Countless new creators face this moment: They’re sitting alone in a quiet room. Their brand new camera is balanced atop a tripod or stack of books, red light blinking anxiously. They felt so confident before this moment—they’ve seen thousands of videos online before and have maybe even found a handful of other creators who inspire them. They were exhilarated by a flood of ideas and giddily set everything up. And now, they’re wondering how they’re supposed to look natural when they’re basically talking to themselves.
I know this because I’ve been there. I’ve been making videos on YouTube since 2014, and I’m still learning better ways that I can be more myself when I’m filming. In this post, I’ll offer my best tips to getting past the hurdle of trying to look natural in (what turns out to be) a very unnatural situation.
Have a Plan
Experienced creators will sometimes flick their camera on and dive right in, but that kind of casual attitude takes time to earn. And depending on the genre of videos you watch, most creators are following some sort of plan or script to make sure that their video brings the most value and entertainment to their audience.
Even if you don’t want to follow a script, you should at least have thought through your video and come up with a few bullet points you want to discuss. It’s all too easy to forget a couple talking points or blank out entirely once you start filming.
I also find that when I don’t plan ahead, the pressure of the running camera is overwhelming. I’m thinking about the battery and SD card space running out, the footage I’ll have to wade through of me stopping to think after every sentence, and the extra takes I’ll need as I figure out how to structure the video.
Focusing on what to say removes you from the present moment and prevents you from fully engaging with what you’re saying. That distance makes it impossible to speak naturally. Do the heavy lifting upfront and let your filming time be only about your delivery.
Film Multiple Takes
Most of the work behind videos is editing. You have to give yourself way more footage than you think you need, and shape it into what eventually becomes your video. And most of your footage won’t be usable—you’ll inevitably stumble through a sentence, lose your train of thought, or do something that looks awkward. You’ll be stuck filming for days if you’re trying to get everything perfect in one take.
Don’t panic when you catch a mistake or if you don’t like the way you phrased something. I’ll often repeat the same two sentences ten times because I keep stuttering or I don’t like my delivery. That’s normal!
My mindset while filming is: When in doubt, do another take. Your mistakes are usually a sign to relax—you might be talking too fast or feeling nervous. If you let yourself sink into self-consciousness, you’ll be disappointed with the how stoic and hesitant you look on camera.
Instead, sink more into the moment. Take a deep breath and try again. Sometimes, I even make a face at the camera to give myself a laugh when I edit the footage later. Whatever brings you back to yourself, do it.
It will take a few tries to get what you want. During the editing phase, you can chop up your footage and leave your stuttering on the cutting room floor.
Play with Your Personality
For the first couple years that I made videos, I was frustrated by how little my personality was translating on screen. I felt so confident and witty when talking to my friends, yet I came across shy and bland in my videos. Each time, I’d vow to be more “myself” the next time I filmed something. I’d film again and think I improved, then feel defeated when I watched it back later and saw that I was just as boring as I’d been before.
What I had to learn is that filming videos is a performance. It takes an above-average amount of energy to look natural on camera. Some creators run with this, creating over-the-top caricatures of themselves to stand out, and that works well for certain audiences. But to even look like your regular self, you have to perform to some extent.
It can feel silly at first, but you have to deliver more energy than feels normal. If you end up looking stupid, you can simply delete the footage. No one has to see what you don’t want to show them.
Try different deliveries of the same thing, and give yourself space to play. If you play around with your personality, your enthusiasm, your inflection, and your sense of humor in multiple takes, you’ll quickly learn what looks good to you and what doesn’t. Plus, you’ll definitely have at least one usable take.
Talk to a Friend
When you watch videos by experienced creators, you might feel as if the person is talking right to you. You feel like you know the person without having met them.
Part of looking natural on camera is treating the camera—and by extension, your audience—like a close friend. That intimacy is important for your audience, because they become invested in actual people, not robots.
When you film a video, imagine a close friend is sitting behind the camera (or if you’re having trouble, you can even put someone there). This doesn’t only put you at ease, but it helps you make sure that you’re not just talking for the sake of talking—you’re talking to your audience.
Behind your viewers’ screens are real people who want to connect with you. The camera is simply the tool you use to reach them.
Play Back Your Footage
This is the most painful part for some, but the best way to determine how natural you look on camera is to immediately play back what you’ve filmed.
A lot of creators get stuck on self-judgment and are eager to pick apart their every word, but you have to turn critical thinking into critique. Listen to what you’re saying, see your facial expressions, and feel the personality that’s coming through. If it’s not hitting the mark, take note of what you’d like to improve, and film it again.
It might be tempting to film your video and walk away for a bit, but I recommend reviewing your footage within 24 hours of filming it. It’s so much easier to go through your footage when it’s fresh on your mind. I’ll even remember certain takes of a particular few phrases, like how the first four takes are trash, the fifth is decent but probably bland, the sixth and seventh are more creative but possibly embarrassingly energetic, and the last one is just meh. When I can directly tie that experience in front of the camera with the clip playing in front of me, I can really dig into how it feels when I deliver something in a way that looks great on the other side.
This process of immediate feedback can be frustrating and time-consuming, but it’s the best way to learn how to look natural on camera. Each time you reshoot a clip (or even an entire video), you’re approaching the camera with a bit more confidence.
Keep Practicing
Give yourself time and space to learn how to look natural on camera. It’s a skill that you can develop with a lot of patience and practice. Plan what you’re going to say, treat the camera like your best friend, and play around with your delivery across multiple takes. Then, watch it back and learn how what you’re feeling in front of the camera comes across on screen.