Eye Contact! How to look at the camera, not my notes on the screen...

Mar 25, 2017

What tricks do you have to maintain eye contact with the audience (the camera) rather than looking at your screen? 

Is the only option to purchase a webcam teleprompter?

9 Replies
Mike Enders

Hi Meryem!

I think it really depends upon the type of video that you're producing. Given that we're in the Replay forum I'll approach it from that context. 

I'm recording a 30 second introduction head shot video 
If you're creating a relatively long live shot where you're engaging the camera/audience, then you have a few options. (1) You can memorize and rehearse your script until it becomes natural. (2) You can go the teleprompter route. (3) You can memorize and rehearse your script but also keep it (or some bullet points) on the screen to guide you if you get stuck. I've done all 3 approaches and it really comes down to how time sensitive the job is. If I know I have a lot of videos to shoot and they have to happen fast, I use a teleprompter. It takes a little more time upfront, but in the long run it saves time because I can nail the video in one or two takes. 

But teleprompters can be costly, so option #3 can be a good compromise. You rehearse your script, but then keep some brief bullets onscreen to guide you. You could even keep the bullets in two places (say, on screen to the lower left of your webcam and then on an iPad placed to the upper right). This allows you to glance in two different directions and makes it less obvious that you're using notes. However, the key to pulling this off is only needing to glance on occasion (meaning you've rehearsed your script a bit). 

I'm describing something on my screen with some live components
This type of video is a lot easier! If you're doing just a brief introduction live and then moving to describe things on your screen (say, a software walk through), then you can simply memorize the first 10-15 seconds of what you want to say and move to the screen content while you're reading your script. And Replay makes it easy to edit after the recording so you can cut away to the screen content at any time!

Blend The Two
And this actually brings up another potential avenue. Let's say that you have to do a live introduction but aren't feeling comfortable with doing an entire live shot. You could have some visual (course objectives, what we'll cover, some imagery, etc.) that you can cut to.  So you start off with a super energetic opening 10-15 seconds where you introduce yourself and the topic (you're looking at the camera the entire time), and then you start reading from your script. At the end, you look back to the camera for the final 10 seconds. When you go to edit in Replay, you can cut to the imagery while you're reading the script. This way the viewer doesn't know that you're not looking at the camera the entire time. But when they see you on camera, you are!

I hope this helps a little bit. If you'd like a couple samples,  just let me know and I can mock something up for you!

Mike

 

 

Meryem M

Mike, I'm so glad you replied!  I always notice your impressive eye contact when you are presumably just looking at your webcam. 

I'm working with an SME who needs to make videos for an online college environment.  I'm having fits getting consistent, or even intermittent eye contact with the camera.  He knows his script, and has it practically memorized.  But in the absence of actual students to connect with, he will look at those notes.

Is there a trick to get a non-actor to pretend to be talking to people? 

 

 

 

Meryem M

Some context:  In a synchronous classroom environment, my SME would present this lecture material in an hour.  For the online distance-learning environment I built a slide deck, transcripted his lecture, and made tight script that accomplishes the lecture in about 10 minutes.  The DL course is heavy on words and reading, and this is an attempt to add visual and inter-personal interest.

Mike, I'd love to ditch the script, but that script is my tool to keep the time down.  Plus, without the script, it is "um... um... um..." Those ums are easy to edit out in audio, but impossible for me to cut in video.  Hence, the script. 

For my latest attempt (which we are using, but I hate it) I placed the script on another screen behind my webcam, and scrolled the script just a couple lines at a time just above the camera.  So my SME was reading it, looking up instead of down.  But it is obvious in the video that he is looking above the camera. 

Thanks,  TD, for your suggestion.  I've tried positioning myself at eyeball level just behind the camera lens.  But the SME will glance at me only briefly, and then look back to his script. He will glance at me A LOT, but always just a flicker.  He is trying, but this is not his expertise at all.

More context:  This problem has prevented me from recording in Replay.  I am recording in other software and assembling the slides plus SME-in-the-corner via Replay.  My finished product has mostly disembodied voice, and very little of the SME's face, because of the eye contact problem.

I see this little teleprompter product on YouTube, but the company appears to be out of business.    https://youtu.be/R-KoUymikYA  Nifty gizmo.  Anyone use something like this?  Just mirrors and plastic, apparently.

Mike Enders

Meryem,

If the goal is to have an end product be a video, and you're using Replay, I wonder if it doesn't make more sense to accept the SME's abilities for where they're at right now and work with it.

For example, have the SME do a relaxed, unscripted, 10-20 second live intro where he's looking at the camera. Then, insert your slides (as .pngs) into Replay and go full screen on the slides for the majority of the presentation. If the slides are heavy on imagery, then it won't be as jarring as simply looking at the text on slides. 

You could then choose 2 or 3 points where the SME addresses the camera (say, for super important topic points) for around 10 - 20 seconds each. You'd cut to him (mix) for those little blurbs, but then return back to the slides.

This way, the SME is only responsible for really "knowing" and presenting the content to the camera for 2 or 3 instances throughout the video. 

And instead of doing 1 long take, break the entire thing up into pieces and splice together at the end:

1. Live Intro

2. Slides

3. Live 

4. Slides

5. Live

6. Slides

7. Live Closing

One piece of advice....

10 minutes on camera can be daunting. When I first started creating online content for my students I focused on utilizing tools like Articulate Presenter and doing audio podcasts. None of these required me to be on camera, but they helped build my confidence and "voice".

Eventually I did start doing live portions, but it was still pretty rough. I recently watched some of the first on-camera recordings I created for my online courses and they're painful to watch. My presentation style was lethargic and stilted. I improved, but it took time and repetition. 

You might find that by going with a blended approach for your SME that he's able to relax and have fun with the material. 7 little chunks is often easier to approach than 1 large one.

Mike

This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.