When it comes to being in front of a camera, “acting naturally” does not come naturally for most people.

It takes Action!

The best on-camera performances are ones where it appears like there is no “acting” going on at all but rather everything is natural and the camera just happened to catch the action.   Don’t be fooled anymore!  There’s usually nothing natural about it.

The trick is to make it …

… LOOK natural.

To do that, you have to be comfortable in front of the camera.  If you are uptight and nervous the viewer can tell and that will make THEM uptight and nervous.  That’s not a recipe for a successful web video.

So how do you manage to appear comfortable if you aren’t?  Here are my five top tips for doing just that.

First, just like the Boy Scouts, be prepared.  Write your script out ahead of time and rehearse, rehearse and rehearse some more.  The more you practice, the more saying your lines will become second nature.

Second, lose your fear of the camera.  A video camera is nothing but metal, plastic and glass.  It is incapable of laughing at you.   You have total control over a video project.  If you do something wrong, do another take.  No one will ever see your mistakes.  You would be amazed at how many takes professional actors goof.

Third, warm up before letting the camera roll.  Jump up and down.  Breathe deep.  Shake out your muscles.  Just like an athlete before a race, warming up will get rid of all that tension.   It will get the adrenalin flowing and help you exude excitement, not tension.

Fourth, stick out your tongue and open your mouth wide.  Say your name.  Say anything as this opens the throat.  Stretch and wiggle your mouth, tongue, cheeks and jaws.  This will loosen you up and make your mouth work better.   It’s a bit like greasing the wheel, so to speak.

Lastly, and perhaps most important, get rid of your inner critic.  Most of us have a little voice inside telling us we shouldn’t do this or that.  “You look silly!” that voice might say.  Or, “you’re too old and fat to be on camera!” “People will laugh at you!  Who the heck do you think you are telling other people what to do?” “You can’t act!”

If you continue to listen to this negative inner critic, it will be hard to do much of anything.  Tell your inner critic to hush!  Cut you some slack this is going to be fun. You do not need to let these insecurities rule what you do.  Most of us are WAY to harsh on ourselves.  Other people do not judge us nearly as harshly as we do ourselves.  So make that inner voice be more positive and give you some corporation.  Tell yourself you CAN do this.  In fact, it will be fun!  You have nothing to fear, you are in control. Just don’t stop.

If you’d like to learn more about how to improve your on-camera performance, make sure and sign up for your free acting web videos.  It’s easy.  Go to www.VideoWebGuy.com Be Bop!

Click Here To Get Your Free Video Lesson

Now, let’s act!

Thanks for reading and share with friends.

Thom McFadden

Coach to the Stars