Posts Tagged ‘looking good’

Looking Great on Camera Part III: 13 hair and makeup tips

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

With the exception of a few lucky photogenic folks, most human beings don’t look great portrayed in two dimensions, especially at the end of a long day under hot camera lights. Even incredibly good-looking people (like you! and Catherine Zeta-Jones!) need a little help from good makeup and hair to look their best.

Believe it or not, these are both pictures of Catherine Z-J walking the red carpet.

Makeup
Men, don’t skip this part. Most of these tips apply to both men and women.

1. Prep your skin by cleaning and moisturizing it. Consider using primer to even out your skin tone.

2. Wear foundation! Bright camera lights will accentuate wrinkles, blemishes, oily skin and other flaws. Foundation, however, will make you look better than ever. I bet that Daniel Craig is hiding an extra wrinkle or two under his foundation:

Don’t forget to apply foundation to all exposed skin (hands, neck, ears, receding hairlines) so that you aren’t rocking two different skin tones.

3. Match your foundation to your skin tone. Especially avoid shades lighter than your natural color so you don’t look washed out, like poor Beyonce here. Maybe she used SPF foundation; it comes out white on camera.

4. Use liquid foundation as a base. Full powder foundation looks cakey and doesn’t last as long as the liquid variety.

5. Apply some matte powder foundation to the shinier areas around the edges of your nose, the apples of your cheeks, the dome of your forehead, and maybe the curve of your chin. Even if you don’t have naturally oily skin, studio lighting can make you sweat, and any slight sheen will give off a full oily gleam on camera. It looks like Conan O’Brien knows this trick, but Gwyneth Paltrow needs a little help:

6. Blend your foundation. Smudge the edges of your makeup along your hairline and jaw, and if you use two types or colors of foundation, smooth them together.

7. Any  makeup that glimmers will look overly shiny on camera. So, avoid lip gloss, glittery eye shadow, and shimmery foundation. Especially avoid Bronzers. Not only will they shine, their orange tones will come across strong on camera, making you look like an oompa-loompa and/or Donald Trump.

8. Ladies, use eye makeup. The camera won’t pick up all of the depth and definition around your eyes, but makeup can correct this.

If this isn’t your kind of thing, here are some pointers on a basic look: First, use a base or primer to keep the makeup from smudging. Next, apply dark eyeliner along your lashes, putting a little extra around the outer corners of your eyes. Then, put eye shadow along the crease of your eyelid. Choose a shadow that’s slightly darker than your skin tone. As always (at least when it comes to beauty), we can look to Angelina Jolie for inspiration.

9. Overall, keep makeup subtle. That means neutral colors and reasonable amounts. Don’t stray too far from your everyday makeup (or lack thereof). Don’t use bright red blush or lipstick; it will look garish on camera.

Hair
10. Make sure your hair will stay where you want it so you don’t have to touch it. Comb hair spray or mouse into wet hair right before you style it. If you use more than a tiny bit of product on dry hair, it will look oily or stiff on film.

11. Get your hair off your face, Kesha. And you, too. The audience will want to see your entire face. If you feel like you’ll need to push your hair off your face frequently, pin it back instead.

12. Avoid fly-aways, bumps, and messiness. The artfully dishevelled look doesn’t usually look good on camera unless it’s actually professionally-styled hair pretending to be messy.

13. Make sure your hair is clean. Like your skin, any oil on your hair will look extra greasy on camera, like Johnny Depp’s in the picture below. Wash and style your hair right before the shoot, or as near as possible. If you’re prone to oily hair, bring some hair powder with you to the shoot.

Why you should go to the trouble

When it comes to hair and makeup for the camera, remember that the extra effort makes a big difference. Small flaws come across more prominently on camera, and you don’t want a bad hair day or blotchy skin month immortalized on film. Luckily, less than fifteen minutes of applying and styling can keep you lookin’ good.

Did you miss the first two installments of the Looking Great on Camera series? Check out tips on what to wear, and how to present yourself.

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Looking Great on Camera Part II: Ten tips on what to wear

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Clothes have a huge influence on how people perceive you. So, you want to make sure that your clothes portray the right image on camera. If you ever doubt the power of clothes (along with makeup and hair) to affect the way people see you, just remember Charlize Theron in Monster.

