Community Outreach Bulletin 4.0

Tips for Television Interviews


from The Renaissance Transgender Association, Inc.

Politicians and others who want to win public approval pay large sums of money to media consultants to polish their image for television. Regardless of what you may think about television's preference for image over substance, and despite your feelings about maintaining personal integrity in the face of the medium's demands, television is a fact of life and its need must be recognized. The wise advocate understands the medium and, whenever possible, conforms to the "rules" of television to more effectively put forth his or her message. Because television relies so heavily on the visual, most of the following tips address specific concerns regarding appearance. But the content of your message is also important, and this is covered as well.

Clothing Helps Make an Effective Video Image


Colors

Patterns

Jewelry


Eyeglasses


Necklines

Body Language Often Speaks Louder Than Words


Gestures

Television has been called a "cool" medium. This means that controlled movement comes across better than excessive animation. But don't be so controlled that you could be mistaken for a corpse. If the time is right for a broad gesture, make it. The director will hopefully widen the shot to encompass it. And if your gestures are distracting, the director should tighten up the shot to "edit" them out.

One of the best ways to win support for your message is to project warmth through the camera. The primary means is by your words, but unspoken communications are also important. Chief among these is eye contact with the person you are speaking with at that moment. This can be either the host, another guest or a member of the audience. Don't make a habit of obviously looking into the camera and away from the person your are speaking to. Another "trick" is to visibly react to what other guests are saying. If they tell a sad story, look sympathetic. Laugh at their jokes (at least try to smile). The director is always looking for "reaction shots," and these will go a long way to establishing you as a warm human being. You never know when the camera will be on you, so always be visibly involved with what other people are saying.

When you are being severely attacked or challenged, whether by the host, another guest or a member of the audience, you can bet that the camera will be on you for a reaction shot. This is especially true if the attacker is calling on the telephone. A television consultant for four presidential candidates advises people under siege to smile a little and shake their head from side to side, giving the gentle impression that the speaker is deluded. But if you react too strongly, you may look like the speaker has hit a nerve.
Naturalness is best; the appearance of naturalness is just as good. Before you go on television, you should carefully examine your feminine movements and poise. If they come to you naturally, you have little to worry about. But if you are not yet comfortable with feminine movements and gestures, you run two risks; either over compensating with exaggerated feminine movements, or putting forth an irregular and uneven performance. Either of these could signal the audience that you are uncomfortable and nervous. Avoid fussing with your hair or jewelry. This comes across as nervousness or vanity.

Cross your legs at the ankle and keep your knees together. A trick to keep the camera from looking up your skirt is to sit slightly sideways in the chair with your knees pointing off to one side. If you change position, you can give a slight tug to the hem of your skirt to straighten it, but don't fuss with it. This looks like you are uncomfortable wearing a dress.

Camera angles

Unless you have rehearsed this with the director, don't try to find and play to whichever camera is "ON." Always look at the interviewer. If you try to follow the camera you may end up looking off into space as far as the viewers at home are concerned.

But if you are certain that the camera in a certain position is going to magnify your worst flaw, such as a bad profile, you can cheat a little by looking slightly away from the interviewer and present a little better angle to the camera. However, do this only when the risk of looking silly outweighs the risk of looking ugly.

Content, or the Medium May Not Be the Message

Appearing on camera crossdressed can give the distinct impression that you wear women's clothes all or most of the time. Giving this impression to the audience may be proper for transsexuals, but it leads to mistakes about the nature of most forms of transvestism. Even if the interviewer says that you crossdress "sometimes" or "on occasion," mention the frequency of your crossdressing a couple of times during the interview. Transvestites who use their feminine names on the air may also imply that they lead their lives as women. This misconception can be prevented by saying that you are "known" by your femme name and that you still use your given name in all other areas of your life.

Watch the length of your answers. Answers that are too short seem abrupt; those that are too lengthy seem long winded and boring. But it is better to run long than short because you can count on the interviewer to cut you off or interrupt. Don't worry that this may be unmannerly. It is "good television." A series of answers that are too short results in lots of questions and the interview sounds like a court room interrogation In a real conversation, people often interrupt each other and pursue points. You can also make the interview seem more conversational by using the interviewer's name.

If the interviewer isn't asking the questions you want to answer, use a politician's trick called "bridging"--quickly answer the question asked and immediately move on to the subject you want to cover. For example, "Yes Bill, I do get erotic pleasure by crossdressing, but there are many other reasons why men wear dresses..." You get the idea.

When speaking about the varied motives and satisfactions associated with transvestism, be proactive on the numerous reasons for crossdressing. Don't leave the audience with the impression that it is only an erotic activity or a matter of gender identity for all transvestites.

If you have children, and they know about your crossdressing, speak out on your belief that this knowledge does not harm them. This is a subject that is on many people's minds and must be addressed. But it may not be talked about in the proper context unless you bring it up.

Transsexuals must explain their feelings about being one gender and yet appearing to be the other. This can also be explained by stories of their valiant efforts to be like others of their genetic sex, i.e. military service, family responsibilities, etc.

Listen to what the interviewer is saying or asking. On one television show, the host mentioned a crossdresser's "decision to be a transvestite." While the statement was actually a slip of the tongue and the interviewer was referring to the crossdresser's decision to tell his daughter about the behavior, some members of the audience may believe that transvestism is something one chooses for themselves.

Issued by Renaissance
A non-profit association to educate the professional and general communities about transgendered people.
For more information write:
Renaissance
987 Old Eagle School Rd., Suite 719
Wayne, PA 19087 or Phone
610-975-9119
Email: renaissance@ren.org

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