By Greg Beauchamp
We get asked this question all the time: “What should I wear on camera?” It’s a great question and there are definitely some Do’s and Do Not’s. Before you begin your next video production project, follow these simple rules and you should be good to go!
– Don’t wear bright white, red, or dark black.
– Avoid tight, shiny, and complicated fabrics such as hound’s-tooth, checks, tight stripes, herringbones, tweeds or close plaids. These fabrics cause a moiré pattern on screen (that distracting wavy effect).
– Choose natural fabrics. They look better on camera, and synthetics won’t breathe well under hot camera lights.
– Always bring a couple of wardrobe options that adhere to the rules above. You don’t want to be stuck with a shirt, blouse, or tie that doesn’t work on camera!
– Avoid shiny jewelry and accessories that might reflect light back into the camera or attract the viewer’s attention.
– If you are going to wear a suit, solid grey, brown, tan, and blue suits are best.
– Make sure that your clothing can have a microphone attached to it. For example, if you are only wearing a turtleneck, that’s pretty hard to clip on a mic.
– Make sure to turn off anything that beeps or vibrates. These electronics can also cause interference with the audio.
– Eyeglasses that don’t have an anti-glare treatment can be troublesome during a shoot. Consider not wearing your glasses, taking the lenses out, or be prepared to tilt or adjust if they are reflecting the lights. Glasses might also cast a shadow on your face that is undesirable.
– Don’t be afraid of the makeup – it will help to knock down any glare that will distract the audience. And remember – camera makeup is different than what’s in your makeup bag.
– Make sure to get a good night’s sleep – that will make a huge difference in your overall appearance and presence on camera.
A caveat – if you are filming against a green screen – don’t wear anything green!
Example of moiré: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXEgnRWRJfg
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