Buyer’s guide: Prompt action
Posted on Apr 11, 2025 by Pro Moviemaker
For more natural talking heads and a faster workflow, nothing helps more than a teleprompter or down-the-lens interview kit
Words Adam Duckworth
With the explosion of marketing videos and YouTubers, teleprompters have gained popularity. These work a treat in helping inexperienced presenters get their words out, avoiding hours of retakes, serving as an essential buy. Not everyone needs or can afford the professional teleprompters typically made by flagship brand Autocue. For smaller cameras and crews on a budget, there are simpler, more affordable lightweight units. These often use a laptop plugged into to a monitor, or even a smartphone or tablet with dedicated software.
This issue, we spotlight some of the options at different price points, as well as teleprompter-style products to aid down-the-lens interviews.
Autocue Explorer 17in
£2399/$2797
Autocue offers an enormous range, including pricey systems for multiple operators who can adjust the text even as it rolls. A more affordable and portable option is the 17-inch Explorer – large enough to be readable in most spaces up to around 6m/20ft away. A 19-inch version is also available at £300/$250 more.
The Explorer series features tool-free assembly and quick adjustments. Its mounting kit fits camcorders, cine cameras and mirrorless models with most lenses. The unit includes HDMI, VGA and composite inputs, plus an HDMI cable for laptop connection. The 400-nit screen has a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 1280×1024 resolution. It can be powered by mains or 12v DC.
Mounted beneath the monitor, the prompter is easier to balance on a tripod. Fix the camera to the carriage and adjust the base to lens height (51-140cm/2-5.5in). The carriage moves along 19mm rods to balance larger cameras. A medium-sized hood with a collapsible fabric lens seal stops light from peeking through the 70/30 beamsplitter glass.
The kit comes with a one-year license for Autocue’s Explorer Teleprompting Software, costing £227/$224 per year afterwards.
- Pros: Yes, it’s a genuine Autocue!
- Cons: Software costs extra
Desview T12
£179/$139
Desview pioneered affordable teleprompters with the T3 model, compatible with smartphones and tablets up to 11 inches. The upgraded T12 retains the same technology and collapsible, lightweight design.
All Desview versions have a semi-translucent mirror set at 45° in front of the lens, reflecting text from a tablet clamped below the screen.
To use a phone or tablet as a teleprompter screen, download the free Bestview app from the iOS or Google Play stores. You can create a new project from a Word document, email or text.
While it’s possible to type text directly into the app, importing from a document is easier. The app allows you to adjust text size, font and scrolling speed. You can also set the screen to mirror mode to avoid backward text display. The kit also comes with a Bluetooth remote control for convenient operation.
The new T12 model includes a tripod mounting plate, as well as a removable sunshade that fastens on with hook-and-loop material. While the older models used to fasten to the lens filter thread, the T12 unit is tripod-mounted, featuring a gaiter that wraps around the lens to block out light.
- Pros: Very simple and affordable
- Cons: Have to use your own tablet
Magic Video Box
£1100/$TBC
A down-the-lens interview system, the Magic Video Box kit comes in a fitted flight case with everything you need. The kit is also available to rent, with the company offering training on how to use the kit and get the best out of it.
The Magic Video Box comes with a riser plate that fits between the camera and tripod. Though designed for larger cameras, the riser can be set up for smaller cameras using a wrench included in the kit. This riser plate features slots for two standard 15mm rods, which are also included. These are quickly snugged down with clamps and protrude out of the front of the camera.
A large square plate fastens to the rods, supporting the box unit on top. The included black cloth attaches with Velcro to create a light seal between the lens and the box. Inside the big box unit, a 45° beamsplitter mirror enables you to shoot right through it with no degradation on image quality.
If the box is positioned with the mirror set vertically, the interviewer sits at 90° to the camera. This set-up allows the interviewee to look directly into the lens while seeing a reflection of the interviewer – and vice versa.
- Pros: Works very well
- Cons: Setting up takes time
Voxbox Air
£1295/$TBC
Connecting with viewers by having the interviewee talk directly down the lens creates a powerful, dramatic effect. This is best achieved using a system with a shoot-through mirror and large lens hood, allowing the interviewee to address a reflection of the interviewer.
Portable versions are now available, including options from Primelight Design. The Voxbox Air is a lighter, more compact and cheaper alternative to the Pro version.
Its foldable, lightweight build uses a beamsplitter to ensure the subject speaks directly into the lens, but the mirror system means they see the face of the interviewer.
The Voxbox Air mounts to standard 15mm rails. Simply attach the side mirror, adjust it to the correct position and you’re ready to shoot. For rigs without 15mm rails, the kit includes a 16mm receiver for mounting to a standard light stand.
The foldable design is space-efficient, with a strong and light carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer frame. The entire kit weighs just 3.9kg/8.6lb, including the bag.
The Voxbox Air also functions as a teleprompter, with a tablet holder clipping onto the top. It supports standard 4x4in and 4×5.6in filters.
- Pros: Fast to use and effective
- Cons: Air more susceptible to damage than the Pro
Voxbox Pro
£1375/$TBC
The Voxbox Pro Mark II is the most expensive and rugged of the Voxbox down-the-lens interview kits. But for your money, the complete kit comes in a hard case and it can be left fully assembled for super-fast use on set. It slides directly onto standard camera rails, and the height is adjustable. It comes with a set of soft doughnut-shaped seals to seal the light between the lens and the box. The box can also be fitted to a light stand, ideal for smaller cameras.
It comes with a clamp-on side mirror that can be adjusted to various positions, allowing the interviewer to sit at an angle other than exactly 90° to the camera.
The Voxbox Pro II can also be used as a teleprompter by either rotating the box so the mirror glass is positioned horizontally or by adjusting the glass. You can then place a tablet at the bottom, which acts as a teleprompter, allowing the presenter to read the words while looking directly into the camera. It’s a two-in-one solution that comes with a dedicated tablet holder.
There are several apps, both paid and free, that can turn your standard-sized tablet into a teleprompter. The manufacturers of the Voxbox – Prime Light Design – offer their own £79 Zeecue application for both PC and Mac.
- Pros: More rugged than the Air
- Cons: Heavier and more costly, too
ZeePrompt ZP12
£1385/TBC
Zeeprompt’s ZP12 connects to a laptop using an HDMI lead, offering a fast and simple teleprompter with a lightweight, one-piece design and intuitive prompting software. A version with SDI inputs is also available, but it costs an extra £220. The unit quickly unfolds for use without the need for tools. It fits onto 15mm rods or a light stand, though these are not supplied.
It has an integrated 10.1-inch HDMI monitor with a built-in text-reverse feature. The screen is 8-bit and has 320 nits of brightness. That’s plenty for studio or indoor use, but Zeeprompt also offers a 1500-nit, high-brightness model at £1554.
The box is built from reinforced carbon fibre and 12-inch beamsplitter glass. The kit comes in a compact case with laser-cut foam, but an optional IP67-rated hard case is also available as an option.
As well as via the mains, it can be powered by an external battery from 7-24v if you buy an additional cable. The lens aperture is 140mm/5.5in and comes with 63mm, 80mm and 112mm stretchy doughnuts to prevent light leaks.
The prompter kit also includes three licences for the Zeecue teleprompting software for PC and Mac, which usually costs £79/$96.
- Pros: Fast and great value
- Cons: Brighter version costs more
This article was first published in the March/April 2025 issue of Pro Moviemaker
