Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [113]
For example, if you must cough, adjust a lock of hair that has fallen in your eyes, or pat sweat off your upper lip with a handkerchief, do so discreetly and with dignity as if you were on a podium or dais or at a head table during a dinner with all eyes upon you.
If you have been told to ignore the camera altogether during the actual interview, look your interviewer in the eye most of the time, listening carefully to what is said and reacting directly to your interviewer.
On a show in which viewers call in to ask you questions, you may be instructed to look at a certain numbered camera (such as “Camera 1” as opposed to “Camera 3”) that gives the illusion that you are talking directly to the viewer.
On some television programs, you will find that you are not in the same room or even the same city with the person who is interviewing you. (When you are in a different city from your interviewer, this is usually referred to as a “two-way.”) You may see the interviewer on a special monitor, which is usually mounted low, out of camera range. When you look at this monitor to hear the question, keep your chin up, so that it will not appear as though you are looking down. When you answer the questions, you will be instructed to look up at your assigned camera lens.
Also in such instances, an earpiece will be placed in your ear to hear the program audio. This technique is more desirable than listening to speakers on the floor, since there is then the tendency to lean toward the speaker for better listening power.
Never walk in front of a television camera without asking the floor manager if it’s okay to do so. The director may cue a camera on at any time, without notice. Walk behind the camera, or duck low underneath the lens.
Since an accidental flash of a mirror into a lens can put an expensive camera out of commission by causing a burned-in flare in the lens, always keep mirrors faced away from the lens—cupped into the palm of the hand. If you are using a powder compact in the studio, cover the mirror beforehand with masking tape. Never use a two-sided mirror in the studio.
More about Appearing on Camera
Looking Pleasant on Camera. You may be told that you look sad, grim, or downtrodden on camera. When you see yourself on the monitor, you may think that you look stern, depressed, and ten years older. You may be asked to smile, but you feel uncomfortable doing so.
To help counteract this, practice in a mirror to discover how far you can go to “half-smile” and lighten up your facial expression. Lift the brows. Part the lips and push them forward slightly and expectantly, just as you start to speak. Keep your gaze turned slightly upward, not downward. Keep your posture erect and elongated.
When you smile, your voice smiles too. Keep the voice alert and interested.
Professional actors and entertainers often keep a fixed grin on their faces as they hear the countdown to the air time. In this way, when they receive the camera cue, the back of the throat is open, and their first words come out properly placed. The audience never sees the contrived smile, only a pleasant expression as the cameras roll.
In sum, make the whole experience an “upper” instead of a “downer.” Picture yourself as kindly and genial.
How to Talk to a Camera. Some people can talk to an audience, but find it difficult to talk to a camera because they normally depend on the audience’s reaction.
You really cannot overcome this by pretending to talk to the camera operator, since you cannot see his or her face and he is looking through the viewfinder or listening to instructions from the control room and will not respond to your remarks.
So who can you talk to? Look at the camera as if you were fond of it. Regard it as a close friend.
Or you might try to visualize that you are talking to a single listener who is eager to hear what you have to say. Even though you may be heard by millions of people, you are actually communicating