Where’s Your Attention in the Moment on Camera?
Never write a script! That’s what the gurus say. Is that good advice?
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way it would be nice to know. And it all hangs on the need for the teleprompter. Hardly anyone uses it well.
Are you in that camp?
Of course the benefits of the thing are so astronomical, it might be good to do a cost/benefit analysis before tossing out such a big potential asset.
Unless you don’t like making awesome videos real fast. 🙂
Here’s the teleprompter training mentioned in the video above.
9 replies to "The 4 Critical Teleprompter Skills"
Hey Steve,
I’ve tried four different teleprompter Apps for iOS (not free ones). All terrible. Is there one you recommend?
Thx.
There are an alarming number of these apps, all called “Teleprompter”. No kidding. The key is to find one that doesn’t change speed by large chunks of time, but rather very small increments. Then it’s a simple matter of rehearsing for time so you can set the speed and insert line breaks where you need to take pauses.
As Jay and Fred both mentioned, PromptSmartPro works astonishingly well, but you need to be on a laptop, and that means using PromptSmart Studio, which has a small annual fee. PromptSmartPro for IOS or Windows tablets works somewhat less reliably.
I run PromptSmart Pro on my Samsung (Android) tablet. I use a gadget called “IK Multimedia iRig Pre microphone preamp for smartphones and tablets” that lets me input audio from my XLR mic into the tablet. This makes the app work better than if it was using the built-in mic on the tablet.
I split the mic output so I can still record the audio on my camera while simultaneously routing it to the tablet.
Thanks for the tips Steve,
Eddie, I use Teleprompter Pro (by Purple Wizard) on my laptop and connect my tablet via Spacedesk Server. Teleprompter Pro has a dual screen function that makes it easy to project to the tablet while controlling everything on the laptop.
Hope this helps.
Blessings
Rowan
I have found Teleprompter (for the Mac) by Pavonine Software a very good laptop-based app, and if you can now project it onto a tablet you may just have another very nice solution. And if you could actually project PromptSmart Studio onto a tablet, that would be kind of awesome. Will have to check that out. Thanks for the tip, Rowan!
Refreshingly honest. No silver bullet available.
I think we have to realize that using a teleprompter is a skill that needs learning. There is no silver bullet to getting it right or looking right, but practice. The fundamental issue is that many of the current ios/android prompter software offerings don’t offer easy control of scrolling speed for those pauses and breaths. Another piece of advice is that many scripts are written to be read and not said. In my experience, a talented autocue operator can make a huge difference and once competent a foot peddle is perfect for the single operator/presenter. As always Steve great food for thought.
I have had good success with the PromptSmart Pro app. It uses voice recognition to stop and start automatically based on where you are in your script. This lets me use a teleprompter at my pace, without needing someone to help control the speed of the prompter.
Thanks, Steve, for another enlightening, informative video. Also, to “piggyback” off of Fred Kelley’s comment and to respond to Eddie Doyle’s question, I, too, use a PromptSmart product: PromptSmart STUDIO Edition. In fact, our own Steve Washer recommended this very useful teleprompting software. As Fred wrote, PromptSmart’s products use voice recognition which makes it much easier to record your videos without having to have another person to control the speed of the prompter.
Thanks again, Steve, for your helpful videos.
Jay