The built-in way: a few lines at a time
The Camera app records video but has no place to show a script. It has a Pause button while you record, so you can split the reading into short pieces. Apple's steps: Apple Support, Record a video with your iPhone camera.
- Open Camera and tap Video. Switch to the front camera if you are filming yourself.
- Read the first two or three lines until you can say them without looking.
- Tap the Record button and say them to the lens.
- Tap the Pause button to pause recording. Read the next lines, then record and say them.
- Tap the Record button to stop. The video is saved in Photos.
This works for short videos. Each pause means looking away to read, and if you stumble inside a piece, you keep the stumble or start the video again.
Another built-in option is to put the script somewhere near the phone: on paper, or in Notes on an iPad or Mac placed right behind it. Your eyes still travel between the page and the lens, and on camera that looks like reading.
The teleprompter way, with Cue
A teleprompter app shows the script on the same screen that films you, in a card next to the front camera, and scrolls it while you talk. You read where the lens is.
- Open Cue and tap New script. Type the script or paste it in.
- Open the recording screen. The reading card sits next to the front camera. Drag it closer to the lens or resize it.
- Set Text size so each line holds only a few words, and set Scroll speed to your pace.
- Start recording. The speed control stays on screen, so you can slow down or catch up during the take. Set Countdown if you want a moment to look at the lens first.
- When you finish, review the take and tap Save to put the video in Photos.
All of this is in the free version, which holds 3 scripts.
Long script? Record it in parts
For a longer script, one slip means keeping it or starting the whole video again. With Cue Pro you can film in takes: split the script into as many parts as you need, record one part at a time while the prompter waits at the start of each, redo only the part you did not like, and Cue joins every take into one video.
Make it look less like reading
- Keep lines short. Bigger text means fewer words per line, so your eyes move less from side to side.
- Put the phone at eye level and a little further away. From further back, small eye movements are harder to see.
- Read the script out loud once before you record, so the camera hears a familiar text.
More on this in how to look at the camera while reading a script.
Questions
Can viewers see the script in my video?
No. The script is shown on your screen only. The video records what the camera sees.
Can I do this with the Camera app alone?
Not with the script on screen. The Camera app has a Pause button while you record, so you can learn a few lines, say them, pause, and read the next ones.
How fast should the script scroll?
As fast as you talk when you are relaxed. In Cue, change Scroll speed during the take until the text keeps pace with you.
Is Cue free?
Yes. The teleprompter and camera, 3 scripts and Full HD recording are free. Cue Pro adds filming in takes, 4K and more: Yearly with a 7-day free trial, Monthly, or Lifetime as a one-time purchase. The App Store shows the price for your country.