Inspired by Max Rottersman’s original Plasti-Prompter (a teleprompter made from CD cases and a webcam), I wrote about do-it-yourself teleprompter hardware and free teleprompter software. Well, Max has gone and upgraded his Plasti-Prompter. It’s still low budget, but he’s vlogging with it. Go take a look.
If you’re serious about vlogging, you need a teleprompter. Without one, you can’t read text while looking directly at the camera. In other words, you look amateurish!
Not to worry. Max Rottersman shows how to make a video blogger PlastiPrompter using a laptop computer, some CD cases, a little tape, and a webcam. McGuiver would be proud.
If you’re looking for something a little sturdier (and larger), visit CreativePro.com, where Brian P. Lawler shows how to make a teleprompter using glass supported by a wooden frame.
Visit both sites to get detailed instructions with larger pictures.
Combining the Plasti-Prompter’s small size and integrated construction with Brian’s teleprompter’s sturdy wooden construction and glass could result in an improved second generation, do-it-yourself bloggi-prompter. You can search the web for “teleprompter” and investigate the commercially-available teleprompters for more ideas.
With either teleprompter hardware solution, you will need some way of displaying mirror-image text on a computer display. Max describes how to use SnagIt, available for $40. Brian outputs a mirror-image PostScript file (.ps) that he converts to portable document format (.pdf). Another option is to use software designed for teleprompters. Geoff Park offers EZ-Reader, a $50 shareware teleprompter software package to display smooth-scrolling, mirror-image text.