You should always fit your clothes to your image that you want to convey, whether you want to come across as a Regular Joe or a high-powered exec. However, no matter what your role, you most likely want to look attractive and put-together on camera. Here are some basic tips (with more celebrity photos for warning and inspiration) to keep you looking good:

The fit
1. Don’t wear something that you’ve never worn before. Your clothes should be broken in and you should know that they fit well and feel good whether you’re sitting, standing, or moving. Then, there’s less of a chance of your clothes distracting you or of a wardrobe malfunction.

2. Go for something simple. Clothing that is too complicated (e.g. lots of layers, lots of buttons and zippers, or many different fabrics) will draw attention away from your face and make you look less well put-together.

The color and pattern
3. Choose solid colored clothes. Clothes with checkers, herringbone patterns, small stripes, and other intricate patterns may have a moiré effect, in which they strobe or flutter on film.

4. Avoid very dark or very bright colors. Dark colors lose detail on camera and wash out your skin tone. Bright white or yellow clothes reflect light and can cause exposure issues. Instead, try out pastels or earth tones. To see how to rock earth tones, check out Blake Lively’s daytime wardrobe.

5. Wear something that won’t blend in with the background.

The fabric
6. Choose natural fabrics. They look better on camera, and synthetics won’t breathe well under hot camera lights.

7. Don’t wear shiny or metallic fabrics because they reflect light. Double check that your tie isn’t shiny and that you aren’t wearing a metallic bodysuit like Victoria Beckham.

The accessories
8. Don’t wear jangly or shiny jewelry. The sound of clanking jewelry will be obnoxious on camera, and shiny jewelry can distract the audience from what you’re saying.

9. Make sure your cell phone is turned off and your watch won’t beep. Even if you’re not on live TV, this kind of nuisance will waste everybody’s time.

10. Tilt your glasses down slightly so they don’t reflect light. Otherwise, your glasses can glint distractingly and people won’t be able to see your eyes.

The golden rule
Here’s a bonus rule: When in doubt, ask the producer. Bring several options for each accessory and article of clothing (especially more prominent items like shirts and ties) so the producer can choose an outfit that will look good, and make you look good, on camera.

If you missed the first installment of How to Look Great on Camera, check it out here.

Coming up next on How to Look Great on Camera: How to do hair and makeup.

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10 Tips for Looking Great on Camera

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

The way that you tell a story is often just as important as the story itself. But it’s hard to look and sound great with the nerves and uncomfortable self-awareness that spring up in front of or a camera. We came up with some tips about how to use eye contact, body language, and voice to help you connect with your audience.

But first, an example! Drupal Connect showed us their product intro video, and we were immediately taken in by the attitude and energy of the performers.

If you’re the one going in front of the camera, how do you give a great performance like John and Adam? We gathered some tips of how to look like a cool cat on video:

Eye contact
1. Make eye contact with the camera, but don’t stare it down. Looking away from the camera occasionally makes your performance seem authentic. When you look away, look to the side or down, not up. That way, you look thoughtful and it doesn’t seem like you’re rolling your eyes.

2. If there are other people in the shot, make sure to look at them occasionally. This comes across as genuine, and it lets you establish a rapport with them. When someone else in the shot is speaking, it’s especially important that you look at them.

Body language
3. Keep your back straight and drop your shoulders back and down. An upright and open posture communicates authority. Here’s an interesting article from Psychology Today about how an open posture also makes you feel more powerful: How to Succeed by Having Good Posture.

4. Use your hands to gesture. This helps you look natural and adds energy to the video.

5. Never put your hands behind your back or in your pockets. Hiding your hands makes viewers subconsciously think of you as untrustworthy. It also makes Tip 4 difficult.

6. If you’re standing, stay balanced and comfortable by keeping your knees slightly bent and your feet about hip-width apart. If you’re sitting, lean slightly forward like Megan Fox to appear taller and thinner.

Voice
7. Speak in a deep voice. This makes you sound calmer because most people’s voices get higher when they’re under stress. Notice how Adam’s low voice comes across as affable and relaxed in the Drupal Connect video. Don’t put on a fake voice that is way lower than your regular voice – that will just sound silly. Instead, use the bottom of your natural vocal register.

8. Take a deep breath before each sentence. People tend to collapse their diaphragm when they’re nervous, which strains their voices and makes them lose their breath easily. Taking deep breaths expands your diaphragm.

9. End your sentences on a low note – literally. If you uptalk (use a rising intonation in the final syllable) you’ll sound insecure.

The most important tip
10. Have confidence. All of this boils down to being confident or pretending you are. When you get in front of the camera, pretend that you’re talking to your closest and most supportive friends. If that doesn’t work, picture the camera in its underwear. Oh, and don’t forget to smile and have fun!

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