Guide
How to make talking head videos less boring: change something on screen as you talk
Updated
A talking head video stops feeling boring when the picture changes while you talk. Here is how to do that with one phone: closer shots, things to look at, and fewer wasted seconds.
In short
- A talking head video gets less boring when something on screen changes as you talk: the framing, a picture or a word.
- With one phone, you can cut to a closer shot of yourself when you start a new point.
- Showing your screenshots, product photos or a b-roll clip on the words where you mention them gives people something new to see.
- Opening on your strongest line and cutting the ums and long pauses gets you to the point sooner.
- In Cutroom's Magic Editor, you press one button and Jacob, its AI editor, makes the whole edit. It cuts the ums, puts your photos on your words and sets key words big. Then you ask for changes, like a closer shot, in plain words.
Why do talking head videos feel boring?
A talking head video feels boring when nothing on screen changes for too long. The same face in the same frame, plus every pause, gives people a reason to scroll on.
- The frame never changes, so there's nothing new to look at.
- You describe something people can't see, like an app, a product or a result.
- The point comes late, after a warm-up sentence or two.
- Pauses, ums and repeats slow every sentence down.
- Every word looks the same on screen, so nothing stands out.
One clip, made less boring
Here is a skincare tip filmed in one frame, with every problem from the list above. The after is the same clip with the picture changing as she talks.
A skincare tip filmed in one frame, before and after
Jacob's first edit sets her opening line big, puts her serum photo on “serum” and sets “damp” big. She asks for the closer shot in the chat.
Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video
Before · the clip as filmed
A 60-second phone video of a skincare creator talking about her night routine, in one frame the whole time
“Okay, so, um, this is the step everyone skips. … (pause) I put the serum on while, uh, while my skin is still damp, and it it actually sinks in.”
struck through = what Jacob cuts
After · Jacob's first edit, Skit style
“This is the step everyone skips. I put the serum on while my skin is still damp, and it actually sinks in.”
- On “skips”: her opening line set big, then the music stops for a moment
- On “serum”: her product photo serum.jpg on a panel that slides over her face
- On “damp”: the key word set big on screen
- Under the whole video: music with some energy under her voice
window: serum.jpg
Then you ask Jacob
- “Make the shot closer when I talk about damp skin”v2the same edit with a closer shot of her face on the damp-skin line
- “Put a flash right before the ending”v3the same edit with a flash just before her last line
- “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”v4a shorter version that keeps her opening line and her ending
How Cutroom's Magic Editor edits a video like this
Jacob is the AI editor inside Cutroom's Magic Editor: it edits your video for you, then changes it when you ask in a chat.
The 4 styles, as example edits
Steps
Three steps, four angles
Skit
Hook, hard stop, demo card
Verdict
The tester's verdict
Poster
Typography does the talking
Hover or tap an example to play it, without sound. These are example edits of each style; the presenters in them are generated with AI.
- Your take: one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- Your style: one of 4: Steps, Skit, Verdict or Poster
- Your files: screenshots, a screen recording or a logo, if you have them
- Your goal: what the video is for, in a few words, if you like
- Jacob makes it: normally 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email
- Your edit: ask Jacob for changes in a chat, then export
Then you ask Jacob, for example
- “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”
- “Put a clip on the strongest sentence”
- “Change the music to something calmer”
Each change is a new version, and going back is free. First cut 250 credits, each change 40, questions free, export 30 credits per started minute.
Filming it less boring in the first place
Editing can't add energy you didn't film. A few habits while you record do more than any effect later.
- Open on your strongest line, not on “Hi guys, today I want to talk about”.
- Talk a little faster and louder than feels natural. On a phone screen, normal energy comes across as flat.
- Use your hands when you make a point, as you would across a table.
- Between points, step closer to the phone, turn to a new angle or film the next part in another room.
- Hold up the thing you talk about, like the product or your phone screen, instead of only describing it.
Changing the framing without a second camera
A second camera gives you another angle to cut to. With one phone, split your clip where a new point starts. Then scale that part up in your editor, so your face fills more of the frame.
In the Magic Editor, you ask Jacob for a closer shot on a part, and it makes a new version.
- Film in the best quality your phone offers, so a closer shot still looks sharp.
- Change the framing when you start a new point, not in the middle of a sentence.
- Keep the closer shots for the moments that matter, like your main tip or the result.
- In the Magic Editor, you tap the words or name the part and ask for it in a sentence, such as “Make the shot closer when I talk about damp skin”.
- A chat change like this costs 40 credits, and going back to the earlier version is free.
Showing something while you talk
When you talk about something people can see, show it on those words. A screenshot, a product photo or a short clip lets people see what you're describing instead of only your face.
In the Magic Editor, you upload your files and press "Make my video". Jacob then puts each one on the words where you mention it.
- When you have nothing of your own to show, use a short stock clip (called b-roll) that fits your words, such as a kitchen for a recipe tip.
- Put one key word big on screen at the moment it matters, not every word.
- By hand in Canva, add the word as text and drag its trim handles, so it shows only while you say it.
- A quick transition between two points helps too, such as a white flash or a whip. In the Magic Editor you ask for one in words, like “Put a flash right before the ending”.
- If you'd rather not use stock at all, Cutroom's Poster style carries the video with big stacked words, a black-and-white moment and one key number in bright neon.
- You ask for more in words, such as “Make the key words stand out more” or “Put a clip on the strongest sentence”.
Cutting what adds nothing
Every sentence should make your point or lead to it. Cut the warm-up, the repeats and the long pauses, and start on the line that makes people stay.
Jacob cuts the ums, false starts and repeats in the first edit, and each of Cutroom's four styles shortens long pauses.
- If your first sentence is “So, today I want to talk about…”, start the video on the next one.
- In the Magic Editor, you ask “Cut the first sentence” to start the video on your point.
- If you ask “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”, Jacob cuts fillers, repeats and the weakest sentences, never your opening line or your ending.
- If it then feels rushed, ask “Keep my pauses, it feels too rushed”.
- Jacob can cut a sentence but can't move one, so say your strongest line early when you film.
Questions people ask
- How do I make a talking head video more engaging?
- Change something on screen every few sentences: a closer shot, a screenshot or photo on the words, or a key word set big. Then cut the warm-up and the long pauses.
- Do I need two cameras for a talking head video?
- No. With one phone, you can cut to a closer shot of yourself at new points, and show screenshots or clips over the rest.
- What is b-roll in a talking head video?
- B-roll is any shot that plays over your voice instead of your face, such as a screenshot, a product photo or a stock clip of a street. It gives people something new to look at while you keep talking.
- Can AI make my talking head video less boring?
- Yes. In Cutroom's Magic Editor, you press "Make my video" once. Jacob cuts the ums and pauses, puts your files on the right words, and adds captions and music in the style you pick. It normally takes 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email when your first cut is ready. Then you ask for changes in the chat.
- Can I ask for a closer shot on one part?
- Yes. Tap the words or name the part and ask for it in a sentence, such as “Make the shot closer when I talk about damp skin”. Jacob makes a new version for 40 credits, and the earlier version stays.
- Can I add a second angle later if I only filmed one?
- No. No editor can make a real second angle from one clip. A closer shot on a new point gives a similar change, and screenshots or clips cover the rest.
Film one clip of you talking, and let Jacob put something new on screen as you talk. Your first video is free.