How-to · beginner · 2 min read

How to frame yourself for a talking head video

Lens at eye level, eyes on the upper third line, both shoulders in frame, a hand of headroom, and at least an arm's length between you and the wall.

By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24 · Example: @sulansart

Level: beginner
Read time: 2 min

Good talking head framing is a medium close-up. Lens at eye level, eyes on the upper third of the frame, both shoulders fully inside the edges, a hand's width of space above your head. Sit at least an arm's length from the wall and face the light. Get this right in the room and the edit is half done.

Why it matters

Framing is the first thing a viewer reads.

The method

Lens at eye level. Stack books or use a tripod. From below adds chin and ceiling. From above shrinks you.
Eyes on the upper third line. Turn on the grid. Eyes sit on or just above the top line, never dead center.
Both shoulders in. For 9:16 that's mid-chest up. If a shoulder is cut, step back.
A hand of headroom. More wastes the top of the frame. Less feels cramped.
Get off the wall. An arm's length minimum, two meters if you can. It adds depth and lets portrait mode blur it.
Face the light. Window in front or 45 degrees to one side. Never behind you.

Rules of thumb

Setting	Target
Lens height	eye level, plus or minus 5 cm
Eyes	upper third line
Headroom	1 hand
Shoulders	both visible
Distance to wall	1 to 2 m

Examples

Standard 9:16. Phone on a tripod at eye level, me 75 cm away, eyes on the top grid line, window to camera left, bookshelf 1.5 m behind.
Studio with art. Me centered, canvas 2 m behind and off to the right third so it shows but stays soft. This is how most of my studio talking heads are framed.

Do it in Vyra

Framing happens on the shoot, but Vyra can save near misses.

"Reframe this 16:9 talking head to 9:16. Keep my face on the upper third and both shoulders in frame. Use a rectangle mask, do not crop the shoulders."
"The headroom in this clip is too large. Punch in 15 percent and reposition so my eyes sit on the upper third line, then keep that framing for the whole video."
"Track my face across this handheld clip and keep it centered with a smooth mask so the framing does not drift."

Common mistakes

Phone flat on the desk pointing up.
The 0.5x lens on a face. It bends noses.
Sitting against a wall.

FAQ

Shoot 16:9 and crop later? Only if you also need a 16:9 version. Otherwise shoot vertical and frame it right in the room.

Only have a window behind me? Turn 90 degrees so it's to your side, or close the blinds and put a lamp in front of you.

/how-to/light-a-talking-head
/how-to/cut-a-talking-head
/how-to/record-clean-audio
/formats/talking-head