Compose for portrait before opening the script
Turn the phone upright and decide how much of your body should appear. A close face-to-camera update needs a different distance than a recipe, unboxing or movement demonstration. Leave margin above your head and below your hands so small changes in framing do not cut off the action.
Think about where the publishing app may later place captions, buttons or account information. Those overlays are controlled by the destination platform and can change; avoid putting essential visual detail at the extreme edges. Preview the exported recording in the intended orientation instead of assuming that the camera view guarantees the final crop.
- Keep the lens near eye height, even when the device is mounted vertically.
- Place the script near the lens without covering a product or hand movement.
- Check that captions or later overlays will not hide an important label.
Format the text for a narrow screen
A narrow display can make a long sentence wrap into several short lines. Break the script at meaningful pauses so you do not begin the next idea while still searching for its first word. Use a font size you can read without leaning toward the phone; seeing fewer words at once is preferable to losing the line.
Keep on-screen text concise where possible. One spoken thought per paragraph leaves room to breathe and makes a retake easier to locate. If a proper name or number is difficult to scan, isolate it on its own line and rehearse it once before activating the camera.
Keep room for the action in frame
01
Do a silent framing rehearsal
Move your hands or the object you will show. Check that the vertical crop includes the full movement and does not collide with the text.
02
Record an opening and one full paragraph
Review face brightness, eye line and line breaks. A short sample reveals whether the text is readable at the actual phone distance.
03
Recheck after moving the phone
A small stand adjustment can change the crop and the distance between lens and prompt. Repeat the sample if framing changes.
Do not confuse a portrait preview with a platform export
The camera preview shows the browser’s current stream, while a social app may crop, resize or place controls around an uploaded video. Inspect the file itself before editing, then check the final draft in the publishing destination when practical. Keep a clean original without platform stickers so the same clip can be adapted later.
Vertical does not automatically mean short or suitable for every feed. The story still needs an opening, a clear middle and an ending that fits the intended viewer. Use the teleprompter to maintain the order of your points, but pause or rewrite a line when the visual action needs attention.