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How To Direct Non-Professional Talent

By Charlotte Timbers


If you're filming a corporate video, then I might be right in assuming that you're working with non-professional talent in front of the camera - mangers, staff, stakeholders etc While these authentic testimonials are key to a natural corporate video, they can bring untold issues in their delivery.

There are a few key things to remember when you're conducting an interview that can help your production run more smoothly... Once you have these understood you don't have to follow them precisely - it's possible to conduct an interview without a regimented formula, but it's a good idea to stay within the guidelines. Remember the Chris Stark and Mila Kunis interview that went viral recently? Yes, well... everything about that told us it should have been a terrible terrible interview, yet it actually worked.

The first rule is to make your subject comfortable in your presence, whether they are a celebrity or a business representative, the interview will not run smoothly if the subject can not relate to you. Talk to your subject beforehand and develop a rapport. Be interested in what they have to say and get them motivated about talking to you.

If your subject fidgets during the interview then often a simple request for them to stop will do the trick. However, for some it's involuntary and trying to repress it will manifest itself in other negative ways. If possible then try to frame out the offending tic, crop to a closer shot to avoid fidgety hands or legs and focus on getting the best verbal delivery from your interviewee.

Additionally, allow your subject to have a degree of choice when choosing where to sit. While you may have the perfect composition in mind, remember that many interviewees may want to be in certain rooms or away from audiences and colleagues. Work with them to find a comfortable location and then work your composition around that. Forcing your subject to endure the scrutiny of their colleagues while talking is a sure fire way to stress them out.

Once your subject is seated, make good use of lighting and a little makeup to ensure they stand out beautifully. A strong image combined with a strong delivery is the absolute goal of a powerful and persuasive corporate video.

Lastly, stress the nature of video production, especially the editing. Informing your subject that they can have multiple takes and can take their time when delivering a response can do wonders for their stress. A lot of nerves in front of the camera stems from a lack of understanding about the production process - many subjects believing it all has to be in one take and word perfect.




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