Teleprompter Magic: How to Look Natural on Camera—Even If You’re Not an Actor

September 12, 2025 by stlouisvideostudio

If you’re a C-suite leader, product manager, or marketing director, you need message precision and a human, trustworthy presence. A teleprompter makes that possible—when it’s set up, scripted, and operated correctly. Below is the playbook we use in studio and on location to help non-actors look relaxed, sound authoritative, and land the message on time.

Why Use a Teleprompter in the First Place?

Accuracy: Legal, compliance, and investor language must be exact.
Consistency at scale: One message across multiple markets, languages, or spokespeople.
Throughput: Shoot more segments per day with fewer retakes and faster approvals.
Editorial efficiency: Prompter scripts feed captions, translations, and transcripts.

Eye-Line & Optics: Where Authenticity Starts

Goal: align the audience’s eyes with yours. Do that and you’ll read as confident and sincere.

Prompter type: Through-the-lens (TTL) beam-splitter in front of the lens for direct-to-camera delivery.
Lens choice: 50–85 mm (full-frame) subtly compresses perspective and reduces visible eye travel.
Distance & font: Place talent ~5–10 ft from the glass; set font so each line reads without scanning (typically 48–72 pt at that distance).
Scroll window: Keep active text centered vertically; avoid top/bottom edges which trigger noticeable eye jumps.
Glasses & glare: Slightly raise the key light, tilt the glass a few degrees, use flags/hoods, and favor matte/AR-coated frames.

Script Engineering: Write for the Ear (Not the Page)

Cadence target: 110–135 words per minute for conversational corporate delivery.
One idea per line: 12–18 words; short clauses beat long sentences.
Mark the “music”:
- Bracketed cues: [PAUSE] [SMILE] [B-ROLL CUT] [GRAPHIC]
- Phonetics for tricky names/terms: “kuh-TEG-uh-ree”
- LIGHT emphasis—avoid ALL CAPS everywhere.
Numbers that land: Round when possible; put dense data on graphics/B-roll, not in a single spoken sentence.
Version control: Name files clearly (CEO_TownHall_v7_APPROVED) and keep a visible change log.

Scroll Craft: The Operator Follows You

The operator matches the speaker, not the other way around.
Smooth acceleration/deceleration prevents mechanical “stair-step” motion.
White space between paragraphs lowers cognitive load and eye flicker.
Live edits: one owner routes last-minute changes—no dueling cursors.

Coaching Non-Actors: Small Levers, Big Gains

90-second warm-up: hum on “M,” tongue twisters at 70% speed, then one throwaway read to find pace.
Breath mapping: land breath at punctuation; commas = half-beat, periods = full beat.
Landing words: linger a beat on the key noun/verb; let connector words glide.
Posture & presence: feet planted, shoulders soft, chin level, micro-smile through transitions.
Pickups that edit cleanly: redo the full sentence, not the fragment.
Wardrobe notes: avoid tight stripes or loud jewelry; powder forehead/nose; keep lav clear of necklaces.

Multi-Camera, Panels, and Walk-and-Talks

A/B cameras: match prompter size & distance to keep eye-line consistent across angles.
Panels/interviews: use confidence monitors with talking points instead of full sentences to encourage natural interplay.
Walk-and-talks: small prompter on a gimbal, pre-block turns so eye-line stays near lens axis.

Remote & Hybrid Setups (Executives on the Move)

Place the overlay within 1–2 inches of the webcam lens.
Use wired controllers to avoid Bluetooth lag.
Rehearse in the actual meeting platform to test latency and frame pacing.
Treat the remote space like a set: key/fill/back light, controlled background, treated audio.

Editorial Integration: Shoot for the Edit

Plan cover shots: bake [B-ROLL CUT] and [GRAPHIC] cues into the script.
Handles: roll 5 seconds before/after each take for clean transitions.
Captions & access: prompter scripts accelerate accurate captions and multi-language subs.
Continuity notes: log best takes, pronunciation locks, and any approved ad-libs.

Troubleshooting: Fast Fixes We Use On Set

Eyes darting: enlarge font, reduce scroll speed, recenter active line.
Flat delivery: insert breath/beat marks, add verbs up front, encourage micro-smile.
Glare on lenses: adjust light angle first; then tilt glass and flag spill.
Rushing the close: add [HOLD SMILE 2s] at the final line and capture a clean button.

