What you should take into consideration when you prepare for your video:

  • Choose your location It is recommended that you record your video inside to help avoid background noise. ·

  • Lighting

  1. Avoid a location with very bright direct sunlight or a very dark area.
  2. Side or front lighting is best
  3. Soft natural window light is ideal. If this is not possible, place a warm lamp in front of you.
  4. Avoid having bright windows or lamps behind you – lighting should come from in front of you. 
  • Your Background

Avoid messy or distracting backgrounds. A clear portion of wall is ideal. 

  • Positioning

Your head and upper body should be in the centre of the frame so that your gestures can be seen. ·

  • Camera tips

Use the best camera you have access to; your phone camera is perfectly fine!

If using your phone, ensure that it:

  1. is set it up in a stable position and landscape
  2. is fully charged
  3.  is in airplane mode with do not disturb switched on

4. Record the 3 minutes talk on one shot with no edits, see eligibility page.

If you own a dedicated camera with mic and are confident to use this:

  1. Record at the highest quality - 1080p will be ideal
  2. Avoid high frame rates, aim for 24fps, 25fps or 30fps (higher is not necessary and impacts the amount of light required). 

Microphone tips

If possible, please wear headphones with a built-in microphone as this avoids contaminating the audio. If you are not wearing headphones, please stay close to the phone camera/microphone for the best audio.