The Socialize Strategy - Camera Angles
Welcome to the socialized strategy, Friday, February 21. I hope you had a great week. I will start off by saying this topic was touched on in the previous episode, but very lightly because it was prompted by a tutorial that I did this week. And the tutorial was really an overview about camera angles. And I was really surprised at the response, so I decided it is worth a revisit and more of a deep dive.
Helen:I do think a lot of people misunderstood my post. Maybe they took it personally like it was in a purse a personal attack on their content. And I also learned a lot in the comments, which is why I want to take it a step further. So I'm gonna do that. But before I get started, I wanna talk about what we did this week in the studio that was major, major of interest, which is my casting director, Donald Case, show he actually did a Zoom session with us where he talked to my members and talked about casting and how it has changed in commercials and and other video content and in programming now that the rise of social media has happened and we have lots of influencers in the mix.
Helen:We talked about the difference between actors and real people and what that really means in the world of production. He gave advice about what to do if you wanna get into the, potentially being on camera and doing acting as a job. So it was a really, really productive session. And we had a little walk down memory lane together, which was fun. So, yeah, that was that was a good one.
Helen:I think that, I think my studio members really enjoyed that. And then on Wednesday, we did a transition lesson that was open to the public so everybody could join. It was webinar style, and I did a one hour lesson on how to make your clothing fly on your body in your videos. That was really, really good because usually I it takes me a long time to film a tutorial and then teach that editing lesson and then have to edit the editing lesson. I record it and then I have to edit it myself.
Helen:So this saved me a lot of time because I could teach it as a classroom type of thing, and it was an open session for all to attend. And my studio members also get the benefit of having my feedback on their videos moving forward. So when they do the lessons, then I will give them I can give them pointers and I help them really take it to the next level. Okay. Now let's get into the camera angle discussion.
Helen:And I'm gonna just take it from all the angles I discussed in a tutorial, but I'm gonna go a little bit further as as to why I even talked about it. First off, when you have a low camera angle, if you're holding your phone down here, aside from it being very unattractive for those of us with any type of neck issues but you don't wanna be looking up someone's nose. You don't wanna be at that angle where you're seeing mostly ceiling. It's not attractive. So for starters, it just sucks as a camera angle.
Helen:But aside from that, what it tells your viewer is that you're, like, dominating over them. It's the way and I I will say it by, like, if I put my phone down here in front of my laptop and I just let it sit here and I was I'm looking down into it and I'm kinda looming over it. And that's gonna give my audience on the receiving end more of a bigger presence boss type of vibe. It's gonna seem like I'm looming over them, maybe talking down to them. So aside from it being unattractive, it also gives a subliminal message.
Helen:And I wanna say that people in my comment section on this tutorial when I talked about this were like, almost felt attacked. Like, I don't think about that when I watch content. And I'm saying to them and to you, I'm not saying people are consciously thinking, oh oh my, this person's talking down to me. I'm saying that it's giving a subliminal message. So from years of being in advertising, I've got we've studied subliminal messaging and how that how you can impact your customers by bright colors or at a certain setting, how they're impacted by subtle things you do in your production.
Helen:And so it's the same thing with social media. There are subtle things that are happening that are telling your viewer something subliminally. This is not a list of, like, saying, oh, that person's a boss because they're doing no. I'm just I'm just sharing that this is the kind of thing that will subtly give your your viewers a feeling. So that's why I think thinking about camera angles is is important.
Helen:So that that looking down unattractive but also looming feeling, It's not great. A lot of people walk and they record. And so what happens is as they don't like to walk like this. They feel obnoxious holding up the phone like this and walking and talking. So it tend they tend to do a little bit of this and holding it down.
Helen:I mean, that's a style and a lot people do it. And they peek down at their phone and that maybe feels connected with their audience in some way, but it's not gonna be as attractive as an angle for that person who's walking and talking. It is more attractive to hold it up like this just that your arm might get tired. I'm gonna tell you when I walk and talk into my phone, I make sure to hold it at an attractive angle that's, like, even with my audience, like, eye level. But when I my arm gets tired, I put my other arm underneath and I'm I hold it up and support it a little bit because I wanna make sure I'm not dropping it down and suddenly having it's all sky in the background and looking up the nostrils or whatever.