Day-Before & Day-Of Checklists

Day-Before

Final script in shared doc + PDF; pronunciations verified
Shot list with B-roll/graphic cues
Teleprompter/laptop/controller tested, mirror flip confirmed
Wardrobe guidelines sent; location noise/light checks completed

Day-Of

TTL prompter + hood, backup unit, UPS/power distro
Lens set 50/85 mm, flags/matte box, anti-glare wipes
Eye-line test recording (10 s) and speed calibration pass
Mark landing words/CTAs; confirm durations per segment

Copy-Paste Script Skeleton (≈2:00, 240–260 words)

OPEN [SMILE]
I’m [Name], [Title]. Today, three updates designed to help your team move faster and make smarter decisions. [PAUSE]

BENEFIT HEADLINE
First: [Feature/Program] reduces steps in [workflow] so your process is simpler, safer, and easier to scale. [B-ROLL CUT]

PROOF
Teams like [Client] saw results in weeks—not months—and cut [metric] by [X%]. [PAUSE]

WHAT’S NEW
Second: [Feature] adds [capability], so admins spend less time on manual tasks.
Third: [Feature] improves [process], with clearer approvals and better visibility. [GRAPHIC]

CALL TO ACTION
If you’re on [plan], these roll out [date]. To learn more, visit your admin panel or talk with your account team. [SMILE]

CLOSE [HOLD 2s]
Thanks for choosing us to help you do more with less. [HOLD SMILE]

Why This Matters for Decision Makers

Teleprompter-driven workflows reduce retakes, protect compliance language, and shorten post-production—all while helping your leaders show up as themselves. The business result: tighter schedules, faster approvals, and on-brand content that persuades.

Work With a Studio That Makes Prompters Invisible

St Louis Video Studio is a full-service professional commercial photography and video production company with the right equipment and creative crew service experience for successful image acquisition. We offer full-service studio and location video and photography, as well as editing, post-production and licensed drone pilots. St Louis Video Studio can customize your productions for diverse types of media requirements. Repurposing your photography and video branding to gain more traction is another specialty. We are well-versed in all file types and styles of media and accompanying software. We use the latest in Artificial Intelligence for all our media services. Our private studio lighting and visual setup is perfect for small productions and interview scenes. Our studio is large enough to incorporate props to round out your set. We support every aspect of your production—from setting up a private, custom interview studio to supplying professional sound and camera operators, as well as providing the right equipment—ensuring your next video production is seamless and successful. We can fly our specialized drones indoors. As a full-service video and photography production corporation, since 1982, St Louis Video Studio has worked with many businesses, marketing firms and creative agencies in the St. Louis area for their marketing photography and video.

314-913-5626

stlouisvideostudio@gmail.com

How to Tell a Better Story with Ground and Aerial Videos: A Strategic Visual Approach for Modern Brands

June 19, 2025 by stlouisvideostudio

In a world saturated with visual content, businesses need more than just great footage—they need compelling stories that hold attention and inspire action. One of the most effective ways to elevate your brand narrative is by combining ground and aerial video. When expertly integrated, these two perspectives deliver a cinematic experience that resonates with viewers on multiple levels—emotionally, spatially, and intellectually.

As experienced storytellers at St Louis Video Studio, we help companies transform simple visuals into strategic brand messages. In this article, we’ll explore how to leverage both ground and drone footage to craft a more powerful, memorable story for your audience.

Why Both Perspectives Matter

Storytelling is about perspective—both figuratively and literally. Ground-level footage creates an intimate, human connection. It captures facial expressions, textures, and close interactions that build emotional depth. Aerial footage, meanwhile, shows scale, movement, and geographic context. It lets viewers see the bigger picture—the facility, the environment, the journey.

When used together, ground and aerial videos:

Establish a location and tone
Provide narrative rhythm and variety
Highlight both scale and detail
Reinforce brand authority and production value

This multi-layered approach keeps viewers engaged and communicates more information in less time.

Structuring Your Story with Layered Visuals

Whether you’re producing a corporate overview, a customer testimonial, or a product launch video, integrating ground and drone shots requires thoughtful structure:

Open with an aerial shot – Introduce your location, set the tone, and grab attention with a sweeping view of your facility, event, or landscape.
Shift to ground footage – Bring the story in closer with interviews, operations, or interactions that offer human context.
Alternate perspectives – Use drone shots to transition between scenes or emphasize key moments (like a warehouse in action or a crowd from above).
Conclude with a dynamic blend – Wrap up with a combination of both viewpoints to reinforce your message and leave a strong impression.

