The teleprompter (originated by the TelePrompTer company in the 1950s) is an indispensable component in modern-day television and video production, providing onscreen talent with a scrolling screen of words to speak. It saves many a babbler and stumbler from professional embarrassment. The question we often run across when doing Q&A-style interviews or video clips is, “do we need one”?<\/p>\n
Yes, you do. <\/strong>Even when an interview-subject knows the topic cold or has handwritten notes in his or her lap, it can never come across as smooth and professional as it does with the teleprompter. First-timers, with a little bit of practice, get the hang of it easily and it’s fun to use. Now, there are a very rare few who can speak contemporaneously or off-the-cuff, and make it sound authoritative. Then, there is the other 99.9% of the population. So, use ’em if you’ve got ’em.<\/p>\n Another related issue is where to place the teleprompter<\/strong>… to the side of the camera or in front (using a “two-way” mirror)? In my opinion, particularly for Q&A video clips and most corporate-style videos, you want the teleprompter to the side. Watch any news program and you’ll see the interview-subject speaking to the reporter off-side. It’s more pleasing for the audience and easier for the interviewee.<\/p>\n But “no,” you say, “I want to look at my audience and give them the straight-goods. Look ’em in the eye just like a real conversation.” Forget it. Most interview-subjects have a tough time looking natural when staring into a camera. Their eyes dart side-to-side as they read the teleprompter. Or, they can’t bring themselves to blink. Very scary for viewers and often looks unnatural.<\/p>\n The one possible exception is when you are doing the equivalent of a reporter’s or presenter’s monologue (a “stand-up” as it’s called). Those occasions, however, are rare in most corporate videos.<\/p>\n So relax, enjoy the benefits of the teleprompter and enhance your reputation as an all-knowing and confident expert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The teleprompter (originated by the TelePrompTer company in the 1950s) is an indispensable component in modern-day television and video production, providing onscreen talent with a scrolling screen of words to speak. It saves many a babbler and stumbler from professional embarrassment. The question we often run across when doing Q&A-style interviews or video clips is, … Continue reading “Teleprompter or No Teleprompter?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":418,"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions\/418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webkasts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}