Rob Regal “It’s Just the Camera Angle”

Recently, someone who had never heard me on-air listened to an aircheck and said “Rob, you’re a completely different person behind the mic.” 

This person was both 100% correct and 100% incorrect.

To the untrained ear, I seemed to slip in and out of some sort of alter ego.  Truth is, I was just working something called “the camera angle”.

Working “the camera angle” is an important tool in the world of “role development”.

Hey, I’m the classic artsy, messy, creative-type.  Theoretical stuff like this is hard for me to digest.  I probably owe an apology to several talent coaches who planted a face palm thinking “this kid is never going to get this!”

YAY – I get it now!  And here’s how I was finally able to understand and apply this deep theory….

A TV camera gives the illusion that you, the viewer, are seeing reality.  However, reality is that you’re only seeing what the camera lens can capture in space and time.  Anything outside the lens or timeframe might as well never have existed and never have happened.

As an on-air talent, I had to learn to give my target audience a consistent camera angle she could come to count on.  Once I began doing that behind the mic, on social media, and at in-person events, I started building a consistent, trustworthy personal brand.  And, by the way, success did follow!

Choosing a particular camera angle for my target audience is no different than this real-life dynamic.  When I’m at church talking to a group of guys, I behave just a bit differently than when I shift across the room to the group of ladies to whom my wife is talking.  The topics I choose to discuss with the men are certainly going to be different than with the ladies.  To some degree, even the way I employ my sense of humor will differ from one group to the next.  We all practice this sort of behavior (hopefully – if we have any sort of self-awareness). 

Again, it’s not being fake or hypocritical.  It’s simply a matter of understanding my audience, caring about what matters to them and seeking to be relevant.

See what I did there?

Rob’s career spans more than two decades in both commercial and non-commercial radio, with stops across the country including New Life Media and Family Life Radio.  He’s worn many hats over the years, but his expertise is in the AC Christian format as both program director and on-air talent.  Rob also does freelance VO and production, and can be reached at rregal@flc.org or robregalradio@gmail.com.