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So you want (or need) to film yourself.
Welcome to the horrible world of seeing your fleshy face on camera!
You are not alone in feeling lost, alone, and uncomfortable when you see your human flesh shown back to you in pixels.
You can get comfortable on camera by taking a moment before you film to take a deep breath. This is a process everyone who films has gone through. Improving your lighting will increase your confidence, and film multiple takes until you’re happy with your performance.
In this article, I’ll be explaining the excruciating process I went through to become comfortable filming myself on camera.
Perfect Your Lighting
Let’s be real, a large part of feeling uncomfortable is feeling like you don’t look good on camera.
We can get into the ethics of vanity and physical appearance in another blog article, but for now, let’s talk about how to make yourself look good when you’re filming.
As the photographer I dated in my 20s said, ‘everyone looks good on camera with the right lighting.’
At first I was skeptical, but the more and more photo and video shoots I did, the more I agreed.
Most people think that making a video involves shooting and editing, but in Hollywood there’s a reason the word ‘pre-production’ exists.
When you are making a video, give yourself ample time to set up your shoot and perfect your shot.
Find a quiet place to film where you won’t be interrupted.
Learn the basics of how to set up the framing of your shot and how to light yourself.
Experiment with many different angles and locations and lights until you’re confident that you’re looking your best.
After all this is in place, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable about whatever you’re filming – because you won’t be worrying so much about your physical appearance!
Understand Where Your Anxiety is Coming From
If you’ve gotten to the point where you’re reading blog articles written by a random person you don’t know, it’s safe to assume that being anxious while filming is significantly bothering you.
First of all, congrats on actually taking active steps to try and become less anxious, that’s certainly the most important and first step.
It also means that this problem is worth trying to understand a little bit better.
Why exactly are you anxious? Go down the rabbit hole and see what you find.
Are you worried that your friends and family will judge you for making this video? Is it something you have to do for work? Are you just worried about mean internet comments?
Get to the bottom of the rabbit hole and try to accept this fact:
Even if you made a very awkward video and everyone saw it, your life probably wouldn’t change that much.
Making video content is one of the first steps into getting over people pleasing.
Let’s face it: people judge people in videos. That’s a natural thing that you and I have both done.
However, that often doesn’t affect the person making the video, or the person doing the judging.
Going through these thoughts won’t magically get rid of your filming anxiety, but it’s an important step in realizing that you really have nothing to lose.
Accept this is Part of the Process
I can’t imagine that anyone has made videos without being disturbed by their own appearance and anxious about their performance.
It’s honestly, extremely natural.
I think part of why this problem is so isolating is because we’re often filming by ourselves, and we don’t all have peers we can comiserate with about this stuff.
If you are the only person you know who is getting into filming, please know that these feelings are not unique to you.
Next time you watch any video, know that the person you’re watching has had the exact same thoughts and anxieties as you.
At the same time, professionals do exist in this field and with time and experience these feelings lesson dramatically.
I’m in year 4 of making video content, and my anxieties about my physical appearance on camera have gone down about 98%.
The biggest thing I did? Make over 500 videos.
Come read this blog article after you’ve made 500 videos and you’re going to feel like an entirely different person.
Start Rehearsing
A lot of the time filming and editing the video takes so long that we don’t want to spend any more time on it.
However, if you’re uncomfortable on camera, one of the best things you can do is to spend time rehearsing.
Go over what you’re going to say a few days before you film, or even right before you film.
It sucks to have to spend even more time filming, but after you’ve said something 3+ times, it’s much harder to get nervous!
Become a Mental Health Hippy
If you really want to gain confidence while filming, accept that mental health is real and taking it seriously can get you real results.
Learning about deep breathing exercises, use positive affirmations, and accept yourself for where you are right now.
If this sounds unreasonable remember – you’re literally reading an article about how to manage your emotions already!
We all want to be perfect, to impress people with our content and to avoid embarrassing ourselves.
Embrace the fact that you are human, and it’s perfectly okay to make mistakes or feel a little nervous when filming yourself.
Remember that even professional actors and public speakers sometimes stumble or feel anxious.
Allow yourself to be authentic and show your true personality on camera. People appreciate genuine individuals who aren’t afraid to be themselves.
Embracing your humanness also means being kind and patient with yourself throughout the learning process. Treat each filming session as an opportunity to grow and improve, rather than striving for perfection.
Give yourself permission to learn from any mishaps and celebrate the progress you make along the way. By embracing your humanity, you can connect with your audience on a deeper level and create content that resonates with others.