As yours truly is engaged mostly in video recording some of the tips and tricks, it is necessary to create a smooth appearance and not stutter over words and phrases in order to get the words out. A teleprompter was going to be the only answer to the inevitable range of post it notes and scribbled bits of scrap paper. How to get one at reasonable cost, however, was going to be a big question. Some, "reader," systems that hold the teleprompt below the camera were no good because being close to the camera meant that my eyes were obviously not looking at the viewer. I'd tried that. A mirror solution was the only solution that was going to work. How to do it at the lowest cost, however, would remain the only issue. I ended up getting a reasonable unit from Teleprompter Mirrors called the personal teleprompter. It isn't much more than two frames linked with a large hinge and a silvered mirror fitted in to one of them. A shroud and a bracket to keep it at the right angle and it was good to go. Obviously, I wasn't going to be mounting it to the display of a laptop; I needed flexibility, so I had to design something that my limited carpentry skills could make. The key feature of this design is relative simplicity and what I perceived as a combination of flexibility and strength. The four posts and the arms are made from 1" square wood and the positioning of the posts gives the arms support but also leaves the front open so that if I have to insert a display that is wider than the board, I can. The front lip was put on to prevent anything slipping off the front should I decide to angle the unit down a bit, but three screws can see this removed and possibly replaced with an extended front should I want to go that way. The other key thing about this was that with everything on the board, I used two pencils, one at either side, and then rocked the unit on top of it. Doing this see-saw action enabled me to move the pencils until I eventually found the natural centre point for the weight. A bit of drilling later and I had a bolt that went through the board and can sit in a standard umbrella holder. I have to admit to taking the brolly bracket down to the DIY store and getting an assistant to help me find the most appropriate bolt. Kat Maul hand made a wide washer for me so that I didn't put too much pressure on the underside of the wood when I tightened the nut up, and she also gave me a split washer which will help stop the nut from coming undone over time. |
The construction is relatively straightforward, consisting of two frames joined together by a strong, wide hinge. The glass is fitted in one of the panels and a black shroud is also added. I decided to undo most of the bottom pins, leaving only the two closest to each edge, to make the glass easier to clean and to give the shroud a bit more room to flow over the camera. |
The tripod itself is a difficulty here. There is a collision between the tripod and the display. The camera needs to be reasonably close to the glass, otherwise it will, "see," the horizontal frame in shot (zooming can help, but sometimes eats too much light, which is made worse when shooting through a silvered mirror) but the tripod legs prevents the screen coming too far back. There is, perhaps, a case for a custom built tripod mount, perhaps something that runs on the rails, but I'll have to think about this.
Fortunately, more by luck than judgement, my netbook can be fitted in to the gap and the bottom edge of it rests very well against the teleprompter frame. Not ideal, but it will get me through the next few months. A larger laptop will obviously have problems doing this because of the width, but I thought that getting a wider teleprompter screen would both be more expensive and too bulky. The 17" standard screen mount is a nice width; too small and I'd have trouble mounting the camera tripod. It would have been possible, certainly, to go with a 15" screen and an 8" tablet, but the resting platform for the tripod might be an issue. If you're thinking of following me, I'm afraid that you'll have to make up your own mind and take your own gamble! |
It was only after the event that I realised with a little more judicious chopping of wood, that I could have created arms that rose 45 degrees. It would then have been simply a case of ordering the correct glass from somewhere and fixing it to the arms. The only downside to this solution would be that collapsing it would remove strength over time. It wouldn't travel well.
Anyway, here it is in action during my very first try out...
Post a Comment