How to look at the camera while reading a script
Put the words as close to the camera as you can. The further your eyes travel from the lens to the text, the more you look away from the viewer. On a Mac the camera is at the top edge of the screen, so the script belongs at the top edge too, not in a window in the middle.
Steps
- Move your script window to the top of the screen, right under the camera. In a notebook with a notch, the camera is in the notch, so text just below it is the nearest position.
- Make the text narrow. A column about as wide as the camera area keeps your eyes from sweeping left and right. A wide line makes your eyes visibly travel.
- Make the text big enough to read at arm’s length. Sit back, so you can read without leaning towards the screen.
- Read in short lines. Break the script into one idea per line, so you take in each line with a glance.
- Practise once before you record. Read the whole script while watching your own preview, and note where your eyes drift.
Use a scroll, not a page
If the script is a static page, you find your place after every pause, and your eyes go down the page. A scroll keeps the current line in one place, so your eyes stay put. That is what a teleprompter does. Set a speed that suits how you speak, and slow it if you stumble.
Check what the viewer sees
Open a preview and look at it the way your viewer would. How to test your Mac camera shows how to see your picture before you start, and the script formatting tip helps you shape the text.
Record and review
Record a short take and play it back. Watch your eyes, not your words. Two or three takes are usually enough to find a comfortable size and speed. See recording yourself reading a script.
With NotchStar
NotchStar’s Teleprompter shows a scrolling script in the notch, beside the camera on a notched MacBook. The text fades at the top and bottom so the line you are reading is the clearest. Speed and text size sliders sit next to the play button, and both are remembered. It scrolls at the speed you set and does not follow your voice. On a Mac without a notch it shows a floating pill at the top of the screen instead. For pacing advice, read the teleprompter guide.
