It’s not always possible (if it’s a surprise on the day, for instance) but we try and encourage our groups to learn their lines before turning up for the shoot. The more confident our lead is with the words, the more engaging and powerful the video will be. Our best performances come from people who know the words off by heart – whether this be something fairly simple like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, or the result of having put in a little more effort. We once had a bride who knew every single word to Sir Mix A Lot’s Baby Got Back. The whole thing. Even the spoken word intro and the bits about Jane Fonda and Cosmo. It was pretty awesome.

But it’s not just the lead who needs to brush up – some videos are made by the backing vocals. Think of I Gotta Feeling, with different lines being sung by different group members, or Groove Is In The Heart, with Bootsy Collins chiming in, and you can see how this might work. Biology is another great one for group vocals, as are a lot of boy and girl bands.

If the song choice isn’t a surprise we’ll always send out the lyrics, so Google the song, have a read along as you listen to the track, and on the day you can focus all your attention on the performance. Once you get to the studio, the key to great lip-synching is overemphasis. It may seem weird to move your mouth around so much, but the bigger and bolder your movements (within reason!) the better they will register on camera. Connecting with the camera is also important – try to think about the attitude of the song. For instance, if you’re singing “I Hate You So Much Right Now”, make sure the camera sees the rage. But if you’re telling the audience to “loosen up my buttons, baby”, seduce the camera for all you’re worth…

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