How To Do An Interview In Front Of A Green Screen And Not Feel Weird

My previous post focused on nailing a TV interview in a single take. Now I want to talk to you about how to do the same thing in a studio with a green screen.When you watch interviews on TV or on the internet, you won’t be conscious of the fact that a green screen is being used. When you are in a studio, it is a completely different experience. The second you arrive and you see it, there is something weird and alien about it. You want to imagine the background but you have no idea what it is going to be. For a split second, you imagine those cheesy segments where the presenter has shots of tropical islands intercut on their show. Maybe, you’ll suddenly be in the Arctic Circle or in the Sahara Desert.

I was recently invited to appear on MyStartup Live in Irvine, CA. Kevin Allen was the host and I liked the production quality of the interviews and believed in what they were doing. I knew I had content and stories that would benefit their audience. So at around 11:30am, the cameras started rolling, I got the 10 second countdown and I was on!

Here are my tips on how to do an interview in front of a green screen and not feel weird:

1). Talk to the crew.

Ask them if there is anything specific you should and shouldn’t do. Ask them which cameras to look at during the interview and do a sound check. Also, ask them what background they are going to be inserting behind you.

2). Relax

When you’re getting mic’ed up, stay loose. I usually hate small talk but it is a good opportunity to get to know your host and warm up your voice.

3). Focus

During the interview, focus on the host and cameras in front of you, not the green screen behind you.

4). Be Aware

My host told me that a previous entrepreneur brought his product on the show. As it was a green plant, the leaves blended into the green screen so they lost it on screen. They had to make sure, the plant was always in front of the entrepreneur’s shirt. This is a tricky one if you want the audience to understand what you are promoting.