There are a few things that you will learn once you immerse yourself in the acting field. The way you behave while on camera is essential and can either act as a deal maker or a deal-breaker. Unfortunately, this is an area that most actors find challenging. Follow these tips on how you can avoid looking at the camera while acting:
- Make eye contact with your fellow actor
- Act naturally
- Please do not follow the camera; let it come to you
- Prepare well
- Do not be hard on yourself
- Focus on your partner
- Learn your habits
- Practice
- Make eye contact with your fellow actor.
One of the most effective ways to avoid looking at the camera and getting all anxious is focusing on your partner’s downstage eye. This helps you to forget about the presence of cameras, loosening you up for some more action. First, you have to understand that there is upstage and downstage while on camera. Other directors also refer to this as the stage left or the stage right. All in all, make sure that you understand what the terms mean.
This is also one of the areas that differentiate experienced and inexperienced actors. Actors with no experience tend to make contact with both eyes of the fellow actors. This may not be a big issue in the beginning, but it is quite disadvantageous for close and intense shots. In case you are wondering why you should always focus on your partner’s downstage eye, keep in mind that it helps you achieve a still and composed performance, which is everything you need while on camera. Several directors also consider your eye contact when you audition. Therefore, make sure you practice as much as possible. - Act naturally.
You are most likely going to become more anxious and alert when you remember that you are on camera. You don’t have to be a perfectionist while on stage, or you risk making a lot of mistakes. Therefore, breathe in and out and relax. An excellent hack that can help you achieve a natural performance is acting like no one is watching. Once you have this mindset, you will easily disregard the camera and perform to the best of your ability. You do not want to panic during a role and miss a few lines. - Please do not follow the camera; let it come to you.
One of the advantages of acting on camera is that you don’t have to go after it. Your work as an actor is to act and leave the recording to the cameraman. Therefore, if you don’t want to look at the camera, stop following it. Also, the fact that there will be no audience as you act on the camera means that you don’t have to communicate with other parties. The camera’s role is to record your interactions with other co-actors. Therefore, looking good on the camera should be none of your worries. Just do what you are expected to and let the cameraman do what he is supposed to. You will realize that the lesser you follow the camera, the more relaxed you will be. - Prepare well.
You won’t feel an urge to always look at the camera when you are well prepared for your role. Most actors look at the camera as they try to remember a line or how to act a particular scene which sells them out. Therefore, take some time and go through your role as many times as possible before you go live.
Constantly looking at the camera can also be a sign of being too cautious. You are probably wondering whether you are handling things the right way or not. Prepping yourself beforehand and working on your body language and confidence can help you avoid this. - Do not be hard on yourself.
You need to understand that human beings have their imperfections. Do not, therefore, appear before the camera trying to pull a perfect and flawless performance. Do not also try too hard to avoid looking at the camera since it is likely to backfire. Therefore, prep yourself to accept when things don’t work out as you anticipated. However, this does not mean that you should not try to the best of your ability. You can start by working on being less cautious while on camera. Allow yourself to get lost in the occurrences without desiring to look perfect. - Focus on your partner.
A good way of avoiding the camera is by fully immersing yourself in what your fellow actor is doing. You won’t have time to think about how you look or how your future audiences will look at you. Therefore, let your fellow actor’s actions occupy you. Entirely focusing on the other actor also helps you get ahead of your acting. You will know how best to react or respond to a particular scene. - Learn your habits.
All humans act distinctly while on camera. This is a common phenomenon that should not scare you. While some are a bit nervous, others tend to be self-cautious. Knowing where you fall will help you determine how well to react and prevent over-focusing on the camera. There is a lot of pressure that comes with appearing before a camera. Therefore, learn your habits beforehand and work on them to prevent you from being self-cautious. You can also tape yourself beforehand to establish some of the common behaviors that can get you extra cautious while on camera. - Practice.
Practice indeed makes perfect, especially in the acting field. A notable hack that can help you avoid overfocusing on the camera is practicing beforehand. You will get more confident and natural in your performances, which will help you act naturally. Try filming yourself and correcting your flaws. You will learn that practice makes you less cautious and receptive of the camera, traits that will help you pull an excellent performance.
Actors Takeaway:
how to not look at the camera when acting
Constantly looking at the camera can make you self-cautious hence giving you away. There are several tips that can help you learn how not to look at the camera for a superb performance. Ensure that you practice as much as you can.
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