How To Make Yourself “Media Friendly”

Six quick steps to make you and your company more “media friendly.”

Plan in advance what you will wear when you are interviewed on camera. Learn what looks good on camera and what to avoid.

Whether it’s a live interview on the six o’clock news, an employee training video or a on camera speech you’ll want to come across as someone reputable and reliable. So, how should you dress for TV? What should you wear when you are going to be on television? What colors look best on TV?

Some clothing will look good to the camera and some will distract. The worst on camera offender- light color clothes like white, pink and yellow. Light colors get washed out in the lighting. The detail is gone. The reason? A camera doesn’t see light the way your eye does Too much bright to dark contrast and something’s got to give. So either the bright or dark color loses detail. In other words, just because it looks good to your eye does not mean it will look good to the camera. The contrast ratio problem also applies to dark clothing. Pure black and navy blue clothing will loose all detail and appear like a solid dark blob. Same problems for pink and yellow colored clothes- stay away.

Best color clothing for television medium to medium-dark blues. Look at television sets and professionals on television, you’ll find blue as the color of choice.

Something else to avoid- clothing with fine patterns. They will cause a moiré (a distracting wavy effect) pattern when seen on TV. Examples of some clothing that my cause this are, Herringbone patterns on a jacket or small check patterns.

If in doubt bring several sets of clothing to the video shoot and consult with the director. The best types of clothes to wear are solid colors and pastels.

What To Wear On Television Checklist:

 -No white or dark clothing  -Several set of clothes so the director has a choice –  No beeping watches          -Pager and cell phone turned off   -Take a comb, makeup, and mirror   -Eyeglasses, if must wear get glare free type or frames with no lenses   -Don’t forget to get a good night sleep before the shoot

Remember when dressing for TV, the camera “sees” things differently than the human eye. Keep it simple, solid colors, pastels, no fine patterns or distracting jewelry.

If you have any questions about what will look good for your TV interview call the director or your contact person before the day of the video shoot. They will appreciate it and together you can look your best.

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