Webinar Filming Tips

Guide

Webcams or built in cameras on your computer aren’t the greatest when it comes to quality. But sometimes, we’ve got to make do with what we’ve got available. That’s why we’ve put together our webinar filming tips to help you make your webinar stand out from the rest.

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How do you look?

Think about what you’re wearing, and how you’re looking. How would you dress if this were a presentation to “real” people? Treat this the same – brush your hair, do your make-up (yes guys, a bit of powder does no harm, especially if like me you have a shiny head) Try and avoid clothes that have intricate patterns, these can look odd on camera and be distracting, but a bit of colour is great. Also avoid noisy clothes – cotton and wool are good, but fabrics like man made fibres can disrupt the sound when you move about. Think about how you are sitting – avoid slouching – upright and straight works best and will make you look more engaged. Don’t forget to smile!

Lighting

It’s important to get the lighting right – a desk lamp set up above the computer camera will help, but avoid top or side lighting, and back lighting as this isn’t flattering. Remove other lighting where possible, but make sure that the room isn’t dark as this will lead to a very grainy image.
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Framing

Position the computer camera so that it is just above your eyeline. No-one looks good filmed from below! The best position is for the camera to be level with your hairline. Centre yourself in the frame. Don’t sit too close. Have a look on the screen – make sure you’re happy and confident with how you look. When you’re talking, keep your eyes on the camera lens, rather than on you on-screen. The audience is down the lens, so for full engagement this is where your eyes should be. A couple of bits of tape on the computer will help remind you of this. Think about your background. You don’t want your audience to be distracted by your book collection or your fancy wall paper. Keep it simple.

Don't forget the sound...

Use a clip-on microphone or headset if you have one – people struggle with bad audio more than bad video. If the sound is difficult for your audience then they won’t be engaged and it becomes hard work for them. If you’re using a clip on microphone hide the cable, run it up your top or shirt and attach it near your neck – no-one wants to see a dangling cable. Do your presentation somewhere quiet, and if possible in a room that doesn’t have too much echo. Rooms with hard surfaces and open spaces like a kitchen are not good. Rooms that are smaller and full of soft furnishings are much better. Do a test – record a short clip and play it back. This way you can make changes if you need to before you do your webinar.
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One final thing to consider – webinars are best when they have all the bandwidth they want. If they don’t it’s the video that suffers first, then the audio. This is particularly challenging if you’re working from home, and particularly at the moment when you may be competing with a partner who is also doing a video call and a selection of children all of whom are probably each using the internet in at least three different ways simultaneously! If you can negotiate yourself some clear bandwidth please do. Suited & Booted Studios are a full service video production agency located in Bath and Bristol, working with clients in Swindon, Cardiff, London and across the UK. We offer a full range of video products, ranging from animation to event filming, webinars to video marketing. We cover the entire process from production through to editing.