How to jump in front of the Camera with confidence and Go Live! [Techniques and Equipment]

Welcome!

If you are here, it means that you are an entrepreneur or a business owner who understands that the best way to connect with your audience and reach your ideal clients is through Video and presence.

You are in the right place.

In this blog post you will read about useful tips that will help you with your presence and confidence on camera,

I have also gathered all the link to equipment you might need to make your videos the best possible experience for your audience.

My name is Theodora.

I am the creator and founder of the TVP Foundation which operates through two main venues: The International Theatre in English and The Los Angeles Method.

I have been a director, actress, producer, coach for more than 20 years. I have worked with actors all over the world, directed and produced sold out performances in central big theatres in major cities like Rome, Amsterdam, New York, Athens.

Now I want to help you, the Entrepreneur of today, to unleash the STAR you have within you, to connect with your audience and find your ideal clients through live streaming, video blogs, promotional videos. I want to support you to Show Up and Brand Up!

I want to support you so you can  

• CREATE VIDEOS THAT WILL HAVE YOU AUTHENTICALLY CONNECT WITH YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS

• BE CONFIDENT IN FRONT OF A CAMERA

• CREATE PRESENCE

• CREATE CONNECTION

• IMPROVE YOUR VISIBILITY

Tips:

- What is your message?

Before pressing "REC", you need to know what you will be talking about. What is the conclusion you want your audience to draw? What is the "arc" of your speech or presentation? Make sure you have mapped out your Introduction, Main Theme and Outro. What is the Call to Action you want them to take?

Please remember that preparation is key, but so is being in the NOW, following the flow. Use the map as a simple guideline. Do not confine yourself within it. If it is a Live video, maybe one of your audience members asks a question that was not in your "schedule". Do not ignore it. "Listen" to your audience and navigate the presentation accordingly.

- Talk to a loved one.

In Acting this is called "Substitution". Replace the wide audience of people you do not know with a familiar and loving face. Look into the camera and imagine you are talking to your husband, your girlfriend, your son or best friend. Your energy and vibration will instantly change and everyone will feel like their friend is talking to them, instead of a sales person or a stranger.

Personality is key. Think about the "Role" you want to play. Remember that Acting is not about pretending. 

Acting is about living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

Who is the person talking? What is her or his objective? Values? 

- Study the greats.

Choose films you love, classical movies, film makers who have succeeded in telling great stories. Study them. Pay attention to how they use the camera. When the scene is about something emotional and important to the plot, do they use Close Ups or Wide Shots? How is the lighting? The sound? The surroundings?

- Speech.

Make sure to use your diaphragm. When you use your diaphragm, the breath- used for speech- passes through all your chakras (your energy centres in your body). Most importantly it passes through your heart, the centre of your emotions and your throat, the chakra of creation. This way your voice is infused with emotion and power. That is how people will be able to connect with you; when you will evoke emotions in them.

People might forget what you told them, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Maya Angelou

- Camera Position

Make sure your camera is on eye level or a little bit higher. Low angles are not very flattering.

Equipment

Your message and your energy are the most important aspects of your On Camera presence.

However it is important for us to be able to hear you and see you clearly.

You need to make the experience of your audience watching you, the smoothest and most enjoyable as possible.

As mentioned above, make sure the camera is on eye level or a little bit higher. 

Pay attention to the frame you are creating. What is the most important element of your frame? You of course!

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Join my Show Up and Stand Out Challenge!

Join the Facebook Group Here

We start Feb 23rd!

 

Here are some tools

you can use to make

the viewing experience better

for your audience.

If you are using your Smart Phone:

- Light

The LuMee Case is perfect for instant light solution when you are on the go.

If you want to create a small "Studio" in your office or home, a soft box is a great tool to have.

- Microphone

I use the Rode Microphones or my iPhone EarPods-they work as microphone as well.

- Mounting Gear

- Lenses

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me!

I would be very happy to help out.

Please share your videos to our Facebook group The Los Angeles Method. We would love to see what you created!

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If you liked what you read so far and found it useful, join me on February 28, 2017 online for our program Show Up | Brand Up.

I will walk you through on how to put  videos together that will have you Authentically connect with your ideal clients.

