Wearing Sunglasses While Shooting My Videos - Does It Suck?

H

HappyHippo

Member
So, the question is, does it suck to wear sunglasses while shooting my videos?
The problem is, my channel is in a really serious niche (not a vlog, not something like that).
I use a teleprompter, because there are a lot of technical details, on top of that English is not my 1st language. Memorizing, retelling... it's quite difficult.
When I'm using a teleprompter my eyes move a lot, and I don't want to sound like a robot. I have a voice tracking software, but it still sucks.
So, I thought why not wear sunglasses and just read from a sheet of paper located above the camera?
Does it suck in your opinion? Would it be difficult to look like a serious person? Is it really that important to establish eye contact?
Need your piece of advice.
Huge thanks!

P.S. Yes, I know about Casey Neistat, but he moves a lot in his vidz, on top of that it's a vlog. My vidz are talking heads vidz.
 
Moved to the strat / technique forum. :)

I've heard from quite a few Youtubers that using a teleprompter causes the eye movement problem. They all stopped using the teleprompter and I'd advise you to do the same. :)

It'd be better if you write down the bullet points of each topic, but not the whole script and put it behind the camera. By using the bullet points, you won't be reading every single word you say and it will sound more natural. If you forget things, you can just edit out the pauses in post production.
 
Crown said:
Moved to the strat / technique forum. :)

I've heard from quite a few Youtubers that using a teleprompter causes the eye movement problem. They all stopped using the teleprompter and I'd advise you to do the same. :)

It'd be better if you write down the bullet points of each topic, but not the whole script and put it behind the camera. By using the bullet points, you won't be reading every single word you say and it will sound more natural. If you forget things, you can just edit out the pauses in post production.
Click to expand...
Thanx, great piece of advice. I do appreciate it!
What do you think about wearing sunglasses though?
 
If you are wearing sunglasses to look cool, and that is your natural persona, I say "go for it"!

However, if you want to wear sunglasses so that viewers can't see your eyes move as you read the teleprompter I think that's a bad idea and will look very odd. The sunglasses will be more of a distraction than the eye movement.

If I were you I'd be inclined to stick with the teleprompter, the more you use it the more expert you will become with it. There's no easy solution, you will have the same problem with a sheet of paper positioned above the camera (I know...I've tried it), so you may as well stick with it and improve over time.
 
Yachts For Sale said:
If you are wearing sunglasses to look cool, and that is your natural persona, I say "go for it"!

However, if you want to wear sunglasses so that viewers can't see your eyes move as you read the teleprompter I think that's a bad idea and will look very odd. The sunglasses will be more of a distraction than the eye movement.

If I were you I'd be inclined to stick with the teleprompter, the more you use it the more expert you will become with it. There's no easy solution, you will have the same problem with a sheet of paper positioned above the camera (I know...I've tried it), so you may as well stick with it and improve over time.
Click to expand...
Thanx, great piece of advice!
Could you share your experience with a teleprompter? What's your final verdict? Have you ever tried a teleprompter partner? I mean, a partner could listen to you and manage the text using a screen sharing option (two devices).
I checked your channel, and your speech is smooth and excellent!
 
HappyHippo said:
Could you share your experience with a teleprompter? What's your final verdict? Have you ever tried a teleprompter partner? I mean, a partner could listen to you and manage the text using a screen sharing option (two devices).
I checked your channel, and your speech is smooth and excellent!
Click to expand...
Thanks!
I used a teleprompter for the very first vlogs that I produced, I think it was an app for my iPad. I was never sure where to position it though and found it generally awkward, so I changed to memorise short sections of my script and then use jump cuts between each part. A lot of YouTubers use jump cuts, so viewers are quite accustomed to it.
I've used both a teleprompter partner to scroll the text down and also a system that automatically scrolls the text at a pre-set speed. Both were OK, but I still prefer to use a written script and memories small chunks at a time.
 
Yachts For Sale said:
Thanks!
I used a teleprompter for the very first vlogs that I produced, I think it was an app for my iPad. I was never sure where to position it though and found it generally awkward, so I changed to memorise short sections of my script and then use jump cuts between each part. A lot of YouTubers use jump cuts, so viewers are quite accustomed to it.
I've used both a teleprompter partner to scroll the text down and also a system that automatically scrolls the text at a pre-set speed. Both were OK, but I still prefer to use a written script and memories small chunks at a time.
Click to expand...
Great experience!
I have a great memory, but since English is not my first language and my current level is Upper-Intermediate (not Advanced), I thought using a teleprompter or wearing sunglasses would be great ways to sound more natural.
But as I see from your posts and other suggestions I've found on the Web, YouTube is about being genuine - without glasses, teleprompters and other things. Jump Cuts might be a great solution for me.
Thanx again, guys!
 
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