Filming founders: a practical guide

Prepare ideas, not lines

Founders rarely sound like themselves reading a script. Instead of memorising, prepare a short list of points you want to make, each with an example or story. On the day, you answer questions in your own words, and the edit keeps the clearest takes.

Say your points out loud a few times before filming. Notice the phrases that come naturally; those are usually the ones to keep.

Choose the setting

• Quiet first: listen for traffic, air conditioning, and echo. Sound problems are harder to fix than picture problems.
• Soft, even light: a large window to the side of the face works well. Avoid a bright window behind you.
• A background that says something true about the company without distracting from you.
• Space for the camera to sit a comfortable distance away.

What to wear

Wear what you would wear to an important meeting with your audience. Solid colours work best on camera; fine stripes, small checks, and very shiny fabrics can shimmer. Bring a second option in case the first clashes with the background.

On the day

1. Sound checkMicrophone placement and a short test recording before anything else.
2. Warm-up questionsEasy questions first, so you settle in before the important answers.
3. Core topicsEach point answered more than once, in slightly different ways.
4. Supporting footageYou and the team working, the product on screen, details of the space.
5. Room toneThirty seconds of silence in the room, which helps the edit sound seamless.

Ask for a pause whenever you need one. Restarting a sentence is normal and costs nothing in the edit.

Recording remotely

Some founder content can be recorded without a crew. If you are filming yourself:

• Use the main (rear) camera of a recent phone, not the selfie camera, and lock exposure and focus.
• Put the phone on a stable stand at eye level, slightly above rather than below.
• Use an external microphone close to your mouth if you have one; otherwise record in a small, soft-furnished room.
• Agree the framing first: horizontal for websites and long videos, vertical for mobile feeds, or wide enough to crop both.
• Record a short test and send it before the real session.

After filming

Expect to review a first cut rather than raw footage. Focus feedback on what you say and how it is understood, and route it through one person so the editor receives one consistent set of notes.