Record with a teleprompter without sounding read
Published: , Eric Hinzpeter
With a teleprompter you trip over your words less. But it often sounds read, and your eyes wander. A few tricks make that hard to hear and see.
Write for speaking
A script that reads well does not always speak well. Write short sentences, the way you talk. Read the script out loud once before you record. Where you stumble, you will stumble on camera too.
You don't have to write out everything. Notes for the middle and a written first and last sentence are often enough.
Eyes on the lens
In VoiceCut the script scrolls right over the camera picture. Hold the phone so the front camera is at eye level. The closer the text is to the lens, the less anyone sees that you are reading.
A bit more distance helps too: from a metre away, small eye movements barely show. Then set the text size to large.
The right speed
Set the speed so the script runs a little slower than you talk. If it runs faster, you rush to keep up, and it shows.
In VoiceCut you pick a speed from 1 to 5. Tap the text to pause it, drag to scroll by hand. That way you can talk freely for a moment and then read on.
Pauses are fine
Breathe between sentences. Pauses cost you nothing; VoiceCut cuts them out after the recording.
If you trip over a word, don't stop. Pause for a moment and say the sentence again. You delete the wrong attempt in the text afterwards, like a word in a message.
Test first, then record
Record a test take and watch it. Can you see the reading in your eyes? Then move back a little or slow the script down.
VoiceCut does not save the script. Keep it in a note and paste it in with “Paste” next time.