What Not to Wear (For Your Healthcare Video Shoot)

30 May What Not to Wear (For Your Healthcare Video Shoot)

One of the first questions we’re asked when scheduling a video shoot is “What should I wear?” It’s a valid question! And most of the time our answer starts with “It depends.” But we do have some general tips to help plan your shoot-day wardrobe.

First, it does depend on the nature of the shoot. If we’re shooting video of you on the job – seeing patients – you should wear what you’d normally wear in that setting: scrubs or a lab coat over business clothes, for instance. If it’s a simple provider bio video, which is usually done interview style, business or business causal is usually best. For these videos, the camera will probably only see you from the waist up. That doesn’t mean you should wear your sweats or basketball shorts – but it does mean you don’t have to worry too much about how your pants or skirt look.

One of the first things we tell our providers is to consider ditching the white coat for the video shoot, especially if it’s an interview. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, we want viewers to get to know you on a more personal, intimate level. Video is a powerful way to help people make a connection with you. A white coat can act as a bit of a barrier and remind people that they are seeing a doc or nurse, rather than a more relatable person. Prospective patients are more comfortable getting to know you as a fellow human if you aren’t in your “uniform” for your video. Another reason we don’t like a lot of solid white is that it makes the camera a little bit crazy. Our eyes easily adjust to color contrasts, but the camera – even though today’s cameras are pretty amazing – wants to try to even things out. So, when there’s a lot of white in the frame the camera can try to compensate for the contrast which can result in skin tones being a bit off. This is especially true with darker skin. (That said, if your marketing folks want everyone in white coats, we’ll make it work. We just like to suggest alternatives that are more flattering and viewer-friendly.)

We also suggest avoiding anything with lime green it in. Sometimes we use a green screen as a backdrop, so wearing chromakey green can make parts of you “disappear” when we tell our editing system to replace that green with some kind of cool-looking background. While having parts of you disappear might make for a funny viral video, it’s probably not the best way to attract new patients to your practice!

You should also avoid jewelry that is very shiny or makes noise when it moves – such as dangling earrings. We set up several lights, so shiny objects will catch that light and could distract from what you have to say. Our microphones will pick up earrings or necklaces that make noise, which can also draw attention away from your message. When choosing jewelry for your video shoot, watch yourself in the mirror as you talk to make sure there isn’t too much movement or noise.

The last thing we suggest avoiding is very busy patterns. Tight patterns can make your shirt or tie look like it’s jumpy as the camera tries to compensate for the contrast. (Those of an older generation might remember the Johnny Carson effect. Some of his jackets drove the camera nuts).

Okay, so we’ve told you thing things to avoid – so what should you wear? First, don’t be afraid of color! Reds, bright blues, purples and hot pinks can really “pop” and tend to look great on camera. Bold is a good thing. Patterns are also nice – just as long as the prints are big enough. It’s helpful when you include a tie, jacket or cardigan so we can easily mount a small lavalier mic in a place that’s fairly close to your mouth and looks natural.

Basically, wear what makes you feel comfortable and confident! When you feel your best you’ll come across as your most natural, authentic self. And if you ever have questions about an on-camera outfit, just ask us! We’re always happy to do all we can to help you prepare for your video shoot.