Where to look with a teleprompter

Reading from a teleprompter makes it easy to stare. Your gaze sticks to the line, your eyes visibly track along, and the video feels like a statement being read out. The rule that helps is simple:

Look into the lens while you speak, let your eyes wander while you think.

In a conversation you look at the other person while you talk and glance away briefly when you are thinking. That is exactly how it can look on camera.

Read right below the lens

The camera is at the top of the iPhone. The closer the line you read is to the camera, the less it shows that you are reading. That is why Prompt Flower puts the reading line in the upper third, marked by two small green arrows. Keep your eyes on that line, not on the middle of the screen.

More distance, larger font

The further away the iPhone is, the smaller your eye movement when reading. On a tripod at a distance of 1 to 1.5 metres it is hardly noticeable. Set a larger font so that only a few words fit on a line: then your eyes barely move from left to right.

Read in phrases

Don’t read word by word; take in the next half-sentence at a glance and then say it. That sounds more natural and gives you time to look into the lens. And blink normally. Staring looks tense.

Look away on purpose

A glance to the side looks thoughtful, not unsure, if it comes at the right moment.

When: at a change of thought, in pauses, before a punchline, when you are “thinking”.
For how long: about half a second to a second and a half.
Where: slightly to the side or down at an angle, as in conversation. Not upwards (it looks like searching) and not at your own preview image.
Back to the lens before the important sentence starts. Say key points, the first and the last sentence directly into the camera, ideally almost by heart.

With Prompt Flower, a glance to the side costs nothing: the script waits as long as you are not speaking. You can hide the camera preview with a tap so you don’t get caught up in your own image.

Write the glances into your script

Prompt Flower shows stage directions in square brackets such as [look away] or [Pause] dimmed and skips them during voice follow. They are a good reminder of natural changes of gaze, without the risk of reading them out by mistake.

This is the point where most people give up. [look away]
So did I, the first time. [Pause]
Then I changed one thing.

Practise

Read the text two or three times in practice mode, without recording. Then it feels familiar, and your eyes are free. If a sentence goes wrong during the recording, stop briefly, tap Back to sentence and start the sentence again. The app sets a marker, and the rough cut removes the fluffed attempt later.

Technique, briefly

Camera at eye level. From below it looks condescending, from above it makes you look small.
Light from the front or at an angle from the front, such as a window. Not from behind.
A quiet room. Background noise barely affects recognition, but it affects the recording a lot.