Helen:So pondering that as you're making content about keeping the camera a bit higher. Now if you keep your camera at eye level, that is putting you on an equal with your audience. That's making you feel connected. It's making them feel connected. They sense eye contact, which we're gonna get into next, but they sense that you're talking to them on an equal level.
Helen:It is the most effective angle if you're really trying to make a connection with someone. There's always people who say, I need a higher angle because I need to look more attractive because, yes, does a higher angle give you more of a beauty vibe? Yes, It slims you down. Yes. It has a feel to it that is more beauty fashion and something attractive about it.
Helen:But I will tell you some people do it and it's like they're looking up at their phone and it's so obvious that it's almost when I visualize these people recording their videos, I picture their phone hanging in a hanger, like, up high. I find it amazing. I don't even think about it as a tripod. I and I know in my kitchen when I used to record, I'd put my camera up so it would look down into my pots and things and I'd be looking up into my phone. I was so conscious of looking up and at my phone like that.
Helen:So I picture the same thing. I picture these people, like, talking up to their phone in a way. And, you know, what can I say about that? If you want a higher angle because you want to minimalize your what your neck, your gels, whatever, do do what you have to do. But just know that it's giving off a certain subliminal message there as well that you are trying to do something.
Helen:You're trying to be a little bit more, beauty polished, giving yourself an angle. I love to give myself a little bit of a higher angle. And it's funny too because sometimes my husband will take a picture of me and he's got his phone down here. I'm like, hold it up. What are you doing?
Helen:Hold it up. Always holds it down low. And I'm like, no. Pick it up. I want it at eye level.
Helen:You know? Sometimes anyway, that's another story. I I really, very conscious of this because as a production person, I've been studying camera angles, and we list what the angles are gonna be for the shots when we're shooting. I mean, it's just been something that's been ingrained in me to think about, to think about what it's telling the viewer, to think about how it's gonna be perceived on the other side, how it's gonna work in an edit. All of those things are are how I'm trained.
Helen:Okay? So when you're doing your camera when you're doing a speaking video and you're talking directly to the camera and it is in front of you and a lot of times I have it on my tripod just like this, but my tripod is positioned at my eye level and I wanna talk distance because that's a little more tricky. What I learned from my video is that a lot of people do not like when you get too close to the camera. They feel that you are invading their personal space. So if there's nothing else you take away from this podcast episode today, take away that one.
Helen:People don't like when you're talking this close. You need to at least be at an arm's length from your phone for people to feel comfortable. So you're close, but you're still you're not on top of it like this. And I think that is very telling. I was so surprised by that comment because I know.
Helen:Then I started watching videos, and I'm like, oh, yeah. That person's real close. I started paying attention to it myself. I hadn't really thought about that too much before. But it's they people don't like their space being invaded, like, in that way.
Helen:And part two of this is where the person is looking on the camera. And especially if you're really close to it now, if you're really close to your phone and you're looking at yourself and you're looking down, oh my word. That is really not good. Because when you're that close, it's more obvious that you're not connected to your audience looking into the camera. It's obvious that you're looking down, and it becomes for a very, disconnected video.
Helen:As I said in my post that, you know, the person loves to look at themselves. I was joking about that, but a lot of celebrities do it. They love to look at themselves. And they look down in the camera, and you could tell they're, like, admiring themselves or whatever. At least that's how I visualize it again.
Helen:Just like how I visualize the person with the camera hanging up from a thread from the ceiling, I picture the celebrity just staring at themselves in the camera. So you want to raise that eye level up, get it to the top of them, and here's the spot that I look at. I'm gonna show you on my phone. So when I'm recording, you see how it's there's numbers at the top of the screen here. Let me point.
Helen:And that is what I look at. I don't necessarily look at the green dot. I look at these numbers, and I just kind of make that where my eye locks in. So this way when I'm recording, it gives the appearance that I'm talking to my viewer and they feel connected to me versus me looking down here and what who am I talking to and what am I saying. It's just, it's just odd, and it's not it's not making a connection.
Helen:And a lot of people say they feel weird doing it, and it's, like, really a matter of just getting used to it. It's get it's just a matter of getting used to because you want to you wanna just give yourself the best chance of success, really, and not set yourself up for like, oh my god. People are not they think I'm too close or they think I'm too far or they think I'm not looking. I'm not making a connection. All of these things that you do that you don't think about are telling your view or something.
