If your job involves filming your CEO or senior leaders, the following tips from a company who have done it many, many times might help.
Be brave.
CEO’s that just nail it are rare. Even though you may be dealing with some big egos, our experience is that if you can make clear, helpful suggestions that will make them look good on camera – they want to hear your advice.
Have fun.
It can be quite stressful on set but a little light hearted humour does wonders to put everyone at ease and help the contributor perform at their best. Try and set the tone as soon as they walk in – a relaxed team will deliver a relaxed filming experience.
Be pragmatic.
Your contributor will want to spend as little time as possible. Don’t delay filming trying to correct a small visual problem, or fiddling with the positioning of a light. Get it all set up before they arrive and when they are there just spend the time filming.
Know when to step in and when not to.
If you hear a mistake it is far better to interrupt and step in. It takes two seconds to do a re-take but it’s a nightmare trying to patch over a factual error in the edit.
Water.
Always have a bottle of water ready. Even the most experienced people get ‘dry mouth’ and you don’t want to waste time running out for water. It shows you care and understand the stresses of filming.
Give the crew enough time to set up.
Yes of course you can point an IPhone and film in two seconds but it takes time to set up a great shot if you are using professional kit, sound and maybe lights or autocue. Allow the film crew enough time to set up before your start.
Run through.
If you are using an auto-cue get the script up on screen and read it through yourself – out loud and on camera. This will help you spot all the points in the script that read badly or cause you to trip up. This will make a real difference and increase the chance of the person your are filming being able to do it in one take.
If you would like us to help film your leaders call Peter Walter on 07775 566005 or mail [email protected]