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This ATEM (mini) Tips” series of short video tutorials for your Blackmagic ATEM hardware includes tips for all users, from beginner to advanced. Scroll down to see more in the series!

This is a collection of all PhotoJoseph LIVE shows, from the PhotoJoseph YouTube channel. Additional episodes are listed below!

Using a Teleprompter for Perfect Eye Contact in Zoom Calls!

Photo Moment - February 15, 2024

Are you tired of feeling disconnected during Zoom calls? I know the frustration of not making eye contact and constantly glancing away from the camera. That's why I'm excited to share with you how I've upgraded my Zoom calls using a teleprompter setup. It's a game-changer! (read more below)

Products Mentioned

Other Videos Mentioned

Armando's tour of the RC 60B light:

Caleb's playlist of desk setup gear:

SelfEmploymentSidekick's tour of BetterDisplay:

The rest of the story…

Let's start with the basics. A teleprompter utilizes a special glass in front of the camera lens, allowing you to see the person you're talking to. Instead of reading scripts, I repurpose the teleprompter to maintain eye contact during video calls, creating a more engaging experience for everyone involved. It's like having a face-to-face conversation, even in a virtual setting. 

I recently got my hands on the SmallRig Multifunctional Teleprompter, and it's fantastic. Not only is it compact and easy to set up, but it also features a sleek design that adds a professional touch to my setup. The rubber lens collar ensures a light-tight fit, eliminating any errant reflections during calls.

For the camera, I use the Lumix S5II, but any camera with clean HDMI out or USB webcam mode will do the trick. As for the teleprompter display, I’d opt for an 11-inch iPad or a dedicated portable USB-C monitor, providing flexibility and convenience.

Proper lighting is crucial for creating a polished look during video calls. A great (but maybe not perfect?) choice is the SmallRig RC 60B light. It's portable, color-tunable, and perfect for enhancing your video quality.

Setting up the teleprompter rig is a breeze. With minimal assembly required, I can quickly adjust the camera and teleprompter to the perfect position. Connecting my LUMIX camera to the computer over USB means I can control it with the LUMIX Tether app, and if you need to convert the HDMI signal to USB as I do, using an ATEM Mini is a fantastic option, or the Flint D4P converter that I use is great, too. 

One thing to note is the importance of audio quality. I use the Audio Technica AT875R XLR mic for crystal-clear sound, ensuring that my message comes across loud and clear during calls. This is definitely overkill, as any good shotgun mic with a 3.5mm cable to your camera will work fine.

To ensure a properly mirror-corrected image, I use the app BetterDisplay to flip the image on the teleprompter display. It may take some time to set up, but the end result is worth it — you see your callers as you would on a regular display, not reversed. 

Upgrading your Zoom calls with a teleprompter setup can significantly improve your virtual communication experience. By investing in the right equipment and following my guidance, you can enhance engagement and connectivity during video conferences — for both you, and your callers.

