What Not to Wear: A Guide to Dressing for Success when Filming Marketing Videos

While it’s easier than ever to shoot marketing videos for businesses and brands, there are many moving parts of a video shoot and with that, many things that can go wrong. Planning is key, and from our extensive video production experience, one simple but important thing to plan for is what you wear. While it’s important to be comfortable in your clothes, it is also essential that your clothing choices do not cause issues in the filming and post-production process of making a video.

Check out the top SN:D Agency tips on what NOT to wear and what TO wear when filming your next marketing video.

6 Tips on What Not to Wear When Filming Marketing Videos

It’s easy to prepare yourself for success with your wardrobe, so let’s ensure your wardrobe is NOT a failure on film day. Here are our tips for what not to wear:

Tip 1: Avoid Distracting Clothing When Filming Marketing Videos

• No reflective clothing. The lighting can reflect off your clothes into the camera and cause light flares. These flares can be difficult or impossible to remove post-production, adding post-production costs. Reflective clothing can also distract the viewer.
• No frills or distractions, like bows or tassels, especially around the arms area.
• No clothing that is overly loose, too tight, or revealing.

Tip 2: Colors & Patterns to Avoid On Camera

• No Black. Black can cast shadows on your face and dark circles under your eyes. Black also absorbs light, which takes away detail in the subject’s face and washes you out.
• No white. White causes issues with cameras because it reflects, exposing your surroundings and drawing attention to your background rather than the subject.
• No bright red or magenta. The camera’s sensors don’t translate these colors very well, and they can cause bleeding of color on the film, making it hard to see details.
• No green or blue if you use a green or a blue screen when filming). When the editor is trying to take out the background in post-production, if you are wearing the same color as the background, it is difficult for your green or blue clothing to be removed as well, resulting in a floating head.
• No tight patterns such as plaid, stripes, checks, herringbone, houndstooth, etc. The patterns and the camera sensors can cause a moiré pattern inside the camera. It’s only noticeable during playback and cannot be fixed in post-production, which can cause a costly loss.

Tip 3: Fabrics to Avoid When Filming Your Marketing Video

• No sparkly, shiny, or shimmery fabric because you risk it reflecting into the camera.
• No see-through or thin fabrics unless they are layered over other fabrics. If the fabric you wear is see-through, your body can be silhouetted in the shot when under the lights.
• No Linen. It wrinkles quickly and easily, and you don’t want to look sloppy and unprofessional or waste time on shoot day using a steamer or iron.
• No “loud” fabrics (such as windbreaker-type material)/ The microphone will pick up the noise and detract from the sound quality of the video’s audio.

Tip 4: Accessories to Avoid When Filming Business Videos

• Do not wear multiple jewelry pieces, like stacking metal bangles, that can cause a lot of clanking and that could be picked up in audio.
• No big earrings or necklaces that will reflect light and cause flashes on the camera.
• No hats. A hat will block the light from your face, casting shadows.
• No scarves. The scarf can rub against the mic when wearing a lavalier microphone and cause audio issues.

Tip 5: Avoid Other Company Branding or Shirts with Words When Filming

• No outside company logos. Wearing a logo that isn’t for the company you’re promoting in the video can confuse your viewers and provide free marketing to an outside company while distracting from your own.
• No graphic t-shirts. It may distract the viewers, and you may not have permission from the artist to display the work in a marketing product due to copyright infringement.

4 Tips on What to Wear When Filming Marketing Videos

Our video production team at SN:D have racked their brains for a top list of what to wear on camera. Read on for our tips.

Tip 1: Best Colors to Wear on Camera

• Talk to your videographer and production team before the shoot to get a clear picture of what the background will be, as it will affect what colors you should wear.
• If you’re NOT using a blue screen, blue is considered the safest color to wear on camera.
• Other colors that work well on camera are pastels, jewel tones, and earth tones because they don’t cast shadows and look more natural.
• If you want to wear dark clothing, navy blue is an excellent alternative to black because it is dark and looks professional but doesn’t have the same shadow-casting issues as black.

Tip 2: Choose Comfortable Clothing for Filming Your Marketing Video

• Wear clothing that you are comfortable in–no one wants to watch a video of someone who is uncomfortable. You’ll be more able to focus on what you have to say when you aren’t distracted by how uncomfortable you feel.

Tip 3: Dress Appropriately for Your Industry

• Ensure your clothing matches your brand and industry. Dressing industry appropriately will help make your video more credible, showing that you are an expert in the industry and know what you are talking about.

Tip 4: Wear Your Company Branding

• Represent your business when filming a marketing video!
• If you have uniforms or shirts that display your company logo, you should wear them (if they are appropriate for the video focus).

This brings brand awareness to your audience and adds credibility and professionalism to your video.

Filming Marketing Videos: 3 Additional Tips for Dressing on Film Day

Here are our additional wardrobe tips for ensuring your shoot goes smoothly.

Tip 1: Have More Than One Outfit

• Have options in case of wardrobe malfunction or unforeseen circumstances.
• More than one outfit will also allow you to shoot more footage without it looking like it was filmed on the same day, saving you time and money.
• Come prepared with two or three outfit options that all follow all the do’s and don’ts that we’ve covered in this article.

Tip 2: Try Outfits on in Advance

• Try your outfits on before your shoot. It’s best practice to do this at least a day before the shoot day to allow yourself time to run the errands or do the load of laundry needed to make sure your outfits are in good condition for the shoot.

Tip 3: Have an Emergency Kit for Wardrobe Malfunctions

• Have a wardrobe emergency kit with you on video shoot days. Coming prepared will help you look your best and will help you focus on making a great video.

Here are some items to include in your emergency kit to avoid wardrobe malfunctions:

1. A-Clamps or clips
2. Bobby pins
3. Safety pins
4. Needle and thread
5. Portable steamer/iron
6. Stain remover

A lot can go wrong on a marketing video shoot day, so don’t let your wardrobe be one of those things.

From avoiding distracting colors, fabrics, patterns, and accessories, to tips for expanding your brand awareness and representing your business and industry well on video, to how to prepare for malfunctions, and more, we hope you feel equipped to dress for success on your next filming day! Armed with our expert tips on what NOT to wear, what you SHOULD wear, and a few additional best practices, you’ll be all set for a successful video shoot day – at least regarding your look.

So why stop there? At SN:D Agency, we have extensive experience with video shoots, production, and post-production. Stay tuned here on our blog for our upcoming blog posts covering all things video marketing! In the meantime, we’d love to speak with you about your business’s video production needs. Learn all about us here and contact us here!