Hi Bianca, first congratulations are in order! The information you provide is exceptional. Thank you so much for your impressive expertise and generosity.
I’m in the final stages of launching a software platform and foresee the benefits of producing a short demonstration video about the service offerings.
I’m beginning to acquire my studio equipment and could use some help from someone very experienced. Finally, I want you to assess if I’m the best person to perform the live demos. I want you to first assess if I’m appropriate for fronting videos. I mention that because one of my eyes has an anomaly and as you mention in your articles, the eyes of the presenter are so important.
Is this something you would find motivating to be involved in, and if yes, what is your availability and rate, please?
RM — Los Angeles, California
Thank you, RM for sharing your video footage with me. I appreciate that it was rough “point and shoot” footage, so I’ll focus on your primary concern, which was whether you would be an ideal frontperson for your video initiative.
After reviewing your footage, based on my first impressions, I think you ABSOLUTELY can and should be the spokesperson for your video productions.
Here is a list of my initial first impressions:
On-camera Presence
RM, you have everything going for you. You are fortunate to naturally have an engaging “presence” on-camera. This is actually quite rare, but you do have it. You communicate warmth and trustworthiness in your physicality, facial expressions, and voice. They all appear to be congruent with your message. These are important skills for on-camera work.
You don’t appear to have any nuances that could be a visual distraction (i.e. facial tics, facial tension, or speech issues). You have great teeth, which is important for on-camera work. Some people use such things to judge a person’s socioeconomic status.
You have good profiles and balanced facial features, which is important because the camera can distort proportions.
You mentioned your eye anomaly. In my opinion, this is minor and is not something to be overly concerned about. My view is that your self-confidence overshadows this. I do not see any issues with your eye-contact with the camera lens. In fact, you are quite capable of holding a “natural” warm engaging eye-line with the lens.
If you were self-conscious or had low self-confidence, then I think the anomaly would draw more attention, but this is not the case for you. If it is something that you are concerned about, there are a couple of creative things we could try to “cheat” this but it’s not a major issue in my opinion.
I personally think it brings character to you. You have a ton of character already, and it just seems to make you more endearing. It is the opposite of the highly processed stock video images I often see in business videos, and I think it makes you more compelling because of it.
Viewers will pay more attention to a heartfelt passionate delivery,
vs. a person with “fashion model” looks – going through the motions, faking the emotions, and delivering a flat presentation onscreen.
On Video, Passion is Key
Passion is something that you naturally convey. Viewers will pay more attention to a heartfelt passionate delivery, than to a person with “fashion model” looks who is delivering a flat presentation onscreen. I’ve seen this many times while auditioning models for video-presenting roles. They quickly lose their “aura” the moment they say hello.
You demonstrate natural warmth and humor. With your mannerisms, nothing appears to be over-compensated or forced (a common pitfall with people trying to suppress nervousness).
You also appear to have an accessible emotional range. This is good. Your delivery is not “one-note” or one tone.
You don’t appear to have any major “blockages” and seem to be freely expressive (i.e. not stiff, awkward, flustered, stressed, tight, etc).
RM, I hope my sincere comments encourage you to charge ahead with your video production!
When you are ready, let’s connect to discuss how I can assist you with the finer points of your video strategy, specifically the technical aspects of your performance and how to enhance the production value. I look forward to supporting you in your quest to be the “face” of your business and helping you achieve your business goals.
(To my readers, I hope RM’s situation has inspired some confidence in you, especially if you are still hiding your gifts away. I encourage you to move out of playing a Background role and step into the Lead that you are meant to be).
Remember if you have a burning question or you want me to cover a topic let me know. I’m always listening! And you can also book a time with me to troubleshoot your video creation or video production challenge. Click here now to find out more.
Established in 2006 Bianca Te Rito, founder of STEBIAN.com provides an exclusive, consulting service for business owners, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, speakers, best-selling authors, and VIPs to help them present themselves, their products, services, or brand message to their target audience in the most effective way possible on video. Get the tailored expertise from a real-world operator with over 20 years of TV/Film industry experience working in front of and behind the camera. Enhance your on-camera presence. Find out more today.
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