How to format a script for a teleprompter
A good teleprompter script is plain text written to be heard. Use short sentences, one idea per line, simple words, and a blank line wherever you want to pause. Spell out anything you might trip over. Then read it aloud once and fix every place you stumbled.
Write for the ear
People listen differently from the way they read. Say the sentence out loud before you keep it. If you run out of breath, split it. If you would not say it to a friend, rewrite it.
- Keep sentences short. Cut the second clause if it makes you slow down.
- Use everyday words. Choose “use” over “utilise”.
- Put the point first, then the detail.
- Write numbers the way you say them. Write “twenty twenty six” if you would say it that way, or the digits if you are comfortable.
Format the text
NotchStar’s teleprompter takes plain text, so formatting means line breaks, not fonts or colors.
- Put one thought on each line. A new line gives your eyes a place to land.
- Leave a blank line where you want to breathe or change topic.
- Spell out names and tricky words the way they sound, if you need the help. Keep a note for yourself in brackets, such as “[pause]”, where you want a beat.
- Remove anything you do not read aloud. Stage directions you will not speak should stay out of the script, or you will read them by mistake.
- Check the opening and the close. Start with the point and end with what the viewer should do or remember.
Read it aloud once
Read the whole script at your normal speaking pace, with a timer running. The stopwatch steps show how to time a take. Note where you stumble and rewrite those lines. Do this before you press record.
Set the speed and size
Slow readers need a slow scroll. If you keep running ahead of the text, slow it down. If you wait for words, speed it up. Make the text big enough that you do not lean in. Where you place it matters too: see looking at the camera while reading a script.
Paste it in
In NotchStar, open the Teleprompter tab, tap the pencil, paste your script and tap the check to go back to reading. There is one script at a time, stored on your Mac, and it scrolls at the speed you set rather than following your voice. The teleprompter guide has more on pacing, and you can then record yourself.
