A busy background invites viewers to investigate that rather than paying attention to you and your message. Go neutral whenever possible.

TV and the web are very different mediums. While TV viewers lean-back and passively entertained or informed, the web is interactive; we lean-forward, actively looking for new information, searching for the next button to click.

One way TV productions set the tone for a scene or interview is by consciously adding objects into the background. While the work of set dressers is important on TV, you face different challenges.

Your video is not about bookcases

Web video eye tracking studies show viewers look at background objects. So, while TV experts are often interviewed in front of bookcases, you cannot afford to waste scare attention on your books (or the pictures on your walls).

Check around you to find a suitable wall or cupboard doors for your neutral background.

Dark backgrounds look more professional if you have good lighting. Choose a lighter background if your lighting is not so good.

Make sure you stay far enough away from your background to avoid casting distracting shadows.

Moving yourself and/or your camera by just a little is often enough to cut out distracting background objects. Always check your background before pressing record; it is a lot less effort than fixing it later.

When the background is the story

Behind-the-scenes videos are an exception to the neutral background rule. In these videos the background becomes the story. Office tours are popular. You can also take a tour of your library (or show off your curvy bookcase).

If the background isn’t the story then avoid interesting backgrounds when you have to get your message across and motivate your visitors to take action.

Tags

Background, Behind the Scenes, Lighting, Tip, TV

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