How to Use Your Laptop as a Teleprompter

Free Teleprompter: How to Use Your Laptop as a Teleprompter to Make Videos on a Budget (full article here, summary below)
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The teleprompter systems used by professional studios can cost up to several thousands of dollars. If you're just getting started in video production, this expense may be way out of your budget. The good news is you may have access to a free teleprompter and not even know it!
This tip shows you how you can create your own free teleprompter without shelling out the bucks for an expensive system. Simply use a device that most of us already own or have ready access to -- a laptop.
Items You'll Need to Set Your Laptop Up as Teleprompter: 01:23
• Laptop with your favorite word processing program. We use Microsoft Word.
• A wireless mouse. We use a Logitech M505 wireless mouse.
• Your video camera (on a tripod is preferable). We found for our videos a tripod gives us a stable shot and allows us to adjust the camera height as needed.
(For tripod info, be sure to check out our video "How to Use a Tripod and Tripod Quick Release.")
• A stable surface (table, stand or bookcase) to place your laptop on. We often use a bookcase with adjustable shelves which gives us just the right angle for our speaker reading the script.
4 Simple Steps to Set Your Laptop Up to Work as a Free Teleprompter
STEP 1 02:25 Prepare your script: Write your script using your word processing program. Once you're happy with the script, increase the point size of the text and adjust the margins so that you can read the text from a distance.
For our videos, we set the font to Arial Bold, 36 points. We use Print Layout view and 1/2-inch margins all the way around.
STEP 2 02:49 Set up your video camera on your tripod. You want to set up your tripod at just the right height and angle so that your speaker appears to be looking straight into the video camera lens.
STEP 3 03:02 Set up your laptop on a stable surface near your video camera. Position your laptop near your video camera at a height so that it appears your speaker is looking at the camera while reading the text scrolling on the laptop. This step can be a little tricky, so be prepared to try a few setups with the tripod, video camera and laptop to achieve the right angle and height.
STEP 4 04:00 Practice before filming. Ideally, the speaker should be the one to scroll the script using the wireless mouse. This way he can match the speed of the scroll to his reading. You'll find with a wireless mouse you don't need to have the mouse on a surface for the scroll feature to work. You can hold the mouse to your side and operate the scroll wheel to go through the script from beginning to end.
If you enjoyed this free teleprompter tip, be sure to check out GroovyVideos.com for more ideas on how to make videos on a budget that look professional and attract an audience. And be sure to subscribe to our KZbin channel!