3 Ways You're Losing Money By Not Having a Teleprompter on Set

3 Ways You're Losing Money By Not Having a Teleprompter on Set

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The teleprompter might be one of the most essential inventions in the television industry since the invention of the television itself. Since its creation, millions of organizations, television companies, universities, and other fields make use of the device to make the process of speaking in front of a camera as pain free as possible. However, there are still a number of stations and organizations that do not make use of teleprompters.

The reasons vary from not wanting to spend money on them to not understanding the tremendous value they bring to any station or televised situation. However, if you do not have a teleprompter on set, you are almost certainly losing money that could be going into your pocket and expanding your budget. This article will present three of the most pressing reasons to invest in a quality teleprompter.

Perhaps the most obvious and significant benefit of using a teleprompter on set is that having one allows anyone who needs to speak in front of a camera to do so without referring to any kind of written note as visible from the camera. In other words, the quality of the person's speech will increase dramatically, as will the poise and appearance of the person, as he or she will not need to constantly glance down at a sheet of paper or at a stack of index cards (or in the worst cases, at his or her hands) simply because everything that the person needs to say will be right in front of him or her. This reason alone is worth purchasing a teleprompter for use on set.

A second essential benefit provided by using a teleprompter on set is the ability to look directly into the lens of a camera while a person reads a script. When a teleprompter is present, a person can convey a far more natural and aesthetically pleasing appearance to the camera because he or she will not be encumbered by notes or staring off to the side while trying to read cue cards or lines away from the direct focal point of the camera. This makes the person appear far more personable, human, and convincing, which is particularly essential in ads.

These days, virtually all ads are shot with teleprompters simply because ad designers and marketers have realized for decades that people are more likely to be perceived as believable through direct eye contact, and direct eye contact is only possible when people stare directly at the camera. Before the teleprompter, this had to be achieved through memorization. However, thanks to the teleprompter, anyone can provide strong eye contact at any time.

A third benefit of having a teleprompter on set is the savings it provides by reducing the need to re-shoot and retake scenes due to people forgetting their lines or stumbling over their words while the cameras are rolling. Time is money, as is film, and the less of it is spent in additional takes, the more money is saved. The reasons are clear: the quickest way to save money is to purchase a teleprompter if you don't have one already on set.