#78 Getting Comfortable Talking to Camera

In October 1968, Richard Nixon walked into a television studio to film ads. He sat stiffly on the edge of a desk, looked at the camera, and started to talk. One aide muttered, "I wish he'd use the teleprompter," to which another replied, "People think he's reading anyway." While Nixon never mastered the teleprompter, he did get good at recording ads without a script, taking multiple takes to find the right flow and words. This was all part of the "New Nixon" strategy - gone was the candidate ...