Our editing team at St Louis Video Studio excels at pacing, matching color and motion between cameras, and ensuring each transition is both seamless and purposeful.

Technical Considerations for a Cohesive Look

To tell a unified story visually, you need more than great footage—you need a technically sound integration of camera styles. This includes:

Matching frame rates and resolution
Color grading across both drone and ground footage
Consistent motion direction and lens choice
Clean, professional audio to tie everything together

Our creative crew is experienced in managing multi-camera environments and blending footage from different sources, so your final video looks polished and intentional.

When and Where to Use Ground + Aerial Storytelling

This approach is especially impactful for:

Brand stories and origin videos
Show where your company started, where it operates, and who drives the mission.
Client testimonials
Combine interview footage with aerial B-roll of operations, locations, or client sites.
Product demos or walkthroughs
Start with an aerial setup and transition into hands-on usage or close-up interaction.
Events and activations
Use drone coverage to capture the energy and scale, then cut to audience or speaker reactions from the ground.

Partner with a Studio That Can Do It All

At St Louis Video Studio, we don’t just shoot video—we tell visual stories that work. As a full-service professional commercial photography and video production company, we’ve been helping businesses, marketing firms, and agencies in the St. Louis area since 1982.

We offer:

Studio and on-location video and photography
Licensed drone pilots, including indoor flight capabilities
Custom studio setups with private lighting and prop integration
Post-production services, including editing, color grading, and audio mastering
AI-powered tools for faster and smarter content refinement

Our team understands the art and science of integrating multiple visual formats into a single compelling message. Whether you need a custom interview scene, promotional video, or branded campaign content, St Louis Video Studio delivers seamless production from concept to final cut.

Let us help you tell your story—from the ground up, and from the sky down.

Contact St Louis Video Studio today and see how we can elevate your next production into something truly unforgettable.

314-913-5626

stlouisvideostudio@gmail.com

The Right Questions Make the Best Stories: Crafting Clear, Compelling Video Testimonials

April 17, 2025 by stlouisvideostudio

When it comes to marketing your business, few tools are as effective and persuasive as a well-produced video testimonial. These authentic endorsements allow real customers or clients to tell your story from their perspective, adding a level of trust and relatability that scripted ads simply can’t achieve.

But a successful testimonial video doesn’t happen by accident—it requires thoughtful planning, a comfortable interview environment, and most importantly, the right questions. As an experienced videographer, photographer, and producer at St Louis Video Studio, we’ve helped countless businesses capture powerful on-camera testimonials that resonate. In this post, we’ll break down which types of questions help uncover clear, emotionally engaging stories that move viewers to act.

1. Start with Context: Set the Scene

Before diving into the customer’s experience with your brand, it’s important to establish context. Help the viewer understand who this person is and what problems they were facing before finding your business.

Sample Questions:

Can you tell us a little about your business or role?
What challenges were you facing before working with our company?
What prompted you to start looking for a solution?

These questions serve as an introduction, grounding the testimonial in a real-life situation and establishing the speaker’s credibility.

2. Dig Into the Decision: Why You?

Now that we know the background, help the subject explain why they chose your company. This step is key to showing what sets your brand apart from competitors.

Sample Questions:

What stood out about our company during your search?
Was there something specific that made you choose us?
What expectations did you have going in?

This section offers a chance to highlight your unique value propositions—through the authentic voice of a satisfied client.

3. Highlight the Experience: The Heart of the Story

This is where the testimonial becomes compelling. Ask open-ended questions that let the speaker describe the process and their interaction with your team.

Sample Questions:

What was it like working with us?
Can you walk us through how we helped you?
Were there any standout moments or team members?

These answers bring the story to life and help future clients imagine themselves having a similar positive experience.

4. Show the Results: Before vs. After

People watching your testimonial want to know what results they can expect. This is your client’s chance to share the impact of your services in a tangible way.

Sample Questions:

What changed after using our service?
What results did you see, and how soon?
How has this made a difference in your day-to-day operations?

Be sure to give room for specific outcomes—metrics, business growth, saved time, or increased confidence all make for powerful statements.

5. Encourage a Recommendation: Close Strong

Wrap up by inviting the client to summarize their experience and make a recommendation. This is often the most powerful clip to end the video with.

Sample Questions:

Would you recommend our company to others? Why?
What would you tell someone considering working with us?
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?