You will learn techniques on how to get rid of all the nerves and concentrate on your energy and  the energy of your brand that you want to put out in the world.

You will improve your visibility and your presence.

You will learn how to make people feel you relate to them, because you will learn how to create instant chemistry with your audience.

Read More

Looking forward to working with you and supporting create and grow.

Theodora.

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Are you stuck? Awesome!

You want to make a change. You want to start something new. And as with all new beginnings, you make plans.  You set goals and create maps, and you think about your desires and where you want to go.  You start reflecting on the past, and what went wrong- or not the way you wanted it to go, what choices you made and why? Why didn’t you finish that book?  Why didn’t you lose the weight? Why didn’t you end that relationship? Why didn’t you start that business you always wanted to? How can you make things differently this year?

The Sun will always SHINE.

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2016, Theodora Voutsa

There are usually two ways in answering these questions; you either fall head first and start doing everything in high speed because you really want the change, or you freeze because the thought of you not succeeding- again! – is paralysing. Either way, you will get exhausted very soon, give up and sink in to the old habits.

The good news are that there is a third choice.  You can tell yourself that you were stuck and now you are about to change and do things differently. Really tell yourself.  Speak to yourself. Sound is creator, whatever you say can be manifested.  So stand in front of a mirror and talk to yourself as if you are reassuring a good friend of your love for them.  Look at yourself in the eyes and say “Now I am changing.”  Do not say “I will change”, your mind does not understand the future tense.  If you say “I will”, subconsciously you believe that the change is in a distance. You are changing Now! and it is wonderful!

Once you have informed and reassured yourself that now you are changing, it is time to make the actual changes.

What is it that you want? If you feel stuck, if you do not know, that is ok.  A lot of us feel this way one time or another.  If you do not have the answer to a question, maybe you do not understand the question, maybe you need to change the question.  So let’s change the question in to

How do you want to feel?

Do you want to feel happy? ecstatic? joyful? energetic? fulfilled? loved? worshiped? desired? appreciated? wanted? valued? hugged? admired? virtuous? strong? high-minded? delicious? precious?

If the answer is yes, it is very easy to do.  The only thing you have to do is believe that you deserve to feel this way!

Authenticity is liberating!  

Allow yourself to do what feels right, without giving permission to confining convictions to dictate the way.

When you are feeling stuck, by the way the “stuck” feeling means that you are far from your Authentic Self, just accept it.  Do not tense, relax- accept it and it will flow right through you, away from you. Shitty things happen! Accept it and move on. Besides being “stuck” is just a thought, and thoughts are easy to change.

So when you are not feeling the way you want- happy, strong, precious, wanted, worthy- and you are feeling the way you do not want- stuck- look at yourself as a character in a movie or a play.  You write the movie of your life. You are the writer, the producer, the director and the star. Understand that this- being stuck- is just a scene, it is not the entire movie. Think of the next scene, where do you want your character-you- to go? to do? to feel like? What is your objective?

The objective is what the actors use to guide them through every scene.  They have the overall objective, what they want through the course of an entire movie or play, and the scene objective- for every scene. The scene objective needs to support the overall objective. So if your overall objective- what you want in life- is to be worthy, your scene objective could not be judging and criticising yourself.

When things do not go the way you want them to, you know that it is up to you to change them.  You write the script, you decide on the objectives. You have the power of creation.

Just remember, how do yo want to feel? Let that guide your choices.  The better you know yourself, the easier it will be to answer the question “How do I want to feel”. Overcome the fears, the confining convictions and the obstacles and you will be able to connect to you in a strong and fulfilling way.  When you establish the connection with you, you will be able to do it with any one you meet.  Connection gives purpose to our lives.  To be able to connect with yourself and with others, one must overcome the fear of “I am not good enough”, “I am not strong enough”, “I am not rich enough”, …

To be able to achieve connection, one must have a strong sense of worthiness.  This comes fron courage, compassion, vulnerability.  It begins with a thought.

You will never feel stuck again!

What do you do when things get stuck?

Leave your comment.  I would be delighted to hear from you.

