As a business leader, it's important to get you comfortable in front of a camera.
Many smartphones today have excellent cameras and microphones, making spontaneous recordings easier than ever. If you want to record yourself in HD for a professional video, a few more steps will allow you to do this at your desk.
To record yourself for a professional video, just follow these easy steps.
Step 1: Scout Your Filming Location
The default location for your filming is at your office desk. This allows you to sit comfortably in front of a screen. Please confirm your location has these features:
Quiet. Listen for background noise including landscapers, air conditioning, and talking. Can you find a way to remove these noises?
Good lighting. (If not, please use a ring light - see Step 2.)
Good staging. Either use a green screen (see Step 2) or in rare cases, your existing background if it's staged to look professional.
Step 2: Assemble Your Equipment
We're going to use your very own office for our recording. You probably have several of these items already:
Step 3: Set Up Your Webcam
If you own an iPhone and a Mac, you're in luck: you can use the Continuity Camera feature to instantly turn your phone into a laptop webcam.
If you don't have that combination, you can download a free app to create a webcam. Read how to turn your phone into a webcam.
Use your webcam holder to position your phone over your laptop. It should be as close as possible to your teleprompter content.
Step 4: Set Up Your Teleprompter
I love saying the word "Um" when trying to think of my next sentence. A teleprompter transforms me into a smooth-talking genius. And it's free.
(If you want to use a PowerPoint presentation instead of a script, skip to the next step.)
I recommend the OBS Teleprompter, which you can access on your laptop browser.
Steps to use the OBS Teleprompter for a script:
Double-click the main content area to paste in your content.
Drag the margins (white lines on each side of the content) until your content is only one-third the width of your screen. This will keep your eyes in one place.
Use the bottom toolbar to:
Increase font size (recommendation: size 28)
Increase the line height (recommendation: 1.5)
Adjust the speed (recommendation: click the turtle to set to 1)
Press play in the upper left and practice.
Speed 1 can still be fast. You can adjust this:
Increase the line height, or
In the upper left, switch from Autoscroll to Manual and use your mouse scroll bar instead.
Step 5: Set Up a Test Recording
Test yourself on camera. Many software options provide free, high-definition recording:
Microsoft PowerPoint will record you as you read slides (view instructions)
When reading a script on a teleprompter, you can record yourself using:
Windows:
Camo Studio (the software that connects your smartphone to your laptop has a videocam icon in the upper right of its screen)
Microsoft ClipChamp (view instructions)
Mac: QuickTime Player (view instructions)
Now practice, practice, practice until you feel comfortable with your script or slides.
If you're recording on your own, you're done! You can use any recording you save.
Not happy with your microphone? Add an external microphone to your laptop or phone to add a clear audio track.
Optional: Record With a Partner
You might record with a partner if you want to have a professional guide you through your recording, or if your recording includes a multi-speaker interaction.
My preferred options for recording high-definition video include:
Name | Monthly Cost (2 Speakers) | Notes |
$19 | Records each speaker separately. Includes AI text-based editing. | |
$19 | Records each speaker separately. Includes limited AI text-based editing, AI speech and stock library. | |
$36.64 | Records multiple speakers together in your selected gallery view |
Now you have high-definition recordings that can be used for professional videos.
This process gets easier every time you do it! You have the equipment and the experience. Share your insights and inspiration with the world!