These responses create a confident, satisfying conclusion and give your audience a clear message to walk away with.

The Power of a Comfortable Setup

Of course, getting great answers depends not just on the questions, but the environment. That’s why at St Louis Video Studio, we prioritize creating a relaxed and professional space. Our private interview studio is designed specifically for testimonial interviews, with customizable lighting, camera setups, and the flexibility to include props or branded elements. When people feel at ease, their stories flow naturally.

Why Work with St Louis Video Studio?

At St Louis Video Studio, we’re more than just camera operators—we’re storytellers, strategists, and seasoned producers who know how to help clients speak authentically and effectively on camera.

We are a full-service professional commercial photography and video production company, offering both studio and on-location services. With years of experience in editing, post-production, and licensed drone operation, we’ve helped countless businesses across St. Louis and beyond craft testimonial videos that engage, convert, and build trust.

Whether you need a single interview or a full campaign of client stories, we have the right equipment, creative crew, and technical expertise to support every aspect of your production. We specialize in customizing content for diverse media requirements and are experts at repurposing video and photography for maximum reach across digital platforms.

Using the latest in Artificial Intelligence-enhanced media tools, we ensure your testimonial content is not only compelling but also professionally polished and optimized for modern marketing needs.

Let’s bring your customer success stories to life—clear, authentic, and powerfully told.

314-913-5626

stlouisvideostudio@gmail.com

Write, Produce, Direct, Shoot, Edit, Repeat!

January 20, 2023 by stlouisvideostudio

In St Louis, producers, companies and corporations, both near and far, trust our dependable director of photography and production equipment services.

Our team furnishes all the necessary personnel needed for your small or large production. Including the director of photography, sound mixer, camera operator, field producer, director, assistant camera, gaffer, grip, digital imaging technician, makeup artist, art director, and location manager.

Our Video Crew, provides all the necessary equipment is available, including cameras, lenses, motion control, sound, lighting, grip/electric, and livestreaming support.

Our company furnishes comprehensive field production services to coordinate all your production requirements.

When it comes to creating videos for your business, it’s important to understand the benefits of creating high-quality interview and B-roll videos. Interview and B-roll videos are designed to showcase the people behind the business, to help your potential customers connect with you on a more personal level. Interview and B-roll videos can also help you showcase your products or services in the best light possible. Interview and B-roll videos are often used as customer testimonials, as well as for brand awareness and lead generation.

When it comes to creating video content, it’s important to make sure you are creating the right type of video for the right audience. For example, if you are marketing to B2B customers, you may want to create more educational content, whereas if you’re marketing to B2C customers, you may want to create more customer testimonials. If you’re looking to create interview videos for your B2B customers, here are a few tips on how to do so effectively: – Determine the format of your videos – Before you start filming your videos, you’ll want to think about what format you want to shoot in. Traditionally, interview videos are shot in a landscape format, which means they are filmed with the camera placed on the side of the table. However, these days, it’s becoming increasingly common for people to shoot interview videos in portrait format. – Plan out your questions – Before you start filming, you’ll want to make sure you have a list of questions prepared. Depending on the type of interview video you’re creating, you may want to have a list of pre-written questions, or you may want to have your list of questions written down, but only use them if the interviewee brings up the subject. – Get the right equipment – You’ll want to make sure you have the right equipment when filming your interview videos. This includes a camera, microphone, and tripod. – Create a clean, professional environment – You’ll want to make sure that the environment you film your interview in is clean, professional, and well-lit.

If you’re looking to create B-roll for your interview videos, you’ll want to make sure to select a B-roll that is relevant, but also complements your interview videos. B-roll can include anything from product walkthroughs, demonstrations, simulations, shots of your company’s workspace, and more. When shooting B-roll for your interview videos, here are a few tips you’ll want to keep in mind: – Make sure your B-roll is consistent – When creating B-roll for your interview videos, you’ll want to make sure that each clip is consistent. For example, if you are showing off a product in one clip, make sure that product is also shown in the next clip. This will make your videos look more cohesive, while also allowing your viewers to understand each clip’s importance.

Rob Haller 314-604-6544

stlouisvideostudio@gmail.com

St Louis Video Studio | Control Your Lighting

January 4, 2016 by stlouisvideostudio

Lighting
It’s always to your advantage to control the lighting as much as possible in order to get a truly cinematic look. Sometimes however, you may not be able to control the light as much as you would like. In the situation, you can still choose angles that use the light you do have to the best of your ability.

