Let’s talk about wardrobe. For most videos and photos you don’t want to get too crazy. So take that Elizabethan-era outfit you got from your community theater performance as Hamlet (the one with the brown tights) and put it back in the closet.
Quick tips when dressing for a corporate video are:
- No white or black
- Avoid small patterns and logos
- Dress for your industry
- Wear bright, solid colors
- Avoid loud accessories
- Bring options
Generally, for most videos simpler is better. That doesn’t always mean boring. In fact, bright colors often read well on camera and help to add some visual interest to the frame. However, anything with lots of pattern can be distracting and can sometimes wreak havoc on the cameras sensors. So let’s take a more in depth look at our quick tips for what to wear for your corporate video or photoshoot.
TIP #1 – No white or black:
The white becomes nuclear. Don’t do this.
Bright whites tend to get overexposed, or “blown out”, when you get in front of professional lighting. The eye is generally drawn to the brightest point in the frame and we don’t want anything distracting from your radiant, beaming face! Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. We often film corporate and marketing videos for companies in the medical, hospital and pharmaceutical fields. Many times the professionals we end up interviewing will wear a lab coat as part of their professional position. If that is the case there are things we can do from a lighting perspective to adjust to this wardrobe scenario. If you really want to wear “white” on camera the best thing to do is find an outfit that is actually more of a light tan. When this is exposed to the intensity of the video lights it will look like white to the viewer without becoming overexposed (which keeps the video nerds happy).
Don’t wear all black. Say no to “floating heads”!
Much like white, true black is a color that cameras often have trouble rendering well. When the camera is set to expose for your skin color properly any clothing that is pure black will often lose visual detail. The result is that black clothing often appears to look a bit like a black hole without any definition. If you are a CEO or business professional that wears suits almost exclusively a better solution might be to wear something in the gray, blue or brown range. Even if they are of a darker shade the additional color will often look better on camera than a true black. However, if black is your “comfort color” (like it is for many of us creatives) we would rather you be yourself and wear what you are most comfortable in. If that is the case we have tips and tricks we have developed from shooting hundreds of interviews we can use to make you look your best.
TIP #2 – Avoid small patterns & logos:
This pattern will “dance” on camera every time she moves.
This one might seem like an odd note, and it is! This is mostly related to a limitation of todays technology. Without trying to get too super-nerdy let us explain. Cameras create an image by scanning a sensor from top to bottom. Kind of like an old Xerox machine or scanner that goes from the top of the document to the bottom. The problem with thin lines and very fine patterns is that when the sensor is scanning the image it can have trouble displaying these finer details. It results in what is called a moire effect. It sounds cool but if you get it in your video it’s a bummer. It’s not a total deal killer but it makes parts of the clothing look as if they are dancing or shimmering. That might be awesome if we are creating a video about unicorns but for most professional commercials and corporate video productions it is an undesirable effect.
TIP #3 – Dress for your industry:
Suit vs surfer. Dress for your profession.
Sounds vague right? That’s because the appropriate attire really depends on the type of business you are a part of. For example, if you are a C-level executive of a Fortune 500 company you will most likely be wearing a suit of some sort. However, if you own a company that rents surfboards on the beach a suit would look pretty ridiculous (or awesome, if you can catch a wave while wearing a full suit). When in doubt you can always ask your video production company for guidance on what would be most appropriate. Also, see TIP #6.
TIP #4 – Wear bright, solid colors:
The camera (and viewers) love color!
If you carefully analyze TV commercials you will start to notice that almost every actor has some sort of color to their wardrobe. The reason for this is that our eyes are drawn to color and including it in your wardrobe is a good way to make the shot look visually appealing which helps hold the interest of the viewer. For most corporate, industrial or marketing videos this is a good rule of thumb. Like every creative “rule” they are meant to be broken. For example, if we are filming a piece for a high-tech client we might decide that a specific color palette would be a better fit. That might mean we would direct our talent to wear primarily cooler colors to tie in with the blueish “high tech” type of feel we are creating. Or sometimes wardrobe will be used as a subtle (or not-so-subtle) way to incorporate your key brand colors into the video.
TIP #5 – Avoid loud accessories:
Looks awesome. Sounds terrible. Save the audio engineers!
When we say loud we don’t mean like obnoxious “Bling bling!”. Although, for most interviews you probably want to keep it tasteful. By loud accessories we literally mean noisy. If you decide to wear that adorable set of 27 bangles on your wrist, as soon as you get into a rhythm and start gesturing wildly with your hands, guess what? Our audio guy will shed big, sad tears right onto his expensive electronics because all he can hear is your bangles jingling. Or maybe you were thinking about wearing that really unique necklace made out of giant seashells, metal rings and tiny tambourines that you got during your trip to Hawaii. Please don’t. As soon as you shift your body and that ensemble drags across the lavalier microphone hidden under your shirt the audio engineer will release an agonizing scream and throw his headphones on the ground to avoid being deafened. Only you can help us save the audio engineers.
TIP #6 – Bring Options:
Bring options. You will be glad you did.
A good general rule is to bring 2-3 extra options to the interview. Show up in your favorite outfit but maybe have a spare option or two on hand just in case there is an issue with your first choice. If you don’t want to bring full outfit changes at least bring an extra top or two that would go with the rest of your outfit. In the majority of interviews we often only see the top half of your outfit anyway so an extra shirt or blouse can be nice to have when you get on set.
Be comfortable. Be yourself!
Most importantly, you need to be comfortable! Choose outfits that you know you will be confident in. There are going to be enough new things for you to adjust to that we don’t want you worrying about a new starched shirt with a scratchy collar that you’ve never worn before. This might seem like a long list of things to worry about but with a little thought you can show up looking great and ready for a stellar interview! And regardless of what you wear we will do our absolute darnedest to make you look like a rock star.
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