30 Days to Change Your Relationship With Your Camera - Forever!
Before you can be "on brand" or professional or eloquent, you need to build a bedrock of authenticity. If you don't know how to be simple and real on camera, nothing you build later will ever feel authentically you, no matter what bells and whistles you add.
In order to achieve this level of ease, you have to do something uncomfortable. You don't have to share it with the world but you do have to do it full commitment - no excuses, no half-measures.
We all know that's easier said than done, so I've created a 30 day Video Journal Challenge to help you through the process.
Before you can be "on brand" or professional or eloquent, you need to build a bedrock of authenticity. If you don't know how to be simple and real on camera, nothing you build later will ever feel authentically you, no matter what bells and whistles you add.
In order to achieve this level of ease, you have to do something uncomfortable. You don't have to share it with the world but you do have to do it full commitment - no excuses, no half-measures.
We all know that's easier said than done, so I've created a 30 day Video Journal Challenge to help you through the process.
We begin on 1 November 2023, but don't worry, I'll be sharing some extra resources for early registrants to help get the juices going.
$30 FOR 30 Days
Or join FREE as part of the Authentic Speakers Training Portal. (membership is $37/month)
Or join FREE as part of the Authentic Speakers Training Portal. (membership is $37/month)
More about the exercise...
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This exercise was inspired by "Morning Pages", from Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way. I adapted it to help me figure out how to be more real, authentic, and relaxed on camera.
The purpose of this journal is to develop a relationship with the lens. Believe me, after 100 days of video journalling, my camera now feels like a cross between my therapist and my best friend. I've included some stills from my experience here so you can see the process.
If you have some experience making videos you may feel like you are "real enough" on video and be impatient to learn the technical bells and whistles. So many people want to jump to the end - looking good, choosing your words more effectively, eliminating speaking habits etc.
If you skip this foundational process of building a real relationship with your camera, you may become good and competent at being on video, but you will never be exceptional until you have explored your full vulnerable self.
It's not enough to just talk to your camera every day. There are a few extra things you need to do if you want to exercise to work it's magic. This exercise may appear simple on the outside, but it is far from easy.
I will be sharing more instructions about the process as we get closer to the challenge, but the best advice I can give you now is don't rush the process.
The purpose of this journal is to develop a relationship with the lens. Believe me, after 100 days of video journalling, my camera now feels like a cross between my therapist and my best friend. I've included some stills from my experience here so you can see the process.
If you have some experience making videos you may feel like you are "real enough" on video and be impatient to learn the technical bells and whistles. So many people want to jump to the end - looking good, choosing your words more effectively, eliminating speaking habits etc.
If you skip this foundational process of building a real relationship with your camera, you may become good and competent at being on video, but you will never be exceptional until you have explored your full vulnerable self.
It's not enough to just talk to your camera every day. There are a few extra things you need to do if you want to exercise to work it's magic. This exercise may appear simple on the outside, but it is far from easy.
I will be sharing more instructions about the process as we get closer to the challenge, but the best advice I can give you now is don't rush the process.
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The exercise in a nutshell...
Spend 10 consecutive minutes in front of the camera every day: be as real and intimate as you possibly can be. Don't stop and start. Once you're recording, keep going until you're done, no matter what happens. This is about learning a new process, a new way of doing things - don't even think about the result yet. The purpose of this exercise is not to be eloquent or professional: that comes later. First, you need to experience being simply un-self-consciously you.
Don't worry too much about lights, or framing, or sound. As long as you're in shot it's fine. Don't experiment with content ideas. Don't plan it. Don't share it with anyone. Film it alone. This is personal, it's just for you, like writing in a journal would be. No-one else should ever see this.
Spend 10 consecutive minutes in front of the camera every day: be as real and intimate as you possibly can be. Don't stop and start. Once you're recording, keep going until you're done, no matter what happens. This is about learning a new process, a new way of doing things - don't even think about the result yet. The purpose of this exercise is not to be eloquent or professional: that comes later. First, you need to experience being simply un-self-consciously you.
Don't worry too much about lights, or framing, or sound. As long as you're in shot it's fine. Don't experiment with content ideas. Don't plan it. Don't share it with anyone. Film it alone. This is personal, it's just for you, like writing in a journal would be. No-one else should ever see this.
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Avoid the temptation to list what happened that day: this is supposed to be an intimate journal of your innermost thoughts and feelings. Get as close to a stream of consciousness and embodied honesty as you can. Drop in to your feelings: physical and emotional. Turn your viewfinder around so you can't see yourself. You don't need to speak the whole time, but don't multitask and don't ignore the camera lens. Look at the lens, through it, down it and into your soul. Have a relationship with the camera, and be as present with it and yourself as humanly possible. Feel naked. Feel exposed. If it's super-squirmy-uncomfortable, then you're probably doing it right.
You do have to press record. Keep the recordings because you will need them later for step 2 and 3, but again, only for you. Don't show them to anyone, just don't delete them and don't watch them.
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Need an example?
When I did this exercise for the first time in 2017, as a 100 day video journal challenge, I went through my videos after recording and picked out the bits I thought were OK to share: I wanted to inspire others to do this powerful exercise with me.
PLEASE NOTE: I chose to share a few small pieces from my 10 minute video journal with the world as an example so you can understand the exercise.
Your video journal is designed to be private.
I would recommend against making even parts of your public. You have to know that no-one else will see it in order for it to work.
You can view the full playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJfpti7Mokk3UD1fs-ojG2EWvEUu5VNkh