pixelcadabra: Don't Be Afraid of the Big Cheese

Last week we were shooting at a Really Big Company, grabbing little "get to know you" video snippets for a presentation they were preparing for a government project. It was a fun day, with some really smart folks who, fortunately, didn't take themselves too seriously.

One of the people we shot was the CEO of the company. The big cheese. Head honcho. Big Kahuna. I've noticed that quite often in big companies, the CEO has a collection of "handlers" around him or her, and these handlers are often very nervous about the fact that the CEO is going to be taking part in the video shoot. Sometimes it seems like they are afraid that we're going to take too much time, sometimes I think they're just afraid that we're accidentally going to leave the "make everyone look like a drooling moron" filter on the lens. (These filters are very hard to come by. Only a handful were made, back in the silent era. I stumbled across mine in a government surplus auction, although clearly the government is still in possession of several of them.)

These handlers usually have either a very nervous or confrontational quality about them, as they attempt to insulate the CEO from the situation. It has been my experience that the best way to deal with high level CEOs, military general, world leaders, etc., is to treat them with confident respect, but not to be subordinate to them. You are there to make them look good, and part of putting them at ease is to have an aura of confidence about you, to make them feel like they're in good hands and you know what you're doing.

Part of this, of course, is preparing an environment that supports this illusion. Leave yourself plenty of time for setup. Request a room that's large enough for the task. Request that only key company personnel be permitted in the room during the shoot. (People like to hang out, but everybody likes to direct, and you quickly end up with too many cooks in the room.) When the big cheese arrives, you are ready to roll, lights ups, mics ready, everything tested and ready for action.

Many CEOs are very comfortable on camera and get through their presentation quickly with a minimum of fuss. I usually present the first take as a rehearsal (but roll tape during it anyway), second take as a a real take, and get a third as a safety. If the boss (or the handlers) fight you on doing a safety take, calmly explain to them that you are protecting them from added time, expense and hassle caused by some unforeseen or unnoticed mistake. You're looking out for them, and it's time well spent. It will only take a couple of minutes.

Some CEOs require a bit more, shall we say, nurturing, and this is where it's really critical for you to be in calm control of the situation, and for you to not be a wuss when it comes to telling them they've got a better take in them. The handlers, when seeing the CEO struggling, will instinctively want to get them out of there, ASAP, and will likely start blowing false praise. Don't fall in to this trap. The CEO is looking to you to make them look good. Don't let them down. If they do a bad take, be diplomatic, but direct. Humor can be a good tool, if you're the kind of person who can pull it off with charm.

It's your job to put everyone at ease. Be confident and in control. Know your stuff, and plan ahead. Be diplomatic, but firm in your desire to make everyone look their best. That's what they hired you for.