Tag: iphone

iPad Teleprompter – partial DIY

Rig up an inexpensive teleprompter using your iPad and a few items around the house.

I work alone sometimes and, sometimes, I have a need to shoot an on-camera piece with myself that can’t be just an impromptu web-cam piece. I want to address the camera directly and I want it to be scripted, therefore, a teleprompter would be nice. (Saves my aging brain from the stress of memorizing a 3 min. presentation and keeps my eyes from wandering to cue cards.) Well, this week I have just such a need. But I don’t own a teleprompter.

Here’s what I did, using a few pieces of ‘real’ gear and some things I scrounged from around my house. It’s a basic, but very functional teleprompter that takes advantage of my iPad and the ProPrompter app.

Rear View
Side View

I built a minimal rail set-up using a few pieces of my GiniRigs rails, with the addition of an extension bar that I use to hold up the picture frame.

I found an old picture frame, diploma-size, and pulled out the picture, leaving just the glass in the frame. Be careful, it won’t be safety glass and it’s very fragile!

I placed my iPad on the rails and, with a little piece of gaffer’s tape, made a hinge for the frame on the camera-side edge. Then I just moved my arm piece to give the proper 45 degree angle on the picture frame.

The ProPrompter software lets you flip and reverse the image as needed to get the proper orientation in the reflection.

When using a minimal rig like this, you will likely run into problems with reflections and glare. I would likely build a little tent or place something dark behind the camera and above the prompter to kill the glare. There is plenty of brightness on the screen, but you will want to make the iPad brightness up full.

Front Angle

I happen to be shooting with my iPhone 4S for this piece (’cause it’s about mobile production) and so I have my phone mounted in a Phocus mount. The odd little cube on the top is a bubble level.

These are rough photos as I was testing it. If I have a chance I will post some better ones. But it works!

Update: I forgot to mention that, when you’re working alone and shooting with an iPhone, monitoring can be a problem. You can hardwire to a monitor if you have an i-device-to-VGA or HDMI cable and a portable monitor. Today I’m using my laptop as a monitor via AirServer software. The phone broadcasts (mirrors) to the laptop so I can set my framing and such. There is lag but it helps a lot if you’re flying solo.

Article: Getting Started With iPad Editing Apps

Total Mobile Filmmaking! If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling the world (or your neighborhood) while making movies with just a phone or tablet, you may just be in luck.

Total Mobile Filmmaking! If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling the world (or your neighborhood) while making movies with just a phone or tablet, you may just be in luck.

Here’s my brief review of several video editing apps for iPad/iPhone.

I’m not obsessing over 5K Raw – iPhone filmmaking rig

Most video content is consumed on small screens. My team is working on tools to help visual storytellers in developing countries tell better stories. Big stories. Small screens.

Most video content is consumed on small screens. My team is working on tools to help visual storytellers in developing countries tell better stories. Here’s my first self-portrait with my new DIY iphone rig. We’ll be putting together a how-to video for building this rig out of PVC, (not including the Phocus Accent iPhone lens system or the shotgun mic.)

I am also writing a comprehensive review of iOS cameras and editing apps.

Big stories. Small screens.

Cell Phone “Portrait” Aspect Video Production

I’ve been pondering the options for a vertical aspect ratio for narrative films if the intended delivery is primarily mobile devices.

I’m preparing to do some teaching in Eurasia this fall to train young filmmakers to work with mobile devices in places where they have phones, but other resources are extremely limited.

And this past week I spent at a debate tournament with my daughter and noticed lots of parents shooting videos of events with their smartphones, held vertically in portrait mode. It got me wondering about the options for a vertical aspect ratio for narrative films if the intended delivery is primarily mobile devices.

Here’s a link to an article that also asks that question, along with a link to a cool little film shot vertically.

The Way We Watch: Cell Phone “Portrait” Aspect Coming To A Video Near You.

This clip works very well embedded on this particular blog site because of the white background field. It’s a bit odd on Vimeo on a laptop or desktop. However, when I view it on my iPad, using the Vimeo app and holding in vertically, it looks great and I like the composition possibilities a lot. When I’m in the story I don’t really notice that it’s vertical. Of course, if the film is viewed everywhere else it will seem odd – talk about letterboxing!