Run the built-in teleprompter

The teleprompter collects scripts from contributors ahead of time, lets you set a running order and interview notes, then runs a fullscreen prompter on shoot day. Contributors can also rehearse their own script beforehand from a private practice link, no login required for either side.

Where to find it

Dashboard → Teleprompter lists your events. Each event opens its own hub with the contributor link, running order, and a Run teleprompter button.

Collect scripts before the shoot

Create an event with + New event, optionally linking it to a project. The event hub gives you a Contributor upload link to copy, show as a QR code, or open directly, contributors submit their own script at that link without an account. You can also add someone's script yourself from Add person (first name, last name, company, script text).

A few settings on the hub help you manage the collection window:

• Lock submissions and a Submission deadline close the upload form to contributors (you can still add or edit scripts yourself at any time)
• Email me new submissions notifies you as scripts come in
• Target length / person flags scripts that run long, each one gets a Fits, Tight, or Over chip
• Expected contributors lets you paste a list of names and emails, then track who's submitted and Remind the ones who haven't

Any script, from you or a contributor, can get an AI-suggested trim toward the target length with one click; the request sends that script's text to Google Gemini and you choose whether to keep the suggestion.

The event hub

The Running order section is where you organize the day: drag a row by its grip handle to reorder, mark each person Interviewed as you go, and edit a script or add producer-only interview notes inline. The list updates live as contributors submit while you have the hub open. From here you can also Print order, Download for offline, or Export all scripts as a zip.

On a long roster, dragging someone from the bottom to the top is a lot of scrolling. Click any position number instead: type the spot you want and press Enter, or use Top / Bottom. That works even while you're searching or sorted by name, which is usually how you find the person you want to move in the first place.

Tick the checkboxes to act on several people at once: mark them interviewed, move them to the top or bottom, put them in a block, or delete them. Keyboard, once a row has focus: J/K to move between people, X to select, Alt with the arrow keys to move someone, Enter to edit.

Blocks

A long day usually has a shape — Morning execs, After lunch, Booth walk-ups. Select some people and choose Block… to name that section. Blocks show as headers in the running order with their own progress ("6/8 done"), collapse out of the way when you're finished with them, and move as one unit with the arrows in the header.

Sorting without losing your order

The sort control also offers company, longest read, shortest read, and order submitted. These are views — they don't change the running order, and the banner says so. If a view is the order you actually want, click Apply as running order. When you're using blocks, applying a view re-sorts people inside each block rather than shuffling the whole day.

Deleting someone no longer asks you to confirm. The row disappears and an Undo appears for a few seconds, so you can see the roster without them before deciding. Reordering offers the same undo.

Script requests sits below the running order and folds away with the chevron in its header (it starts folded once everyone on your list has submitted, keeping the count in view). Your choice is remembered per event on that browser.

Run the fullscreen prompter

Run teleprompter opens a fullscreen, dark-background runner. Playback controls include play/pause, restart, jump to top, and a 3-2-1 countdown before rolling. A Total time / Speed toggle switches between a manual scroll speed and a target run length that FirstSlate derives the speed from automatically; the on-screen time-remaining always reflects the actual remaining scroll distance divided by the current speed, so it can't drift out of sync with what's on screen.

Other controls in the runner:

• Text size, line spacing, column width, and eyeline position, adjustable live
• Mirror horizontal and mirror vertical, for prompter glass rigs
• A yellow-text theme and an all-caps option
• A focus band that dims the frame above and below the eyeline
• A fullscreen toggle and keyboard shortcuts (space to play/pause, arrow keys to move, +/- for speed)
• Jump to a person (the list icon, or press L, or click the name/counter): a filterable list of everyone in running order, with the people you've already marked done ticked off and optionally hidden. One click goes straight to them, no arrowing through the roster
• Quick edit (the pencil, or press E): fix a typo or a last-minute rewrite without leaving the prompter. Saves to the same script the hub shows
• Mark done (the check icon, or press D): ticks the person off the roster. It never moves you on — you stay on them for as many takes as you need
• A phone remote: tap the phone icon for a QR code that lets anyone nearby control playback, pace, and person from their own phone, no login, a fresh code every session. Its Roster tab has a Reorder button — whoever is watching the door can move people up and down the running order and tick them off as they finish, and the prompter stays on whoever is currently reading

If you added interview notes for the person coming up, they appear as a dismissible card before their read starts.

The runner remembers where you were. Step out to the hub and come back and it picks up on the same person rather than sending you back to the top of the roster; if it's a fresh start and some people are already marked done, it opens on the first one who isn't. Either way it tells you why and offers Start at #1.

Practice mode

Contributors can rehearse their own script from a private practice link before the shoot. It's a simplified, read-only runner (play/pause, restart, font size, and speed) that saves nothing to FirstSlate, only their own device. If the event has a target length set, practice locks to that same pace so the rehearsal matches the real read; otherwise contributors get a simple slower/faster control.

Working offline on set

Before you head somewhere with unreliable signal, click Download for offline on the event hub to save the full roster to your browser. If the fullscreen runner loses its connection mid-shoot, it automatically switches to that saved copy so the read can continue. This covers a dropped connection during a session you already opened, it isn't a substitute for downloading the event at least once while you still had a connection.

Plan availability

The teleprompter, contributor collection, and the practice link are available on every plan, including Free.

Common questions

Do contributors need a FirstSlate account?

No. Both the upload link and the practice link work without signing in or creating an account.

Can I still edit a script after the deadline passes?

Yes. Locking submissions or setting a deadline only closes the contributor-facing upload form. You can add, edit, or reorder scripts from the Running order at any time.

Does the phone remote need its own app?

No. Scanning the QR code opens a page in the phone's browser; it connects to that runner session only and generates a new code each time you start a run.