Thread: How to build your own Teleprompter for FREE and record quality movies using it! Shorten URL

How to build your own teleprompter (for FREE) and learn how to record quality videos using it!

Creating videos and sharing them with the world has never been easier. If you are interested in producing your own videos but are unsure of what to do, this article is for you!

What does it take to create your own video with decent quality? Does it cost a lot of money? Certainly not! This article will go over everything you need to deliver quality video at a very low price. Below is a list of the bare essentials for shooting a video. I will go into detail about each one, including how to build your own teleprompter for FREE

What you need:
• Camcorder
• Script
• Teleprompter
• Lighting
• External microphone
• Editing
• YouTube Account

Step 1: Get a Camcorder – (Price range: $80 - $200)

Okay, you didn’t think you were going to get away with doing this completely free did you? If this wasn’t obvious, you definitely need a camcorder to shoot videos. I recommend a pocket HD camcorder like the Vado HD, Flip Video, Insignia hand-held, or Toshiba hand-held. My personal recommendation is the Kodak Playtouch 1080p. Take a look at what these look like:

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Step 2: Develop a Script

In order to create a video you must have direction. Whether your direction is to record a video with pure verbal or a video with no sound, a script is very useful to organize your video and delivery. A non-scripted video will seem disheveled and confusing which will clearly show your unpreparedness. If this video is intended for business use, it will look very unprofessional. Here are some keys to developing your script:

• Define your audience – Who is this video intended for?
• Where is the video going to be recorded? – The location of your video is important. That will help you determine what supplies you will need and/or any special permits or permission to record.
• Are you using any props? – Everything you see on video is on purpose. Make sure your video’s background is staged appropriately. Having a bikini calendar in the background while shooting a video for your local church wouldn’t be received well.
• Content – What words are you using? Formulating content is essential to delivering your message. Be clear in your delivery, accentuate your words, and remember the camera picks up everything. That means don’t itch your face or seem disinterested as that distracts your audience. Be confident in yourself and project your words.

Teleprompter

To make sure I wasn’t throwing one by you about this whole “free” thing, let’s get into something that is free. Think about ESPN sports anchors or your local news people. Why does it seem they are so well versed and very well spoken? It looks that way because they are reading a pre-made script. How is that possible? They are looking right into the screen, how could they be reading? Four syllables: Tel-e-promp-ter. Those people are reading from a pre-made script that is scrolling via a teleprompter. A teleprompter scrolls text on a piece of glass in front of the camera lens (if you are not getting the whole “scroll text” term, think of the opening scene of Star Wars – yes, now you got it). What does this mean for you? Instead of memorizing a script or tripping over your words, think about a teleprompter, a FREE teleprompter. Having this will make your videos more insightful, professional, and just will gosh-darn make you look like an outstanding speaker.

Here is what you need to do in order to build your own Teleprompter for FREE:

Step 1: Get your pieces of scrap wood and piece of glass

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I got the pieces of scrap wood from my mother and the piece of glass from my neighbor. I put out a general message on Facebook that said, “Anyone have a piece of glass they want to get rid of?” Is that a really weird thing to be asking? Maybe, but I got my glass for free!

Step 2: Cut your pieces of wood and put them together (3 pieces total)

With your sheet of wood you want to make sure you are cutting it so you end up with two 45 degree angle pieces. I recommend measuring out a perfect square and drawing a line from one corner to the opposite corner. That will get you two equal 45 degree triangle pieces. After you cut your triangles and are ready to put in the support wood, you want to make sure the two triangle pieces are far enough apart so your laptop or flat screen can fit in between. Also, you want enough separation to give your piece of glass a steady stand (I won’t go into glass size, board size, etc. There is no exact science to that, just do what makes sense.)

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Here it is. Three pieces of wood and a piece of glass gets you a teleprompter. You will notice on the right hand picture I have the support wood toward the end of the triangle leaving a lip. That is where your glass will sit in. Not the prettiest thing in the world I know, but it gets the job done and it works!

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You will see the left picture with the teleprompter set up over the laptop with the camcorder behind the screen. For easy reading of your text, think about some type of dark blue or black blanket to put over your set up. Don’t forget to flip your text vertically. How else are you going to read the reflection? And no, the camcorder will NOT pick up the text. Camcorders cannot read text off a piece of glass at a 45 degree angle.

There you have it. A free teleprompter that is fully functional. A word of advice on your text: Keep a white background with large black text. I recommend only 4 words per line which not only allows you to read it better, but gives the illusion that you are not reading

Step 3: Lighting

One of the benefits of having video is giving your audience the ability to see you. If you want them to see you in the best light, you have to have the right lighting. Bad lighting can really kill the look of your video. You could spend money on professional lighting, or you could do the following:
• Natural light. If you can find a room with some windows, take advantage of that
• Floor lamps. It’s important to have symmetrical lighting, so if you have two floor lamps make sure they are pointing at each side of your body.

Step 4: External microphone

Background noise can be distracting and take away from the message you are trying to convey. If you are simply using the internal microphone on your pocket HD camcorder, you run the risk of picking up unwanted sound or sounding far away. An external microphone, like a mic tie that clips on to your shirt, is a good way to capture your voice in a crisp and clear way.

Step 5: Editing

In order to only show what you want your audience to see; you have to edit your video! You will find that most pocket HD camcorders come with their own editing suite. However, those are usually limited in their capability. There are also video editing suites that comes pre -installed on your computer (Window or Mac). What I recommend is simply using YouTube. YouTube has a great selection of tools to edit your videos.

Step 6: YouTube

YouTube is the most popular site to upload and display videos. Not only does YouTube bring their popularity and their amazing amounts of visitors per day, they give you the opportunity to embed videos in your website or other social media outlets.

You have the ability to record and display your videos for very cheap. It simply takes some creativity and some elbow grease and you’ll be on your way.


Authored by Koji Consulting, LLC exclusively for Techie-Gurus.Com

www.KojiConsulting.com

Awesome article, thanks for sharing !!!

Thanks for sharing Dave! This will save some money for you guys just starting out! Create some great videos cheap, effectively, and professionally! Great way to promote your company online is through Youtube!

Thanks for the feedback. I will be posting videos soon on my website. Stayed tuned! koji consulting. Also, if anyone has any business communication topics they want me to discuss in a future video, please let me know!