Teleprompter

The teleprompter is a very useful tool for making film shoots more efficient. We also use teleprompters for livestreams.

Thanks to a semi-transparent screen positioned directly in front of the camera lens, the text displayed on the screen can be read. The person looks directly into the camera, which is located behind the screen.

The teleprompter saves the participants a significant amount of time, especially when dealing with C-level executives or during long shoots.

Advantages

  • No tedious memorization of texts
  • The wording can be repeated exactly
  • Time savings during recording for everyone involved
  • Texts can be approved by various stakeholders at an early stage
  • The person in front of the camera keeps their eyes on the camera—and thus on the viewer

Disadvantages

  • The photo may look artificial and posed
  • When the camera is moving rapidly, it becomes technically challenging
  • Texts must be carefully prepared, which results in additional work

Tips for Preparing Texts

  • Write out abbreviations. This helps keep your typing speed consistent.
  • Make words you want to emphasize bold or italic
  • Don't leave too many blank lines between paragraphs
  • Colors can be used, but not all software supports them

Tips for Using It with Text

  • The text area should not be too wide. Otherwise, the protagonists' eye movements will be clearly visible as they read. This tends to happen more often with larger teleprompters. In high-quality programs, however, the text area can simply be narrowed manually.
  • As a rule, it is not possible to simply set a fixed speed for the entire text. Instead, an operator must actively monitor the pace at all times and make adjustments as needed.
  • We recommend using a laptop as your primary device, as this allows for quick text adjustments. This is in contrast to solutions where a tablet is mounted in the teleprompter.
  • The QPrompt software works very well on various platforms

Examples of use

Project 1: Filming

The teleprompter is controlled via a laptop. In addition, a split screen is displayed on a separate monitor for the client, showing both the camera feed and the current script.

Text revisions are usually necessary after the first draft. These can be implemented together in real time.

A laptop with teleprompter software.
Customer display with a four-panel view. It shows two camera feeds as well as the teleprompter text.

Project 2: Live Streaming – Earnings Call

For this type of project, we use two extra-large teleprompters. Each presenter has their own teleprompter in front of them. The content and layout of the display can be customized freely. This allows for the flexible display of the current presentation slide, text notes, questions from the live stream, the camera feed, or other content.

This setup can also be used for webinars or other types of live streams.

Two large teleprompters in a studio setup with a green screen.
Two large teleprompters displaying visuals for a press conference.