We all know shooting good quality video for your business is important, but it can be hard to look natural and professional when you first start out.
Most people honestly don’t have a clue about how present in front of the camera, and also don’t have the time or budget for expensive equipment or training.
One quick way to help yourself out big time is to use an autocue app.
On my courses, I find most people find these easier than they think and report back they are the biggest help to get them moving forward, so it is worth thinking about downloading one and giving it a try the next time you are shooting some content.
I’ve got tons of tips learned over 30 years of working in TV and video, and I can help you improve your confidence and professionalism on camera.
Once you master an autocue app, you can forget about having to remember your script Balancing cards beside your phone, or other mad tricks.
You will start to enjoy watching the text scroll up your screen, knowing you can concentrate on talking to your audience looking more confident, as you don’t have to remember key points.
The key is to download the right app for you and your device, you may need to try out more than one before you find one that suits you.
Choose one that has a widget, so you can move your script around.
Practise getting the widget as near to your front facing camera as you can.
Remember when presenting, your eyeline is key, so you need your script in the right place!
Write a short script of around 50 words as a tester autocue script.
Copy and paste your script into your autocue app.
The apps allow you to adjust the font size to change your scrolling speed – remember, don’t try and go too fast. Alter your text size so you can clearly read your copy, and choose a background and text colours that works for you. Save a favourite template for future use.
It is hard to recommend a single autocue app that will work for everyone, these do really depend on your personal preference and your device, but here is my 2023 recommended list.
- Speechway
- Selvi Nano
- Promptsmart Pro
- Video Teleprompter Lite
- Video Teleprompter Pro
- Teleprompt
- Teleprompter premium
- Elegant Parrot Teleprompter
- BIGVU also does video captions as well Oratory – do note, now only available for android
