This week’s tip deals with your on camera look. I’m certainly not a stylist, but a lifetime on camera has given me plenty of experience on this topic. Sometimes I’ve looked great, and sometimes … not so much. Here’s hoping that after reading these tips you can feel like a supermodel (or at least, really confident) when you set foot on that TV set.

Regarding shirts, solid, bright colors are usually best. White and black aren’t typically your best options; but might be okay depending on the color of the set. You want to avoid complicated patterns on your shirt as well as thin stripes. Thin stripes can produce a “moire” effect that’s wavy and pixelated. Complicated patterns and thin stripes are distracting.

If you’re going to be interviewed on television, try the sit down test at home. Since most interviews occur sitting down, if an outfit bunches up when you sit, wear something different.

Be mindful of jewelry, particularly bracelets that can bang against the news desk or necklaces that might hit the lapel microphone on your collar. On live TV, when you don’t get a chance to shoot a segment over, you don’t want a great performance sabotaged by audio issues from your jewelry.

And if you are going to appear on TV, wear makeup. That goes for guys too! If you don’t know how to do your makeup for television, watch a tutorial or go to a makeup store. High definition TV may be great for the viewer but it’s not so great for those of us on camera. Every blemish gets magnified, unless you’re wearing makeup. So, even if you don’t think you need makeup, you do. We all do.

As for how much makeup to wear, you want enough where you look healthy and vibrant, but not too much where you look like a clown. I’ve worn too much makeup on TV; it’s unfortunate to say the least. Again, watch a tutorial or ask an expert, but don’t take this for granted.

Ultimately your performance matters more than your look. But TV is a visual medium so you need to look the part!

If you’d like to work on your on camera appearance and performance, reach out to me here.

Have a great day!

Dave