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Should you look at the television camera during a TV interview?
Now there's a big mistaken notion out there that, "Oh, I'm on TV. I need to play to the
camera." No. You are far better off looking at the reporter talking to you rather than
a camera.
Look at it this way. You have a lifetime of experience looking at human beings when you
talk to them. You have very little experience listening to a human being in a room talking
to you, ignoring them, staring at a piece of machinery.
So, it's harder for you to do it. Also can look awkward. Because here's the thing about
TV. If you're ignoring the person talking to you and you're staring at a camera you
never know when there's another camera on you showing you staring off into space.
And if the reporter or anchor is right next to you and you're ignoring that person and
you're staring off into space it can look weird.
So, the easiest thing to do is just to look at the reporter. Unless it's a situation like
right now. There's no reporter in front of me so I had to look at the camera.
You may be in a situation where you're interviewed by a reporter or an anchor in another city
through satellite so you've got an earpiece. In that case, yes, you would look right at
the camera.
Anytime a reporter or cameraman or producer or camera operator or floor director tells
you to look at a different place, "Look over here now," I would follow their advice.
But absent them giving you specific instructions otherwise just look at the reporter and you
can't go wrong.