors appear so talented. This is why actors look so good because they're not performing, they're being authentic.

One technique is you can try to access your memories of a conversation you had with a real person you knew and then if you can channel that your “performance” is gonna look really natural.

So as an actor, a tool that I could use potentially, is let's say there was a scene where I had to be really sad or I could fit a sad memory and I could channel that. I could close my eyes before the scene and think okay what happened right before the scene? And then think was there a time in my life where I felt that way where I was unhappy or sad and I can channel that memory and then I can kind of relive it.

Have a conversation

Now you have to be willing to be vulnerable. If you can remember that in your performance, it's gonna look authentic because you're remembering a real time when you are sad. So that is a trick sometimes that actors use they channel a real memory so that their performance looks authentic. Because they're actually remembering a time when they were in that kind of situation. They're not acting, they're reliving.

Let's say you had a business and you wanted to talk about your product or solve your customer's problem on a video you could use the same technique. Before you record, or even when you record because you can edit it later, close your eyes and remember a time, when you needed to solve a problem for your customer.

What was the conversation you had? What were the things that your customer was asking you? Once you remember that person's face, now you can open your eyes and start recording. Act like you're having a conversation with that person. Act like the camera lens is that person.

Try to Act

So instead of trying to perform and trying to act the way you think everything is supposed to act, turn it or to act. Turn it around to focus on the other person instead of internalizing it. Focus on solving their problems, and if you can do that it will take away some of your nervousness. You will focus your attention on the other person. It's even better as it compounds the benefits because you're also going to appear authentic since you're helping another person. Even if it's just a person from your memory.

And if you've never helped people like that before you might want to invent a persona. Find a photograph of a friend and put that near the camera.

Use an Actual Person

Another trick I tell people is can you have a friend stand behind the camera?

That allows it to appear authentic as well because you are having a conversation with the person behind the camera. But try to look into the lens. That's a common mistake I see people do.

So look into the lens and make sure that you're just imagining that that's a person and if you do have a person behind the camera don't look at the person look at the lens. But imagine that that's a person.

It takes time

Finally I also just want you to remember that this takes the time and it takes practice. Just make sure that you're not too hard on yourself.

Those are my little tidbits of camera confidence tricks for you. I hope they helped you. Just remember those things close your eyes, access a memory of a time you've helped someone with that question, whatever it is that your video is about. If it's an informational video, then think about a time somebody asks you that question. Or If you've never had somebody asks you that question imagine you're trying to help people in new business.

If you have a hard time imagining them use a photograph of somebody you actually know. Then if you're still having a hard time, have a real person stand behind the camera and maybe be your moral support but you got to always make sure you look into the camera lens.

Don't look at your friend who's standing above the camera don't look at the screen to the side because. Remember you're kind of in a time capsule, you're a time traveler. You're speaking to somebody in the future who will watch your video. If it's a live, you might be doing it now but people will watch the replay too right?

Just pick one imaginary person or one person you've worked with in the past that's how you're gonna get authentic.

Focus less on self

My fourth tip is to turn it around. Don't focus so much on yourself. That's how you get nervous, that's how you start to appear unauthentic.  That's how you appear disingenuous. You have to allow yourself to just be yourself allow yourself to be vulnerable. I know that's scary, but if you can allow yourself to be vulnerable. If you can love yourself enough to tell yourself ‘people will love me just the way I am, I don't have to be professional, I don't have to be this idea of who I think people need to be.

I just need to be myself and focus on that person and give them my gift. Whether that is singing or it's education, focus on that person, that invisible person who is behind the camera. They need you and so remember that if you can take it from a point of serving others, that's how you can have a beautiful authentic performance on camera, that won't even feel like a performance.

Just like many actors will be very humble if you compliment them on their talent because it's not a performance to them. They are just very good at being vulnerable enough to channel their internal memories and their emotions so that they can be emotionally raw with people. That's all they're doing they're not actually performing.

Learn More in my Beta Course

I am doing a live beta course, you will have the ability to meet with me live twice a week, this one time only. After this, the videos will be pre-recorded when I teach the more expensive final class a few months from now. So this summer is the only chance you're gonna have at one-third of the final price if you want to help me make a great product and join in my beta course and be part of this tiny little small group.

I'm teaching people how to create a video strategy before they ever film something, lots of tips that I learned as a director and an actor that you can use. Just like the tips I just told you for your performance. How to craft a good story both as a filmmaker and videographer and as the person on camera who is the person delivering the message. We delve into the technical part of how to post a video and how to promote it.

How you can repurpose your content so you can use the same videos over and over again on all your other social media so that you're not making a million videos for all the platforms out there. Because you do need to focus if you want to grow. My talent is growing audiences and telling stories and that's how I've been able to grow 134,000 Livestream followers, it's how I've got 24 million YouTube views. If you want access to me every week in this live six-week course, just check out this link.

Related: How to Makeover your YouTube Channel to Get More Views

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