Presentingwith Camera

and Microphone

ACG 5216 Session 5

What will we do today?

The Basics.What works?Techniques: Contrast and

compare.What might you use?

The Basics

Too Close…

Too Far Away…

Weird…

Ahhhh! Just Right!

The Basics

Turn it on and plug it in.Stand so that the

microphone is about 20cm from your face.

If the microphone is fixed, don’t move.

If the microphone is free, focus on keeping it at a consistent distance.

The Basics: Cameras

Turn it on and make sure its plugged in, or the battery isn’t dead.

With a partner as a stand-in, make sure that you are fully in shot.

STOP THERE! Most of your camera experience will involve a professional so you don’t have to worry.

What works? Who are the predominant

presenters? Politicians, Actors, Journalists, Public

Speakers, Karaoke Singers, the untrained.

Who does it well? Politicians, Actors, Journalists, Public

Speakers. Who does it badly?

Politicians, Actors, Journalists, Public Speakers.

Who does it well consistently? Journalists

Journalistic Technique

How often do you see bad journalists? Why? Journalists pursue objectivity. Journalists are prepared. Journalists do it every day.

Kerry O’Brien Comments on his performance?

What did you notice?

Journalistic Technique

Sounds like spoken English NOT written English.

Posture.Breathing. Full breath at

full stops, top up at commas. Short sentences.

Expression – Calm and focused (nothing extraneous).

1st Impressions are very important. 2 seconds at the top of the presentation are the only first impression.

Pauses for thought.

Journalistic Technique

Let’s take a look at Kerry O’Brien again.

Stress L e n g t h e n - or shorten - a

word Make the pitch of a word lower

or higher, or glide from one to the other

Pause... before a word Make a word LOUDER

Journalistic Technique

To Inform, not to sway. Calmness, impartiality. Authority, knowledge. Clarity, simplicity. Emotion, only so much as it is

a reaction against falsity.

Political Technique

What are we talking about? Televised political performance: Speeches Interviews Question time

Kevin Rudd Politicians borrow heavily from

Journalistic technique. Present vague and intangible ideas

and values as concrete. Are more ‘passionate’ – more anger,

more body movement but also more room for deception.

Where does conviction end and acting begin?

Barak Obama Democratic Convention 2004

Political Technique

What does ‘The Great Communicator’ story remind us? That the camera is unparalleled in putting

the spotlight on the human presenter!

7 tips for spotting deception when watching a speaker on Television:

Closed body. Sketchy on detail. Make more negative statements

than truth-tellers. Avoid eye contact. Visible signs of stress – diluted

pupils, sweating, rise in vocal pitch. More obvious pausing before

responding to questions. Inconsistent.

Political Technique Lets have a look at

Kevin Rudd again.

What do you think? Less movement – except

head because he’s reading. Focused eye contact. Relaxed posture. Dignified and paced.

Political Technique

To inform only so much as it sways opinion.

Calmness, impartiality, deriving from decisiveness.

Authority, knowledge. Clarity and simplicity when it

serves to sway opinion. Emotion, when it serves to

sway opinion.

Which brings us to...

Acting Technique

Borrowed

Highly trained

Believable

Acting Technique

Morgan Freeman – Sean Penn - Michael Plame Speech

Let’s play the same game – hands raised for the different techniques.

Acting Technique

Acting technique is: Designed to entertain. Designed to convey the truth

of what a character feels. Highly skilled, highly trained. Uses clarity and simplicity of

intention. Uses emotion to move.

What did we cover today?

The Basics. We looked at Journalistic, Political, and

dramatic camera and microphone technique.

We compared those techniques and found that there are fundamental similarities in the way each group uses them.

What did we cover today?

Sounds like spoken English NOT written English.

Posture.Breathing. Full breath at full

stops, top up at commas. Short sentences.

Expression – Calm and focused (nothing extraneous).

1st Impressions are very important. 2 seconds at the top of the presentation are the only first impression.

Pause for thought.