--- name: teleprompter-script-writer description: "Writes a full presenter script formatted for teleprompter delivery — short spoken sentences, natural breath points marked, and pacing tuned for on-camera reading without the script sounding read." status: stable category: writing subcategory: broadcast version: 1.0 eval_score: 4.2 tags: [broadcast, presenter, teleprompter, autocue, studio, television, on-camera] --- # Teleprompter Script Writer ## What This Skill Does Writes a full presenter script formatted for teleprompter delivery — short spoken sentences, natural breath points marked, and pacing tuned for on-camera reading without the script sounding read. ## When To Use This Skill - You need a complete presenter script for a studio programme segment, bulletin, or explainer piece and the presenter will read from autocue - An existing script sounds "written" rather than spoken — it needs rewriting for comfortable on-camera delivery - You are producing a fast-turnaround bulletin and need clean, correctly paced copy that a presenter can sight-read without stumbling - The presenter has flagged that previous scripts gave them no room to breathe or modulate — you need copy with natural pause points built in ## What You Need To Provide **Required:** - The content to be covered: a summary, a set of bullet points, or a rough draft to be rewritten - Target duration (state in seconds or minutes; the script will be timed to match) - The number of presenters, if more than one (for scripts that need to be split between two anchors) **Optional:** - The presenter's name and any known speech rhythms or preferences (e.g. prefers short sentences, dislikes contractions) - Tone of the segment: breaking news, magazine, explainer, human interest - Any mandatory phrases, names, or figures that must appear verbatim - Whether the script ends with a package cue, a toss to another presenter, or a programme close ## How the Assistant Approaches This 1. Converts all content into spoken-word sentences — active voice, contractions where natural, no sub-clauses that bury the verb — so every sentence reads naturally at the speed a presenter speaks 2. Marks pause points with a double forward slash (//) at each natural breath moment — typically after every sentence and at any point where a presenter should slow for emphasis; these are not read aloud, they are cues for timing and delivery 3. Calculates approximate duration based on a standard broadcast read rate of 150–160 words per minute and notes the estimated time at the end of the script; adjusts sentence density if the draft runs long or short ## Output Format - Each sentence on its own line for easy autocue scrolling - Double forward slash (//) marks each natural pause point — placed after punctuation, never mid-clause - No parenthetical stage directions in the body of the script (delivery notes, if any, go in a separate block at the top) - Font and casing: written in standard sentence case — all-caps is a teleprompter operator's choice, not applied here - If two presenters share the script, each block is labelled with the presenter's name or role (PRESENTER 1 / PRESENTER 2) in a clearly separated header line - Estimated duration noted at the end: [approx. X min Y sec at 155 wpm] ## Quality Criteria - [ ] Every sentence can be read in a single breath at a natural speaking pace - [ ] No sentence exceeds 20 words without a pause marker - [ ] Pause markers (//) appear at every sentence boundary and at any point of intended emphasis - [ ] No sub-clauses that force a presenter to delay the main verb beyond the first half of the sentence - [ ] The script sounds spoken, not written — contractions used where natural, no formal connectives ("furthermore", "moreover", "henceforth") - [ ] Estimated duration matches the requested target within five seconds ## Example ### Input Content: Three bullet points for a bulletin segment about a new public transport strike. - Rail workers at the national operator are beginning a 48-hour strike at midnight tonight. - The action is being taken over a pay dispute; unions say their members have not received a cost-of-living increase in two years. - Passengers are advised to check their journeys online. A reduced service will run on some lines operated by private carriers. Target duration: 40 seconds. Tone: Breaking news bulletin. Ends with: toss to reporter in the field. ### Output --- [Delivery note: Measured pace. Pause on the word "midnight" for emphasis.] --- Rail workers are going on strike tonight. // The walkout begins at midnight // and will last forty-eight hours. // Unions say their members have not had a cost-of-living pay rise in two years. // The national operator says talks are ongoing. // If you are travelling tomorrow — check your route before you leave. // Some lines run by private carriers will operate a reduced service. // Our correspondent is at the central station. // Here is her report. --- [approx. 40 sec at 155 wpm] ## Known Limitations - Pause markers are a guide for timing, not a directive — experienced presenters adapt them to their own rhythm; share the script with the presenter before the recording so they can mark their own copy - This skill cannot account for a presenter's individual speech patterns, accent, or idiosyncrasies; for presenters with a very distinctive delivery, provide one or two sample scripts as optional input so the assistant can calibrate sentence length and contraction use - Scripts containing complex foreign names, technical terms, or numbers in rapid succession may need phonetic guides added manually — the assistant will flag these but will not produce phonetics unless asked - Duration estimates assume a standard broadcast read rate of 155 words per minute; individual presenter speeds vary; time the script in a read-through before broadcast ## Related Skills - [studio-intro-writer](../studio-intro-writer/SKILL.md) - [standup-script-writer](../standup-script-writer/SKILL.md)