How Exactly Does a Teleprompter Work?
What is it that makes news anchors and television reporters able to seamlessly speak in front of the camera, delivering valuable information on the fly? This information is delivered by a teleprompter machine which displays a script for the presenter to read as he or she maintains effective eye contact with the camera. If you have every wondered, “How exactly does a teleprompter work?” We’ve got you covered!
What is a Teleprompter & How Does it Work?
A teleprompter is a machine that is placed in front of the camera and, utilizing a reflective glass mirror or an optical beam splitter, it displays the script for the performer to read from. Because the script is portrayed on the screen using a mirror image, it is initially rendered backwards and must be reversed on the monitor so that the reflection is presented in a way that is legible for reading by the presenter.
Nate Woodbury does a great job breaking this down here:
Teleprompters are a fundamental piece of equipment for news and many other television productions. Today, some teleprompters are operated by an entire crew that actively oversees the formatting, scroll speed and direction of text as it appears on the screen. In addition to portraying the upcoming lines of script on the screen, today’s teleprompters give presenters control of the device allowing them to actively jump through sections of the script without interrupting other presenters.
Types of Teleprompters
There are 3 types of teleprompters available on the market today:
- Camera-Mounted Teleprompters
- Floor or Standing Teleprompters
- Presidential or Podium Teleprompters
Camera-mounted teleprompters project the script onto the camera allowing the presenter to look directly into the camera lense. In some cases, looking directly at the camera is ill advised so these are not necessarily the most suitable autocue machine option for all types of productions.
Floor or standing teleprompters are mounted at an angle on the floor. They could quickly result in the presenter looking down too frequently These teleprompter machines result in a disconnect with the audience and are often not advices.
Podium teleprompter or the Presidential teleprompter are the preferred machine for film production script delivering. These machines are used by US presidents, and produce the best quality Because the presidential teleprompter is a standalone piece of equipment they are adjustable, When adjusted properly, podium teleprompters reflect the topic of the script on one side while showing what appears to be a blank screen to the audience.
Pros of Teleprompters
The casting and production team can greatly benefit from having teleprompters on set. They allow presenters to deliver their lines with little to no practice taking advance ahead of time. Hosts and news anchors can focus on being professional and catchy rather than worry about whether or not they remember their lines.
Teleprompters also allow presenters to record with fewer takes. In fact, studies show that teleprompters reduce the total number of mistakes made by presenters when speaking as compared to scenes that do not include a prompter screen. Fewer takes means less time for production and fewer costs.
Cons of Teleprompters
Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks to working with an autocue machine. For presenters, even though you have a prompter that can help you out, rehearsing your lines ahead of time ensures a natural tone in front of the camera. It can take a lot of practice to get used to speaking naturally rather than sounding as if you are reading a script from the screen.
Reading from a teleprompter requires the eyes to continue moving back and forth much like if you were to read a book. The eye movements, if the camera is focused too closely on your eyes, can be very noticeable to viewers — they will know you are reading a script.
As you can imagine, a teleprompter is a valuable piece of equipment that has helped so many presenters to captivate their audience and build a voice for a television show or media brand. So, next time you wonder, “How exactly does a teleprompter work,” Consider the many situations in which these pieces of equipment are used and how they function to serve presenters.