If producers spent nearly as much time actually trying to cultivate it as they do faking it, we might see a lot more of it in corporate videos but authenticity is one of those qualities, like charisma, that is devilishly difficult to define, much less achieve. Yet, it’s considered to be among the most important characteristics of a successful appearance in a video. Almost everyone I talked to while putting this episode of CFS together had a different take on authenticity; some thought it’s innate and could not be learned, others have various tricks they use to conjure it and one colleague is convinced that it’s actually a false virtue, that no one is authentic – that we all put on a persona when on camera. So, I’m putting this episode out there as a catalyst for further conversation and debate about this much-sought-after yet elusive quality in a corporate video and look forward to hearing your take. And, whatever it is, make it authentic.
Dewey Thompson
Edited by: Liz Soolkin, Filmed By Ted King