- Creating videos especially on your own could be a daunting task, because of having to remember
everything you have to say, constant mistakes and retakes, making the editing process
also longer than expected. And the way around this
is to use a teleprompter. And in this video, I'll be breaking down the best
teleprompter for the money. The one that we use here at Think Media, and the magical app that moves
to the sound of your voice. So you'll have no issues filming yourself. And be sure to watch
until the end of the video where I'll share some tips
for being more comfortable and confident on camera, let's go. - [Narrator] You gotta just press record. - Hey what's up, it's Omar,
Eltakori with Think Media, helping you build your
influence with online video. And on this channel Sometimes
we do tech gear reviews. Other times we do tip videos, helping content creators
just like this one. So if you're new here
consider subscribing. So quick backstory, when I used to work at a church every week we would actually produce
videos called church news or our weekend announcement videos. And during that time
we used a teleprompter and an iPad for the script. Then we would film the
talking head portion kind of just like this. The two issues that
rose up was number one, the build of the teleprompter
was not only robust due to its design, made it difficult to see
what you were filming. And then the other issue
was the app on the iPad had to move at a pace, which making stumbling over your words and having to find the right
speed was kind of annoying. Recently, we invested in a
$200 teleprompter from Amazon and we absolutely love this thing. It's been used for the
Think Marketing Show, which is our podcast. I've used it for client work, as well as videos I shoot for Think Media. And it saved us tons of time when filming talking head portions of videos. So let's break everything
down and get you going. So the teleprompter is
called the Glide Gear TMP100 and it's currently $200 on Amazon at the time of shooting this video. And it comes with a carrying case. All the screws needed to make this work on any tripod or stand. I do wanna mention if you
create videos using your phone, they do have a phone
one for half the price the only caveat with that one is obviously you need the
phone to read off of, in addition to your phone using to film. Sometimes I actually use my phone, as something to reference
when I'm filming, but I do love also how they have included
various screws at the bottom. depending on whatever mount
or the stand you are using to hold it up, has the size you need. We like using our Manfrotto tripod with this quick release plate, and we'll put a link to everything I'm mentioning in this video, in the description below. The quick release helps
with putting on and off the teleprompter very easily and snappy. And so maybe look into
a quick release system that will work best for
your mounting solution. Also, I do love how they
put the screw for the camera in a way that it won't be lost or can't fall off the tripod itself. And so that's very helpful. The cover for the camera
has an adjustable option that just tighten itself around the lens. So you actually still have
access to the back of the camera if you wanna review footage
or anything like that. The other neat feature
is the adjustable mount for whatever size tablet
you're actually using. And this will allow you to hold the tablet securely in place. I've been using my old iPad mini, and it's just been super great for us. The last thing for sure is
simply how small it folds up and fits nicely in the bag, so bringing it to a shoot or
storing it away is a breeze. The next thing I wanna
share is the app we use, and that is the PromptSmart Pro app. This app is $19.99 and it's well worth it. There is a free version
and it's called the Lite, but it does have limited features. This app is super simple to use and can connect with any other
apps like your Google Drive, your Dropbox, your iCloud and others. But my favorite thing about
this app is called VoiceTrack. And that's where the app is
literally listening to you read your script so you can
sound as natural as possible. And oftentimes having
to just scroll at a pace can make you sound like
you're actually reading. This VoiceTrack feature is pretty flawless when you're actually up close to your iPad or tablet when filming. But if you are further away, you definitely wanna plug
in a mic into your iPad or your tablet, because it needs to hear you reading it. And so if you're far away
and it can't hear you read, then the speecher is gonna
be very frustrating to use. One way around this, is to invest in a separate
mic that you can just put near you when the camera's far away. And we love this $20 Lav. It has like 20 feet. So you can run it all the
way close to your mouth, the iPad or tablet can then
hear you read your script. Another option could be
like a Rode Wireless Go. If you have one laying around and you're not using it
for the actual shoot, plugging that into your tablet
and then clipping that on to your shirt and then
reading your teleprompter, then it's then reading
you read your script. Also, you can control
the app using your phone. So if you do stumble, you can just scroll wirelessly, from that moment you stumbled
and then start reading again. But just note that if you
wanna do that kind of workflow, there's a monthly subscription for a few dollars a month to access it. I'm not about that. So I actually just don't use that, but you can. Another cool thing about this app, is the ability to just do note cards. So maybe if you're not
the type to read a script, a full on script off the teleprompter, you can just use a note card feature to keep your main points in front of you. And then you can also put like a timer. And so if you're the
type to use a note card, then this app is great for you as well. Now I wanna share with you some quick tips when reading off of a teleprompter, as well as an alternative teleprompter, that might be better for you. But let me know if you're
getting value in this video by hitting the like button for me. Thank you so much. And question for you is what
videos do you script out or do you use a notepad, do you use your memory to use your phone? Let me know in the comment section below, it's always funny to find out the different ways people
actually remember the content they are delivering on camera. But, let's go into this first tip to level up your
teleprompter reading game. So the first tip to looking
better and confident on camera is to not look like
you're actually reading. This is done by the expression
you show on your face. It's also done by using your
hands and body language. And so implementing these
things will actually make it look like you're
not actually reading. I'm actually reading a
teleprompter right now, but that leads me to tip number two. And that is using
inflection with your voice. You can definitely sound like you are reading a teleprompter. If you're reading very
robotic with your voice and you don't show emotion
with your inflections. personally, I like using
parentheses in my script. It helps me know when to
actually change my inflection. So sometimes I'll lean into the camera when the parentheses portion shows up. Another helpful tip is to just
put breaks in your script. And then in post, you can simply cut out those dead spaces. Allows me to breathe, regroup myself. And then when you're done, you can just pick back right
where you stumbled or carry on. It's okay to not read all at once. And you can do little by little, and then in post, you can make it look seamless by cutting out those dead spaces and then zooming in and or out. when those times actually pick up, we do this a lot on Think Media, there is a way to actually
level that process, and that is just to keep the last frame. So if you ended your thought with your hands up like this, just start the next thought
with your hands up like this, and then it'll look more natural when you make those edits and posts. Okay, I'm gonna tell you about another problem. Now, I want to tell you
about another teleprompter. A lot of people in our community use, and that is the Padcaster Parrot, portable smartphone teleprompter. Jeez. This teleprompter literally
screws right onto your lens and uses your phone as the teleprompter. What's really cool about this one is definitely its portability, as well as the remote it comes with. So you don't have to
constantly go up to your phone. You can just use the Bluetooth remote. This teleprompter is $99, and we'll make sure we
put links to everything in the description below. And now if you don't have a camera yet for creating videos
with your teleprompter, click or tap the screen to watch a video on our top recommendations, and you can hit the like button, if you found value in
this video, thank you. And make sure to subscribe to
Think Media for more videos, just like this one. And so we can't wait to
see you in the next video. Peace. (upbeat music)
