How To Get The Best Out Of New Talent

With the progression of technology and social media, companies are finding innovative ways to market their products. And with the mix of social apps and the business world, more and more people are finding themselves in front of a camera.

Influencers have dominated marketing on various social media platforms, but how can businesses also use these platforms to their advantage when their store clerk isn’t used to a camera?

Well, it all starts with your presenter.

Make it Safe

Whoever has taken the presenter’s chair must feel safe, and one way to do this is to be real with your talent. Let them know that it is nerve-racking to be in front of a camera, then sidetrack.

I do this while I set up my equipment. The talent will be getting final makeup, settling in, or even sitting and waiting. The latter is the most difficult for them as it builds anticipation. So, talk to your talent. Learn to build an easy conversation about anything other than what you’re doing.

As the talent becomes more relaxed, involve them in what you are doing. Show them your smart monitor, the framing, or even just tell them why you have two cameras set up. They’ll start to realise that you have control, that it’s a safe place, and from this, you’ll get a relaxed performance.

Demonstrate

You must be willing to do anything you ask your talent to do and even demonstrate the action. I filmed a Star Wars short with some friends and, in order to incorporate the force, I knew I’d have to reverse some footage in post-production. The whole shot sequence had been in my head for days, but it was completely new to my talent.

This was a shot that was based on trust. Trust I had built with the talent so that they knew I had the story under control. But being something that could only be fully realised in post, it was absolutely something I had to demonstrate. Although I am a hugely uncoordinated human, my talent followed suit and it turned out amazingly.

It is a must to build trust with your talent and being willing to demonstrate and do anything you ask of them is a key element.

Collaborate

There will be times your talent knows more about the topic than you and in these circumstances,  you must maintain strong communication.

I often go to pop culture conventions to film the amazing cosplay talent that can be found. The response I get when I ask to film them is usually reserved excitement. There is a joy emanating from the cosplayer filled with pride because of their hard work, but also nervousness when deciding how to move and pose for the camera.

It’s at this point where you must apply this article’s first point and make it safe. Talk with the talent and learn about their character. If they can’t think of what to do, be prepared to take a leap and improvise from their information. This shows that you’re listening to them and that their passion matters.

Then, show them the first shot you take. Collaborating with them this way will build their confidence in you and in themselves, and, in most cases, they’ll be able to pitch an idea for another shot. That is when you start to get better footage.

Check-In

There will be mistakes and if your talent is new to the camera, they can potentially feel dreadful when this happens. It’s at this point that the videographer needs to reassure the talent and check-in. See if they need to go over the script again, or if it’s a Q&A remind them that there is nothing to worry about. Sometimes it’s good to get a practice answer out as it can allow the talent to better process the question.

When it is a Q&A, or if the talent feels pressured to answer the questions immediately, remind them that any pauses can be cut out.

Be sure to maintain this open communication and always check in with your talent to make sure they are still comfortable and safe.

Keep It Light

Keep any ego or anger at the door because it is not welcome. There will be occasions when being firm with your direction is necessary, but when you have new talent this behaviour will only cause them to retreat.

Genuinely, I would also apply this to every place of employment. People will do things wrong, especially because they are new. And, more so, because we are human.

Criticism is necessary, but you need to know that it doesn’t have to be delivered in a harsh way. After partaking in weekly critiques during my degree, I’ve come to learn that there is a significant difference between someone who critiques for support and someone who critiques for power.

The best tool for this is the ‘crap sandwich’. You lead the criticism with positives by recognising the talent’s work, followed by areas of improvement, and finish with some more positive notes. It’s an easy process to apply when critiquing writing, so how do you apply it to videography?

Quite simply, recognise the good. Really recognise and appreciate when your talent (or employee!) succeeds and does well. With this sort of reinforcement, a negative note will not hurt the talent but instead fuel them to better achieve what’s needed to be done.

Through my experiences, these are the things I have learnt to help new talent in front of the camera. At times, it seems like the best solution is simply to talk, and that’s because it is. Talk with your talent, create that safe place, and you’ll achieve amazing promotional footage for your social media marketing.

Featured Image: Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

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