This may be the easiest tutorial I ever provide, but nonetheless, let’s continue…
What You Need
- Cardboard
- Gaff or Duct Tape
- Velcro
Step 1 – Cut the Cardboard
The easiest way to do this is to cut a strip of cardboard to the amount of DEPTH you want your hoodman to provide. That is, how far do you want it to stick out from the screen? Mine probably goes about 3 inches or so, but it’s all preference. Once you have that done, simply hold the cardboard up to each side of your monitor and cut a piece that size. At the end of this step you should have 4 pieces.
Step 2 – Tape the Pieces Together
Pretty self-explanatory – simply tape the pieces together to create a rectangular shape. Tape them on the inside of the corners as well as the outside. For good effect, tape the entire thing with black gaff tape to have a black hoodman. They look better than straight brown cardboard ones.
Step 3 – Add the Velcro
I nicknamed it the “Hoodman in the Hood”
Cut some velcro very thin and fold it over each edge of the cardboard (like above) on the side you want to attach to the monitor. Then using the opposite Velcro side (i.e. I recommend soft side on camera, rough side on anything attaching to it) attach Velcro to the monitor (like below).
The Finished Product
My homemade hoodman before I blacked it out with gaff tape
That’s it you’re done! A cheap, simple solution to a hoodman if you ever need one and don’t have one and have some extra time on set.
(Although, an even cheaper solution: a t-shirt. I always wear an undershirt partly because if you ever can’t see your monitor, you can always take off your top layer shirt and cover you and the monitor with it, shielding the sun.)