Teleprompter Shopping Guide
If you're ready to start a YouTube channel or produce other video content, a critical piece of equipment that can elevate the quality of your videos is a teleprompter.
Teleprompters come in all shapes and sizes (and price points), and with so much variety, it can be a little overwhelming deciding which direction to go.
That's where this teleprompter shopping guide comes in...
If you're unsure of what features to look for in a new teleprompter, the guideline below will help.
What is a Teleprompter, and why use one?
The primary reason why you should use a teleprompter is because it results in a much more natural look in your videos.
Rather than looking down at a desk to read what you need to say to the camera, you can look directly at the camera so the audience feels like you're engaging directly with them.
This is exactly why professional newscasters use teleprompters.
And don't be scared that teleprompters are difficult to use or hard to read, either.
A teleprompter is a piece of glass and a monitor that shows the script you need to read. The glass is reflective, and is placed above the monitor (e.g., an iPad) at an angle so you can read the reflection of the text.
As you read iPad teleprompters like this, the text scrolls to reveal the next lines of text, giving you the ability to read at a very natural and engaging pace.
Again, this enables you to maintain eye contact with the camera. You don't have to memorize what you need to say, either!
Features to Look for in a Teleprompter
Not all teleprompters are made alike, so you'll need to do some investigating about the features that teleprompters offer to you.
I have used Ikan teleprompters for some time now, and have thoroughly enjoyed using them. As such, I'll use my two Ikan teleprompters as examples of the features you might want to look for as you shop for a teleprompter of your own.
Teleprompter Sizing
As noted earlier, teleprompters come in all shapes and sizes.
And while the size of the teleprompter might not seem like something you need to worry about, it can greatly influence your workflow.
For example, my first Ikan teleprompter was the Elite Pro 2 Universal Tablet Teleprompter (shown above). At 6.5 pounds and 22 x 10.5 x 12 inches, it's a small, portable teleprompter that takes up very little space in my home studio.
And because it's so small, it's easy to transport to other locations. Sometimes I shoot videos in my backyard, my garage, or even in the field, and this teleprompter works great for those applications. If you envision being mobile and needing a teleprompter that you can take with you, a smaller rig like this is a great choice.
My newest Ikan teleprompter is the Professional 15-Inch High Bright Beam Splitter model shown above.
At 22 pounds, it is significantly heavier than the portable teleprompter I mentioned above. It's also got a larger footprint at 25 x 20 x 16 inches (this doesn't include the space needed for other gear, like a tripod, camera, and lens, of course).
Given its size, this teleprompter is best suited for studio work only. It's not something I'd want to carry with me to a remote shoot.
Aside from portability, the sizing of your teleprompter is important with regard to the size of the screen from which you read.
My smaller teleprompter can accommodate tablets up to 9 x 12 inches, which is easy to read from up to about 14 feet away. As you can see above, the tablet simply lays in the tray and the text on the tablet screen is reflected in the glass and back towards me for easy reading.
My larger teleprompter, though, has a 15-inch screen, which gives me larger text to read and the ability to position myself further away, if needed. Of course, I use this teleprompter in my home studio, so I can only be about 8-10 feet away from it due to the size restraints of the studio.
Another advantage of using a teleprompter with a larger screen is that by placing it further from you, you have more room to place cameras, lights, and other equipment. This is just something to consider if you have visions of a large and complex video setup.
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Teleprompter Brightness
When shopping for a teleprompter, be sure you think about the brightness level of the screen.
When you're recording at home, like I often do in my studio, you'll need a much lower screen brightness than you do when you're out at midday recording in the field.
For field work with a teleprompter, you'll want a display that has 1000 nits of brightness, at a minimum.
In the image above, you can see how a teleprompter works. Additionally, you can see how the brightness of the screen enables the presenter to clearly see what they need to read.
Teleprompter Controls
Teleprompters come with a variety of control options, including wired and wireless remotes, hand controls, and even foot controls that move the text on the screen for easy reading.
The way you control a teleprompter is a bit of a personal preference. Some people really like foot controls. Others prefer to use a wired remote. Unfortunately, unless you're able to test these various control methods out ahead of time, there's really no way of knowing what method you prefer before you buy a teleprompter.
My Ikan Elite Pro 2 Universal Tablet Teleprompter has a wireless remote that's super easy to use and allows me to start and stop the teleprompter feed with the push of a button. For working out in the field, a wireless remote like this is a perfect means of controlling the text on the teleprompter.
My studio teleprompter is controlled by a foot pedal. This is ideal for studio work because I can control the text without having a remote in my hand, which would obviously show on screen.
Compatibility With Other Gear
Of course, you want to ensure that your teleprompter will work with your camera, lens, and tripod, too.
The foundation of all of this is your tripod and the tripod head. These items need to be able to support the weight of your teleprompter, camera, and lens all at the same time.
For me, a good tripod is worth spending the extra money for the higher payload capacity. I'd rather have something like the ProMediaGear Pro-Stix 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod that set me back $1,300 than put my expensive camera, lens, and teleprompter on a cheap tripod in an effort to save money. Now, you don't have to spend $1,300 on a tripod - there are many excellent options at a lower price point. Just be sure the payload capacity of the tripod and ballhead exceed the weight of all your gear.
Another component to think about in terms of compatibility is whether your camera and lens will work with a teleprompter.
Not only does this depend on your camera and lens, but it also depends on the mounting system that comes with the teleprompter.
For example, my Professional 15-Inch High Bright Beam Splitter teleprompter from Ikan came with three different camera mounts to ensure that I have flexibility in the camera and lens combinations that I can use with the teleprompter.
Having that flexibility is paramount - it allows you to place the camera and lens at the back of the teleprompter, that way my eye line is right down the barrel of the lens. As noted earlier, this helps give my interactions with the audience that authenticity that's so important, even though I'm reading a script.
Practice Makes Perfect
Photo by David-Prado via iStock
Of course, having all the right gear is going to help you perfect your video productions, but the most important factor is you and your skills and abilities in front of the camera.
Learning how to use a teleprompter takes time and practice, so don't get discouraged if your first few videos using a teleprompter seem a little stiff.
With time, you'll get comfortable reading scripts off the teleprompter and that stiffness will go away and your presentation will be much more engaging and laid back.
But to get to that point, you need to invest some time in learning all about the gear you need to make your video productions happen in the first place.
This teleprompter shopping guide is a good place to start. Be sure you investigate cameras, lenses, tripods, and lighting as well.
