Teleprompters - best iPad app and general practices?

D

dmitrizigany

Veteran
Hey!

The other day I was helping a friend to shoot him for his new YouTube thingie.
He had an God awful teleprompter web app on his PC laptop. It cut off sentences in weird places and it was impossible to get the speed right. Needless to say, his deliveries were really suffering because of it.

So, does anyone have a favourite iPad Teleprompter app?
suggestions for mounting the iPad? Where is the best place to have the teleprompter? As close to the lens as possible, I guess? On the side? Over? Under?

Hit me with your best iPad Teleprompter tips!

Thanks
 
I use Teleprompter Premium (formerly Teleprompter Pro). It allows wireless control via Bluetooth keyboard, which includes variable speed control. It's easy to use, and easy to format scripts.

As for location, the best place for a prompter is exactly where the talent's eyeline is supposed to be. For looking straight at the camera (straight at the viewer), that's right in front of the lens so that the talent is looking through the prompter. There are a few different iPad prompter mounts with reflective glass for using your iPad as a traditional prompter, and the aforementioned app has a flip feature for usin it under a reflective window.

Mounting the prompter just under, over, or to the side of the lens creates a challenge in reading and maintaining the eyeline, requiring the talent to read by peripheral visioon (not an easy task).

The only downside to any of the prompter apps I tried before deciding on, and including, the one I use is that there is no eyeline mark, so I put a small piece of console tape on either side of the iPad about a third of the way from the top, just so the talent has a lock point.
 
Thanks!

I'll look into Teleprompter Premium.

the Parrot thing looks good, but I don't have a smart phone that's up to snuff, but I have an iPad Air.

Best thing is if he just learned his damn lines ;)
But he's still quite inexperienced and gets a bit nervous in front of camera. So not sure that will work in short term.
Hmm.
 
Andrew Stone said:
Agree with Alex. You want the talent to be looking right at the lens. Below is a link to an inexpensive teleprompter rig that uses an iPad for the prompter and you can use an iPhone or another iPad to control it.
Click to expand...
Thanks! That solution looks good. We can't afford it at the moment but within the possibilities in the near future at least! ;)
 
2nd recommendation for Teleprompt+ (link provided above)

If you don't have a split glass solution, the next best bet is to place the iPad for best eyeline is just below the lens (as in, touching the bottom of the lens)... plenty of newscasts place the prompter screen right below the lens.
 
PromptDog, cheap, works, easy, but only for your laptop

http://www.promptdog.com/

For the pad, PrompterPro

And for FWIW, I have a shelf unit on a magic-arm that holds either my laptop or pad with velcro tabs. I can position it immediately above or below (usually) the lens. If you use a little distance (longer shot) it works pretty well without needing teleprompter hardware. The hardware is no doubt better, but this works ok.
 
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Been using ProPrompter almost since it came out. I have the mirror rig for it, but its too big/cumbersome for real field(ENG) use. I use the cradle that they(Bodelin) make for the iPad and mount it with a Noga arm directly over the lens touching the lens hood. At seven to ten feet, eyeline is usually not an issue/noticeable. I have done literally hundreds and hundreds of network stand-ups with this set-up. But if the situation allows, a mirror rig would be best. It's just not practical for me 99% of the time.
 
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