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📄 Full Video Transcript

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🤯 I thought my teleprompter setup was perfectly fine until I saw this one! So many things I didn't know I needed in a teleprompter
@@BugBobsWildWorld 😂
You both are doing that to me constantly! 😊
Haha awesome… that’s what I’m… here for? 😝
Nicely done! 🇺🇸
This video was great. Love your mounting solution for the prompter.
What I'm trying to understand is what would be the optimal camera for a teams/zoom call as their res is limited to 1080p 60 if I recall correctly? I've heard that some cameras in the lower price range use something called lineskipping when using 1080p rather than 4k. I plan to just leave the camera attached to the computer and buy a more expensive body later down the line for videography.
Alternatively, I wonder if there was a video conferencing software that is peer to peer that I could use for a better video feed with clients. Although using that I would lose many of the benefits of zoom/teams.
Hi sir , I have a question for you. You make very good videos, and I would like to make similar ones as well. However, in my country, I don't have the opportunity to do this. I would like to ask you to please send me a Panasonic Lumix DC-BGH1, Cinematic 4K camera. It would be a great help for me, and I would be very grateful. Thank you.
🇦🇺
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Ukraine 🇺🇦
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Now i want one... THX! 🤣 Greetings from 🇦🇹
Awesome!!
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🇺🇸 Looks like a nice solid piece of equipment. I recently got one of those Padcasters from a Kickstarter (after waiting almost a year) and the glass is substandard, causing the words to be all blurry. I recently invested in the Elgato Prompter and have been generally happy with how it works. Did my first interview yesterday without any trouble, and it is controlled by foot pedal.
@GaryStockton awesome! And thanks ☺️
@@photojoseph I ended up adding one of those SmallRig prompters for those times when I just want to setup in another location, it's a really great piece of equipment. I added the rail mount using your link.
Very cool and bummer about the padcaster. I heard there was a lot of 💩 around that.
❤Great Job.🎉Thank You
Thank you too!
I built an entire cabinet to house a full size 24inch monitor and a high quality pane of beamsplitter glass. With a Decimator MD-HX to flip the image on the monitor it seamlessly integrates as a monitor with the camera in behind. Great for online meetings. Been doing this for over a year now. I’m using my Canon C70 as the webcam tied into an Atem Extreme and a Mixpre-iii for the audio interface. Yes overkill but when you want to work remotely, i try to make the experience of the meeting as close to being there in person. The atem allows me to connect an ipad to act as a virtual whiteboard, and do picture in picture so folks can still see my face while the ipad is the active camera.
Now that’s doing it properly!! Sounds epic man. Well made!! I actually used a decimator on my previous setup. May put it back in play here with a new portable monitor. It was an elegant solution for sure.
I'm pretty sure the teleprompter he had other than this SmallRig is a CaddyBuddy. Pretty good but awkward.
I've had good results with PromptSmart for handling script etc. Good value, excellent features. Starting to look at the elgato prompter as well.
🇬🇧 Love the subtle camera slider. Unless it was done in post then I got fooled 😂. Good to see you again making videos my guy. Hope you and your fam are settling in well and we can’t wait for a very long studio tour.!!!!
Haha not fooled, there was a slider! Not sure how effective it was but, YOU noticed! 😅 Thank you and yeah… the studio tour is a big one.
🇮🇹Nice(small)rig indeed. I have a similar one and Besides the iPad I’m using a Neway CK1016S(you may also find it with another brand but it’s the same monitor).It has perfect size for that, both SDI and HDMI ins with loop through outputs, good quality and more importantly Flip function.
Whoah really! The only valid search result for that is on an Italian store; maybe it’s an old model. I’ll do some digging because that would be awesome!
I’m using the Parrot teleprompter whereby I just email my script then copy it to the Parrot software. A bit clunky but gets the job done.
That’s cool but this video isn’t about using a teleprompter as a teleprompter …
Apple only, eh?
For the iPad; yeah. No idea if windows can do that to Android tablets? But certainly a USB/HDMI display will work on windows.
That's nice! I hate teleprompters but this one looks really well thought out.
Hey man! Yeah this one is well designed for sure. Makes it easy to use one when you want to!
Great setup sir ♥️ from # 🇮🇳
The first flag! 😝 Greetings from 🇸🇮!
I installed the Elgato Teleprompter nd even looking at the camera it does not look like I am looking directly at people's eyes. That is so weird and I tried everything from the camera angle to looking for a software issue but nothing. Still looks like I am not looking at the camera.
That’s kinda weird. I haven’t used the elgato but it’s basically the same thing. Is the camera centered in the teleprompter? Make sure the lens is where people’s eyes would be.
That rubber collar is a NICE touch. Oh and rails too! Put any lens you want on that thing and never worry about the balance.
💯!! Exactly yeah. It’s a slick rig for sure. SmallRig did it right.
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