What is a teleprompter? Definition, types and how it works
Quick answer
A teleprompter is a device that shows a script to a speaker while they look into a camera lens. In a professional rig, a screen reflects the text onto angled glass in front of the lens, so the viewer sees eye contact and not reading. Today a phone or tablet app can scroll the text instead.
A teleprompter is a display that shows a script to a speaker while they look at a camera. The idea is old, the hardware has changed a lot, and today a phone can do the same job. This guide explains what a teleprompter is, how it works, the main types and how to choose between them.
Key takeaways
- A teleprompter shows a script close to the camera lens, so the speaker can read and still look at the viewer.
- A professional unit uses a screen and a sheet of angled glass called a beam splitter. The speaker sees the reflected text, and the camera sees only the speaker.
- The text is shown mirrored on the screen, so that the reflection reads correctly.
- The main types are glass rigs, confidence monitors and apps on a phone or tablet.
- A phone app needs no extra hardware, but the text sits beside the lens and not in front of it. Placing it as close to the lens as you can keeps your eye movement small.
What is a teleprompter?
A teleprompter is a display that shows the text of a speech or script to the person speaking. It lets a speaker read word for word while facing the audience or the camera, so the delivery sounds like talking and not like reading.
Teleprompters are used for television news, political speeches, corporate and training videos, online courses and the videos of individual creators.
How does a teleprompter work?
In a professional rig, a screen sits below or above the camera lens and faces a sheet of glass angled in front of the lens. The glass is a beam splitter: it reflects part of the light from the screen toward the speaker and lets light from the speaker pass through to the camera. The speaker sees the text. The camera sees the speaker. The reflected text does not appear in the picture.
A reflection reverses left and right, so the software shows the text mirrored on the screen. The reflected text then reads correctly. Our guide to mirror mode for glass rigs covers the setup.
The text scrolls at a speed that an operator or the speaker sets. Some systems follow the speaker's voice and wait when they pause. See how a voice-activated teleprompter works.
What are the main types of teleprompters?
Glass rigs
The design described above. They place the text closest to the lens, so the eyes barely move. They need glass, a hood to block stray light, a stand and a camera, so they take the most effort to set up.
Confidence monitors
A large screen placed below or beside the camera and facing the speaker, common at conferences and events. The speaker sees the text, but looks at the screen and not exactly at the lens.
Apps on a phone or tablet
An app scrolls the script on the screen of the device that also records the video. The text sits next to the lens, not in front of it, so the key is to keep it as close to the lens as possible. Telepromptia's EyeLock layout shows a few words on a dark panel right under the front camera for this reason.
Which type should you choose?
| Glass rig | Confidence monitor | Phone or tablet app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the text appears | In the glass, in front of the lens | On a screen below or beside the camera | On the device screen, next to the lens |
| Eye line | Closest to the lens | Near the lens, but not on it | Near the lens when the text sits under the camera |
| Extra hardware | Glass, hood, stand and a camera | A large screen and a stand | None |
| Typical use | Studio video and interviews | Events and live speeches | Solo creators recording with a phone |
Choose a glass rig if you shoot with a separate camera and want the text exactly in the lens. Choose a confidence monitor for a live room. Choose an app if you record with the phone you already have.
How do you use a teleprompter well?
- Write for the ear. Short sentences, plain words, one idea each. Our script templates give you a skeleton.
- Set the speed by your own pace. The font size and speed guide shows how to measure it.
- Rehearse once. A teleprompter is a safety net, not a crutch.
- Look natural. Read about reading a script to camera naturally.
A short history
According to Smithsonian Magazine, the inventor filed a patent application in 1949 for a "television prompting apparatus" that began as a motorized roll of cue text, and later designs reflected the text onto angled glass. Since then, the screen has moved from paper rolls to computers, and now to the phone in your pocket.
Where Telepromptia fits
Telepromptia is a teleprompter and video recorder for iPhone and iPad. It scrolls your script, can follow your voice (Pro), records you and exports a clean video with no watermark. It needs no account and keeps your scripts and videos on your device. Telepromptia is coming soon to the App Store. See the features and the pricing page.
Common questions
What is a teleprompter used for?
To read a script while looking at the camera or the audience. Television news, speeches, training videos, online courses and creator videos all use one.
Can an iPhone be a teleprompter?
Yes. A teleprompter app can scroll the script on the screen of the phone that also records you. Place the text close to the front camera and the eye movement stays small.
Does the teleprompter text appear in the video?
No. In a glass rig the camera does not capture the reflected text. In Telepromptia the script is a separate layer on the screen and is never part of the recording.
Do I need a glass teleprompter to look at the camera?
No. A glass rig puts the text in front of the lens, but a phone app can keep the text close to it. Rehearsal and a narrow text column do the rest.
Sources
- A Brief History of the Teleprompter (Smithsonian Magazine): the history of the teleprompter, from a motorized roll of cue text in the late 1940s to text reflected on angled glass.
- Michelson Interferometer (Florida International University, Modern Lab Experiments): a beam splitter is a glass plate with a partially reflective surface, so part of the light is reflected and the rest passes through.