Helen:They really are. A lot of people who use filler words, that's another thing that tells the viewer something. If you use a lot of you're really not sure what you're saying or you're maybe you're not even because you have to say so much to think, maybe you're not even telling the truth. Like, I don't know what it's subliminally tells a person when you start using filler words or ending with the word right. Right?
Helen:Like, what are you looking for approval when you end those sentences with right every time? It's one of my pet peeves. I just don't enjoy it. I don't like listening to it when I'm listening to videos. The minute I see that, I scroll.
Helen:If I hear a couple of rights, I'm out. I don't like umms. I start to really obsess on the umms. I can't listen. And those are easy easy to edit out.
Helen:But it's also easy to clean that up when you listen to your videos and you learn, oh my god. I say a lot or you know what I say a lot? I'm I'm gonna throw myself right under the bus. I always used to say you know at the end of my sentences. That's very seventies or eighties.
Helen:So I stopped saying it. I cleaned it up because I start I was sick of editing it out all the time, so I just stopped saying it. I also do say words a lot. I mean, I use so a lot. I hate that.
Helen:I use anyway a lot. I can hear things when I'm recording, and I'm I try to self edit before I say the things, but, you know, we're not perfect beasts. We do our best. So a lot of times I say the things. I also say the word interesting way too many times.
Helen:Now I'm telling you all my my words to listen for. But for for real though, you can change by practice. As you do these things, you can change by practice. You just get used to saying them and you get used to the fact that you're saying them, so you say, I'm gonna leave that word out so I'm not having to edit those words out all the time. Okay?
Helen:It's all fixable. It's all fixable. I love it. Alright. So the other thing I mentioned in my cam in my video about angles is when you're far away from your camera and how that makes a lot of times people are shouting at their camera because they've stepped back and they wanna make sure they're heard.
Helen:And that gives off either amateur vibes because they don't know to use a microphone or unpolished vibes like it's bad audio, just like not crisp, clear. And it's so easy now with these very inexpensive portable microphones that you can get on the TikTok shop for, like, no money whatsoever. And you can have something that gives your voice a better sound. So why would you not do that? Why would you not give yourself the edge?
Helen:Instead of shouting at your audience, and that becomes annoying to them too. So that's one. That's another one. Now there were a lot of people that came into the comments and we talked about the people that change their angles. And so now we get into another thing, which is editing and how editing with different camera angles can make your content more interesting.
Helen:So a few people that were mentioned were this creator that's, girl in the bathroom. I don't know. Lady in the bathroom. I forgot her actual name. But she does singing videos where she moves around close-up wide shot bathroom.
Helen:So she records multiple angles and then she edits them. This type of editing is a style that can keep your audience engaged. So you can do the same thing with your speaking videos if you wanted to. If you wanted to do start here, go here, like, record your content and different change your camera, and then when you edit, take bits from different angles so that you could be moved around. The problem I always have with that is what's the purpose of the angle change?
Helen:Is it just for jazzing it up or is there a reason you're changing from one angle to another? So I started to overthink that kind of thing, and I don't think it necessarily works as well. I think zooming into a tight shot for when you're emphasizing something and then popping back out is more acceptable in my mind. But if it's if this person's, like, bouncing around their house, what's the reason? I mean, it'd be good if there's a reason they're bouncing around the house.
Helen:So it's like, I'm gonna show you and then next shot's in the kitchen how to bake this cake and then the next shots in the with the finished thing so it looks like this in the end. Though those would be three cuts that make sense to me. So if it makes sense with the story, then, yes, move the angles. That's a plus, and that can add to your story. Actually, that's such a great idea for a person who's doing a cooking video.
Helen:So please feel free to take that idea. Like, you start here, you go in there, you're talking about that, and then you cut to the finished thing, and then you cut back to yourself starting it. So lots of different fun styles of editing can be achieved by shooting different camera angles. So I think my I I don't know if this is like my wrap up, but my my thought here is if if I, for my job, think about camera angles when I'm doing a commercial, I can just as easily think, okay. How are these camera angles going to enhance my content now?
