How to prep for your shoot with Veritas

Thanks for trusting us with your video project, and being a part of the production process! We know that being on camera can be intimidating—but it doesn’t have to be! The team here at Veritas wants this shoot to be a unique and fun experience for you. Here are a few tips to set you up for success.

Presentation tips

Whether you’re shy and soft-spoken or a professional public speaker—anyone can be great on camera!

• • The lights and camera(s) can be distracting and intimidating… Take a deep breath, and we’ll just have a chill, normal conversation!

• • There’s no pressure! You can stop and start over as many times as you want until you feel they’re perfect—that’s the beauty of editing!

• • The camera can sap the energy out of you (or at least how the audience perceives you). You’ll need to be more energetic and bubbly than you might be when in a regular conversation. It may feel like you’re an awkward cheerleader, but we promise it’ll look great.

• • If you’ll be reading off our teleprompter, be sure to practice reading your script *out loud* at least three times. Out loud is key—it’s not enough to know what’s on the page, you need to get your muscles used to forming the words!

• • If you *really* want them, we can provide the interview questions ahead of time. But don’t try to memorize your answers! We want you to come across as natural and conversational—not stiff and robotic.

What to wear

We want you to feel confident, and look your best on camera!

• • Solid colored tops, especially “jewel tones” will look best on camera. Bright, saturated colors like ruby red, gold, emerald green or sapphire blue look great with all skin tones
    • • Pastels and other lighter colors can make subjects’ skin look gray or sallow on camera.
    • • Busy prints and patterns (like paisley, pinstripes or polka dots) can be distracting.
    • • Even fabric type can make a difference—silk or satin, for example, can be too shiny with our bright studio lights.

• • A lot of our interviews are shot from the waist up, so bottoms may be less crucial. But just in case, we still recommend leaving the sweatpants at home!

• • Keep accessories to a minimum, especially bracelets. Our microphones will pick-up any jingling noises if you talk with your hands.

• • Make-up should be natural—at most, a step up from what you’d wear on an average day. We always have translucent powder on hand, to soften any shiny spots.

• • When it comes to hair styles, think back to your grade school picture day rules. i.e. don’t get a haircut right before the shoot. Longer hair looks best down, or partially down (the camera can’t see ponytails or buns behind your head). We have hairspray on hand to tame any flyaways!

When shooting B-roll with us

It sounds cliche, but the number one rule is to act natural! Pretend the camera isn’t there, and do what you’d normally do in the situation we’re filming.

So that we have options and angles in editing, we may ask you to do a task several times. Please be patient with us! We promise it’s for the best!

Prepping your location for B-roll

Put your best foot forward for the cameras! When we’ll be coming to your organization to capture B-roll, be sure to tidy up. Dust and wipe down all surfaces (including windows and computer screens—the camera will catch any streaks or smudges!). Clear clutter off of desks and counters. It may help to walk around with your cell phone camera—see what our camera’s going to see!

It’s also important that you let others know ahead of time when the shoot is happening. There are few things worse than deciding to dress casual for work one day, only to come in to find a camera pointing at you! If members of the public regularly visit your location, we have signs you can put up letting folks know when the shoot will be happening so they can reschedule their visit if desired.

Have fun!

At the end of the day, our biggest hope is that you have a great time working with our team. After all, you’re the star, and deserve the star treatment!