Those who are participating in Land Jurisdiction Government are doing so over the Internet. That means they must present themselves on a video camera.
People are used to seeing Media "talking heads" read the news. They know what looks right, but when it comes to doing it themselves they generally do not know where to start.
That is the purpose of this editorial, to help people present themselves in flattering ways so others might take them seriously. The Public can be very critical and are likely to dismiss a presentation if it looks sub-standard to what they are used to seeing.
This is what we should be aiming for...
Try to do what the professionals do.
Filling the frame of the picture gives the audience a good view of our body language, which conveys the most information when we communicate in person. Body language is the reason why video works so well and we should take advantage of that when we are speaking or participating in a discussion.
Showing a lot of space above our head not only wastes screen area we could be using, it makes us look like a clown. In the language of film/television, a lot of headspace creates an expectation that something is going to fall on our head. Letting the top of our head almost touch the top of the screen is good.
Professional newsreaders are reading what they are saying. There is a teleprompter giving them words and the camera lens is right behind it, which makes them appear to be looking into the lens and at the audience. We do not have teleprompters, but we can do things to put our camera as close as possible to what we are reading or looking at.
Our Camera
I readily admit I generally do not even look people in the eye when I am speaking to them in person, and I do not like being on camera either, but it is part of the job.
When I looked for a camera to purchase, I found this...
The cable attached to the camera can be adjusted to position the lens anywhere in front of my computer screen, and it is quite small so it does not block much. I can position what I am reading just below the lens so it appears I am close to reading from a teleprompter.
It's not perfect because there are generally videos of other people on my screen and I might be looking at them down in the corner as I am speaking, but it is a useful tool.
Lighting
Web cameras are pretty good at capturing reasonable video with relatively little light, but the more light we can provide the better we will look.
Here is my setup with just the light from my desk lamp. That camera is doing a great job with such a small amount of light, but the quality is grainy and the side of my head is in shadow. So is the back corner of the room. Notice the annoying reflection of my computer monitor in my glasses...
Here is my setup with all lights on, including the desk lamp. The lamp is a "warm" color and the other lights are all "cool" because I had daylight coming in a window from the left during the Autumn and I wanted the same color. I can adjust the color of my lights...
Notice the reflection of the computer screen in my glasses is gone. The rest of the lights overpower it.
Here is a video describing "three-point lighting," which is what I am doing...
My office is rather small and nowhere near as big as what is shown in the video. Things don't have to be perfect. I adapted my gear to my situation.
Here is my "key light" alone. I have a "soft box" on it and have to keep the intensity down because it is very close to me in my small environment...
Here is my "fill light" alone. I have a "soft box" on that one, too, and am bouncing it off the wall to reduce its intensity and diffuse the light more...
And here is my "back light" or "hair light" alone. I do not have much hair, but happen to have a beard right now because it is Winter in Michigan...
Our Background
What we have in our background says a lot about us.
I have some things in my background that speak about me.
I love maps and the globe brings some context into what we are doing as we reconstruct our government.
The items on the wall are from my engineering career, and they were there before I ever learned about our political status or considered doing any web video.
The flag covers up a dark door that is distracting, and very importantly it signifies I am a man of peace and owed my unalienable rights, including my rights to free speech and to peaceably assemble.
People don't necessarily need to invest in special lights like I did, but understanding the concepts can lead to clever fixes and better presentations.
I hope this has been helpful to readers.
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