Recording remotely has quality challenges built in. Audio and video are always going to be worse quality when filming remotely, compared with filming in a studio or having a crew film with professional equipment. Most modern TVs produce 4-6 times the resolution of one zoom call, to put it in perspective.

The FT has a studio in its London office and we have a film crew that can come to you (or a different location). The quality of the final product will vary greatly depending on where it is filmed and with what equipment.

Using Google Meet is recommended by our IT staff. Though we can offer recordings over Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams, if Meet is blocked on your end. We will set up the meeting and send you an invite link. Let us know if you have issues connecting at ftspecialistvideo@ft.com.

Make sure your video quality is set to HD or the highest quality available. This can generally be found in the video settings on your call.

The webcam and your internal laptop mic is often good enough for most recordings. You might get better camera quality out of a tablet or phone, but these are harder to frame yourself correctly.

If you have a headset/headphones with a microphone, please use them, as the audio generally sounds better and reduces background noise. Avoid touching the mic, as this will cause feedback on the call. Do not join on multiple devices at once, this will only cause issues with the recording.

Wifi will vary wildly from room to room in your home, it is best to be plugged into a router via Ethernet cable. This will not be possible for some, so I recommend getting as close to the router as possible or finding a place in your home with a good connection.

You can check your speed using https://www.speedtest.net/ 20mbps is good enough for basic video streaming. As a last resort, the 4/5g phone networks are pretty fast in some environments and you might be able to use your phone as a wifi hotspot. Only do this if you have a strong signal.

Please start your call in a well lit environment, preferably with you facing a window. Avoid pointing the camera at a window, use blinds and curtains, if necessary. You can use additional lights to balance the light on your face. Your webcam gets really grainy in low light conditions.

Check your webcam before you start and make sure you are happy with your background. Find a room with a background you think looks clean and professional. Avoid using virtual backgrounds or virtual blur as it can glitch and create distracting artifacts on screen.

When dressing for video, try not to wear clothes with tight patterns, cameras cannot process them correctly. Colour does look nicer on video than plain black, make sure you are not blending into the background of where you are planning to film.

If you are comfortable wearing makeup, foundation will prevent shiny skin and make your face light up a bit more evenly. Check for stray hairs in the mirror before going in front of the camera, don’t move your hair too much during a video, unless you are clearing it from your face.

Try to avoid slouching or leaning in, you can move your hands, just be conscious to not knock the table or device.