Helen:And how can I change them and where should I change them? For what part of the thing that I'm talking about? So if you plan your content in that way and you have a scripted quote, scripted idea of something like you're gonna create a baking video or you're gonna create, a product demo, then, yes, change the angles for what makes sense. If you're just going to change angles for the sake of changing angles, be aware that some people might be annoyed by that. They might watch that and think, oh, they're just trying to keep me engaged, and they might scroll or they might just get annoyed because you're moving around too much.
Helen:So you've really gotta balance out, I think, how much you want to be creative within a piece of content and then how much you wanted to just let that content be the subject. Let the subject rule the content versus the tricks. Some people's content, they don't even move from their camera. They're up here the whole time, and they keep you riveted to the story. That's because the content is so engaging.
Helen:They don't even need to change change angles. So I don't know. I think it's something to percolate. Do you need to change angles? Why?
Helen:And ask yourself those ask yourself those questions before you decide to just do it arbitrarily. But overall, the summary of angles the summary of the isosceles angles no. The summary of angles is you've got low I'm gonna just do a recap. Low, dominant or unattractive. High, beauty, vibes, thinner, trying to be a slick, whatever.
Helen:Even, you're gonna be on equal, like, eye level. You're gonna be on equal terms with your audience. You're gonna have a connection. You're gonna look into the lens and you're really gonna, like, connect with your viewer soul to soul. And then too close, no good.
Helen:Back it up a little bit so you're not invading their personal space. Too far, make sure you have a microphone so you don't sound like you're shouting at your audience. Okay? So then think about that. And then when you want to cover up some of your talking, think about what are those shots that are gonna enhance your video.
Helen:Maybe an overlay if you're talking and you're talking for a long time. Do you remember Alyce forgot her last name now. Alyce who used to do all the stickers all over her videos to keep her audience engaged. But her stickers were comedic. So it wasn't just for the sake of the sake of having a bunch of stuff on the screen.
Helen:It was comedic support to what the things were that she was talking about. So all of these little tricks of the trade are what are gonna keep your audience engaged and interested, and I just beg you to just think about it and and not just do it because this guru said I have to have this angle. That guru said I should do that do it that way. That person said I have to have quick cuts. That person said, no.
Helen:There are no no no no no. There's no rules. The rules are your rules to make. You can make your own rules here. This is so beautiful.
Helen:And you don't have to follow anybody's rules. You can just say, I don't really care what the gurus say. I don't and you don't even have to care what I say. You can just absorb it, take it in and say, alright. That was interesting.
Helen:I'm just gonna keep doing my videos the way I do. I'm gonna keep looking at myself in the lens because it makes me feel more comfortable. Go right ahead. If you have engagement on your videos and you're already happy with the engagement you have, don't you have to change anything? All because I said so.
Helen:These are all suggestions out of the goodness of my heart just to help you. And they're my suggestions from a professional standpoint of having been in meetings where all of these things have been discussed and thought out through the years. So I have the expertise to know why the things are thought of the way they are. So I just thought, well, let's let's share because we can all learn, and learning keeps us current, keeps us relevant, keeps us young, and it it just keeps our minds sharp. And I'm gonna leave you with that today.
Helen:So I will remind you that I do have a Jamaica thing coming in May. So if you're interested in coming to hang with me for a weekend in Jamaica where we're gonna do an entrepreneurial workshop, There's gonna be so much there that's gonna be useful to anybody who's a small business. And I would say specifically, like, travel businesses and salons, all those types of businesses that's that they really this this workshop really caters to that. And so my portion's gonna be how to elevate your social media for your business. So that's happening in May.
Helen:And the last thing I'll leave you with is if you missed the transition workshop from this week, that was on Wednesday. That was my free session where I I taught an hour long lesson on how to make your clothes fly on your body to make a really cool transition. That is available. The link is in the newsletter. The link is in the show notes, and you can watch the replay.
Helen:So even if you don't wanna do a transition, it's always nice to know how it's done because then you can look at other people's content and go, ah, I know how they did that. Just makes for a little, I don't know, a little interest. I love to I love to learn things whether or not I'm gonna use them. I just love to know them. I'll leave you with that.
Helen:Have a nice weekend, and I'll see you next week. Bye.
