Why capable speakers struggle on camera
An executive who presents easily to a room of people can stiffen when the room is replaced by a lens, two lights and a silent crew. There is no audience reaction to read, and every hesitation feels recorded forever.
The fix is not media training in the formal sense. It is removing uncertainty: they should know what will be asked, how long it will take, what to wear and that mistakes are simply cut out.
Talking points, not a script
A memorized script is the most reliable way to make a credible person sound unconvincing. The eyes drift as they search for the next line, and the delivery flattens.
Give the executive three or four talking points with one supporting fact or example for each. They already know this material. They only need to know which parts of it you want.
Send the questions in advance, but ask them not to rehearse word-for-word answers. The director will ask each question conversationally, and the answer can be repeated until it lands. If exact wording is required for legal reasons, limit it to that one sentence and consider a teleprompter for it.
Wardrobe
Send this guidance a few days ahead so nobody is improvising on the morning of the shoot.
- 01
Solid colors
Fine stripes, small checks and tight patterns can shimmer on camera. Plain mid-tones are the safest choice.
- 02
What they would wear to meet a client
The outfit should match how the audience expects to see them. Overdressing reads as stiff, underdressing as careless.
- 03
A second option
Ask them to bring an alternative. It solves a clash with the background and gives the edit variety if clips are released over time.
- 04
Quiet accessories
Jewelry that rattles and lanyards that swing are picked up by the microphone. Remove badges unless they are part of the picture.
- 05
Glasses
If they normally wear glasses, they should wear them. The crew will adjust the lights to manage reflections.
Choosing the location
The executive's own office is rarely the best room. It is often small, has a window directly behind the desk and sits next to a busy corridor.
Look for a quiet space with depth behind the chair, so the background falls softly out of focus, and enough room for lights and a camera at a comfortable distance. A lounge, a showroom or a corner of the workplace that shows what the company does usually gives a better picture than a boardroom.
Check for noise you have stopped noticing: ventilation, refrigerators, traffic, a nearby elevator. Ask whether the air conditioning can be switched off for the duration of the recording.
What happens on the day
- 01
The crew sets up without the executive
Lighting, camera and sound are prepared in advance using a stand-in, so the executive walks into a room that is ready.
- 02
A short settling-in
The microphone is fitted, framing is checked and the director talks through how the interview will run.
- 03
The conversation
Easy questions come first. The important ones follow once the speaker has warmed up, and key answers are recorded more than once.
- 04
Pickups
Any answer that needs a cleaner start or a shorter version is repeated while the thought is still fresh.
- 05
Supporting footage
If the schedule allows, the executive is filmed walking, meeting or working, which gives the editor something to cut to.
How much time to ask for
Ask for more of the room than of the person. The crew needs access to the space well before the interview to light it properly. The executive's own time on camera is much shorter than the booking for the room.
Agree on the slot with their assistant and protect it. A speaker who is watching the clock gives clipped answers, and an interview squeezed between two meetings shows on screen. Ask the production team for a realistic estimate based on how many topics you need covered.
What the director does
- 01
Asks the questions
The executive speaks to a person, not to a lens, and the result sounds like conversation.
- 02
Listens for the edit
The director knows which sentences will be used and asks for a complete, self-contained version of each.
- 03
Manages the room
Fewer observers means a more relaxed speaker. The director will politely keep the audience small.
- 04
Protects the speaker
A good director notices a wrinkled collar, a nervous habit or a factual slip and fixes it on the spot.