The overall brightness of a scene is often referred to as being high key or low key. High key lighting floods the entire scene with high levels of light so that everything is brightly lit. It is used for happy, or upbeat scenes. By contrast, low key lighting is dark. It makes greater use of shadows than illumination and, as a result, it creates drama and suspense.

Female talent presenter Interviewing In St Louis Video Television Studio With Crew In Foreground

Robert Haller
314-892-1233
stlouisvideostudio@gmail.com

Video Studio Saint Louis | Production and Editing Planning

April 30, 2015 by stlouisvideostudio

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Corporate Business Sense

Our staff is steeped in business knowledge with both internal and external communication projects. Our promotional and teaching experiences in consumer products, agency, and technology sectors is especially broad in scope.

What does that experience mean for YOU?

A fast production start. We get up to speed quickly and can work autonomously. We partner with our clients to hear their corporate communication needs, and then our team gets to work creating and executing on a solid, outcome-based plan.

We know you’re busy. Don’t worry, we’ve got this!

A Multi-talented, and Efficient Bench

We maintain a dedicated full-time management of account leadership and creative production professionals. We are concerned as you are about Cost and time efficiency, all while maintaining the highest level of creativity and quality. Project due in a week? Production teams needed in different locations simultaneously? We can dedicate multiple producers to our clients’ projects if needed.

314-892-1233

Rob Haller, St Louis Video Producer

robh@hallerconcepts.com

video production studio saint louis

September 30, 2013 by stlouisvideostudio

Our studio is ready when you are! Our experienced team will help you on your next video production in Saint Louis. We’ve been here since 1982 and we know the rules of saving you money on your next production. We’ll help keep your crew organized, on task and on message.

We’ll help guide you from concept to pre production, shooting, editing, and finally to distribution on a creatively produced straightforward message.

Our video post production services are targeted to small business owners and individuals who will benefit from a smaller video production company to edit their video. Our headquarters is in south St. Louis. All of our video post productions are done in house.

If we are producing your video, your producer will log all of your footage that was captured. Creating this paper edit to follow the approved script or shot list is important to do before editing in the studio. From there, your producer will work to edit your video adding necessary graphics, animation or type on screen. Upon completion your video will be uploaded to a video repository for your review.

314-892-1233

Robert Haller, St Louis Video Producer

St Louis Video Production

stlouisvideoproduction@gmail.com

st louis video production | video studio | post production

July 11, 2013 by stlouisvideostudio

This was a package set of four video productions shot over the course of a day and a half. The videos were edited and posted to the youtube channel within three more days and ready for the annual shareholders meeting.

If you can’t do it all. Allow us to be your in house video production in St Louis. Our video crew of professional talent can do it all!

Overview videos

Training videos

Documentary-style productions

Interviews and testimonials

Educational videos

Public service productions

Marketing video production

Event video production

Web video production

Product video production

Trade show video production

Fundraising/sponsorship videos for non-profits

Public service announcements (PSAs)

Broadcast Commercials

Association videos

Healthcare video production

Voiceovers

DVD menus, DVD authoring and DVD mastering

Motion graphics

Roll Cameras!

314-892-1233

Robert Haller, St Louis Video Producer

St Louis Video Production

stlouisvideoproduction@gmail.com

st louis video | pre-production | video production | post production

July 3, 2013 by stlouisvideostudio

Video Pre-Production Services

Concept development

Scriptwriting

Storyboarding/shot list

Location scouting

Set design

Casting

Video Production Services

We have an exceptional production facility. Our fully equipped is ready for your next production

HD studio and location production

Directing

Producing

Multi-camera production

Green screen production

Location audio

Video Post Production Services

Professionally skilled editors, digital artists, and sound mastering engineers have the talent and experience needed to bring images to life.

Our Post-Production services include:

HD editing

Video Effects and Graphics

Color Correction

Video Animation

Compositing

Digital Media Authoring

Audio Recording Studio

Sound Mixing/Design

Duplication/Replication

314-892-1233

Robert Haller, St Louis Video Producer

St Louis Video Production

stlouisvideoproduction@gmail.com

video post production st louis | studio videotaping

May 30, 2013 by stlouisvideostudio

St Louis video production and post production. Studio Video taping DVD #6 for Historical Video Television St. Louis, MO. Dave Topping, camera operator taping a live set rehearsal for HVT Martyrs video production.