Leadership Workshop by The Los Angeles Method

• How can I be the Leader of my life and my team?
• How can I take immediate control over my life?
• What can I do today that will make a difference?
• How can I achieve the change and express my full potential?
• How can I expand, grow, share in a meaningful and enjoyable way?

Join us at The Los Angeles Method Leadership Workshop on June 18th and 19th in Amsterdam to find out the answers to these questions.

The Los Angeles Method is a combination of Acting and Personal Development Techniques to assist you in unleashing your voice and acting on your life.

Successful Leaders know themselves and are connected to others.  
They can communicate what they want. This is why they always get what they want.

The Los Angeles Method

Act like the Leader you want to be. Be the Leader you want to be.

Learn the tools to discover your Authentic Self.

Understand how you can connect with your Authentic Self and then with everyone else.
Connection gives purpose to our lives. To be able to connect with yourself and with others, one must overcome the fear of "I am not good enough", "I am not strong enough", "I am not rich enough", "I am not enough...".
To be able to achieve connection, one must have a strong sense of worthiness. This comes fron courage, compassion, vulnerability. It begins with a thought.

In the two day Leadership workshop you will receive tools that will empower you to achieve your goals beyond fears, obstacles and confining convictions. We will do that through theory and experiential exercises that stimulate your creativity and imagination.

After the Leadership Workshop you will be able to put what you learned in practice and get immediate results.

Let yourself be seen.

Stand in the light and tell the world "This is me
and here I am!"

Become an Actor. Take ACTION. Enough coaching... more Acting!


Cost: 180 euros (excl VAT)

Contact us at thelosangelesmethod@gmail.com to reserve your spot.

"With all sincerity it has been a long time since I have used time so well. Theodora is just fantastic! She talks with so much power and love at the same time, creating a unique environment! I will certainly use what I have learned here. It is hard to describe how great I feel after the Workshop. Thank you so much!”
Jorge Fonseca. FAO, Rome- Italy.

"The Los Angeles Method for me was a real eye-opener. Theodora, you are the first person I saw that I can say, with my whole heart, is an excellent trainer/lifecoach in personal development. I can recommend this workshop to everyone in the world, the methods and te excercises are very universal and can fit for everyone who believes he/she can change and he/she is 100% responsible for their own growth. You are the best trainer in my opinion I saw till now in my life, with the best working method in personal development. My motto is from now, YES YOU CAN CHANGE AND YOU ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR IT!, Thank you, Theodora!"
Nafize Sener.
 

” It was very direct (no bullshit or small talk), very professional and to the point advice”. Michael.

Say "Thank You" to lead the life you want and deserve.

How can you overcome any obstacles that might stand in your way?

What is the fastest way to leading the life you want and deserve?

What is the best way to amazing health?

Everything begins with a thought. Your thought create your reality. There is no objective reality, there is only our perception of Reality. If you wear the "angry" glasses, you will perceive everything as anger, aggravation, hard and difficult. If you wear the "sad" glasses- the same. The same goes for the "victim" glasses. The "victim" glasses make you think that everything happens TO you instead of FOR you.

To honour the day, Thanksgiving, I would like to talk about Gratitude.

Wear these glasses and see your life transform. Do not take my word for it, although i am talking out of personal experience. Become a scientist for a few days and experiment.

Make sure, for the next seven days, to be thankful, to experience and express gratitude.

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Before you go to bed at night, make sure that the last thing you do, after brushing your teeth and saying goodnight and sweet dreams to your loved ones, is to write on a piece of paper what you are grateful for. Please write, do not type on you iPad or phone. Write; using a pen and a paper, feel the words being created on the white piece of canvas you have in front of you. once your list is complete, read it to yourself and close your eyes to fall asleep. Let those be the last thoughts you make for the day.

When you wake up in the morning, read your list again. Make sure that today you will do what it takes to make that list longer and stronger than yesterday.

Pay attention to the changes. Please share them with us and inspire others too to make that journey towards better life through gratitude. Let us know ho your life shifted and for what you are grateful for.

Thank you all very much for showing up and helping fulfil my mission in life, to help people find their voice and act on their lives.

Happy gratitude day to all :)

The images were taken by the article "Why Gratitude is the secret to good Health".

Check it out here.

If you want more exercises and information, check out our Freebies.