Looking into the camera? Bad idea?

I

iluve2yo

Member
So I'm shooting a promotional video and need some help/opinion on a shot. The video is really geared towards the person watching it. To motivate them and really get inside them. I have about 2 minutes of scrip that someone is going to be talking. The person in the video talks to "you". For example, this is a line from the script- "You’ve probably heard the great philosophical question: To be or not to be?" and another line- "[FONT=&quot]So if you want to be sold out...". (make sense?)
The whole style of the video will be edited fun, and not a boring one shot only. It will be sort of a music-video/mtv type style editing/filming. It's shot in a super big room that has super old brick walls with cracked-peeling-ugly paint on it. It's actualy a really old parking lot that is closed in with glass/screen windows. It's pretty cool ;).

So now that you get a good idea of what i'm doing, we get to the question; should I have shots of the person looking into the camera?. I have 2 friends that say definentaly not. I have 2 other friends who want it because it is more personal to the watcher, and more chalanging and connecting with them personaly. Would the person looking into the camera make it super awkward? I've heard it's a big "no-no" to do, but I think it would make it much more geared at what we want. I'm thinking those mtv reality shows where they are talking with the camera, having "confesions" or something. I'm also thinking of a mountain bike video of "interviews with the camera" where they look into the camera. I was thinking it would be sorta like those.

So, to sum it up. Is it a bad idea to have the actor look into the camera? Should i have him look just barly to the side of the camera instead?

The 45degree interview angle we already shot is definentaly not personal enough for what we want.

Please let me know what you think!

Thanks!
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If they're talking to the audience, why not have them look directly into the camera? News reporters do it all the time, and so do TV commercials. In fact, that's pretty much the whole idea behind the teleprompter, is to make it look like the person is looking into the camera lens while they speak.
 
I think in nearly any movie, news report or commercial I've ever seen the actor looks into the camera when talking directly to the audience or it's done in voice over.
 
You can answer your own question by envisioning what it will look like to have your talent speaking as if there was an audience but not maintaining an eyeline with the lens.

Hey you! You've probably heard that great philosophical question, "to be or not to be". So if you want to be sold out...

This dialogue would look plain strange if the talent isn't looking toward the TV audience - unless you shoot them looking off-camera and then follow-up with a corresponding shot of who he's talking to. Without the reverse angle, it won't work.

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iluve2yo said:
So I'm shooting a promotional video and need some help/opinion on a shot. The video is really geared towards the person watching it. To motivate them and really get inside them. I have about 2 minutes of scrip that someone is going to be talking. The person in the video talks to "you". For example, this is a line from the script- "You’ve probably heard the great philosophical question: To be or not to be?" and another line- "[FONT=&quot]So if you want to be sold out...". (make sense?)
The whole style of the video will be edited fun, and not a boring one shot only. It will be sort of a music-video/mtv type style editing/filming. It's shot in a super big room that has super old brick walls with cracked-peeling-ugly paint on it. It's actualy a really old parking lot that is closed in with glass/screen windows. It's pretty cool ;).

So now that you get a good idea of what i'm doing, we get to the question; should I have shots of the person looking into the camera?. I have 2 friends that say definentaly not. I have 2 other friends who want it because it is more personal to the watcher, and more chalanging and connecting with them personaly. Would the person looking into the camera make it super awkward? I've heard it's a big "no-no" to do, but I think it would make it much more geared at what we want. I'm thinking those mtv reality shows where they are talking with the camera, having "confesions" or something. I'm also thinking of a mountain bike video of "interviews with the camera" where they look into the camera. I was thinking it would be sorta like those.

So, to sum it up. Is it a bad idea to have the actor look into the camera? Should i have him look just barly to the side of the camera instead?

The 45degree interview angle we already shot is definentaly not personal enough for what we want.

Please let me know what you think!

Thanks!
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If you want to hit directly to viewer who are gonna watch your clips and leave some effect then go ahead and shoot as you want to make actor look in to the camera. but actor 's acting should be very convencing.
 
So should i have him be reading the script right next to the camera? Will that give it the right effect? Or should i make him memorize it and look into the lense?
 
you decide - do a test ... get a firend and have them read it directly into lens .. and then read it with them looking 6-12inch left or right of lens ...

for direct into lens you can rent a telepromter
 
No, please let your actor memorize all the script and let him feel it .... It should com from inside.. so feelings comes out. if your script is too long then u can break your shots , use different shot size.... your actor prefermance is the key point.
 
Is this a music video or an electronic press kit?
2 minutes of lines in an (average) 3.5 minute MOS format seems like alot of talking.
 
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