Prompting Gets Personal

Chris Lambert, MD of Teleprompting Techniques explains how a prompter could become as much a part of a presenter’s daily life as their smart phone.
When you think of a teleprompter the image that comes to mind is a large contraption mounted onto a camera and tripod, using special brackets of one kind or another, creating a large unweildy lump of kit. It would probably be delivered by a van and controlled by an operator - altogether quite a performance, presenting problems of co-ordination, access, parking, and, of course, rental or capital costs. And then once it is set up and the operator has organised their base station and transferred the script, and after the edits have been made, the scene will finally be shot.
Now nobody would suggest that this procedure is not appropriate for a production where the whole news is being linked from a single location, or the production is a major Outside Broadcast that will be on site for a day or more. But it does seem unnecessarily complicated and facility hungry for intros and links for news, general productions, documentaries or corporate pieces to camera, especially where maximum mobility is of the essence.
But times are changing, nowadays many presenters already operate the prompter themselves in studio linking or summary situations using remote foot or hand controls, either wired or wireless. It has created a new relationship between the presenter and the prompter, a familiarity with how it works, and in some cases even a preference to self op over the services of an operator. This can now be taken a stage further to the point where a presenter can take full responsibility for their own prompting without the need to co-ordinate equipment or operator. If they have a smart phone, such as an iPhone, or iPad, or Android they have, literally, a prompter in their pocket. Add an App and a mount and they have their very own competitively priced teleprompter to be used anytime, anywhere they need it, just like any other piece of technology they use in their daily lives.
At IBC here are several teleprompter manufacturers demonstrating portable equipment suitable for the self operated prompting approach.
Autoscript will be showing iPlus, an ultra portable field prompter using an iPad or tablet as the monitor display. The unique associated software enables scripts to be sent straight from the newsroom prompter to a remote location where the presenter can then self operate. MD Brian Larter said “Portability can be an essential part of prompting technology and iPlus completes Autoscript’s end to end prompting solution. How else can you provide a full professional prompting service when far away from normal facilities?” The competitively priced on-camera unit folds flat and packs into a convenient flight case along with a universal mounting system to cope with both ENG and mini-DV cameras.
Portaprompt, always great prompting innovators, have developed a remarkable folding iPhone, iPad or tablet on-camera unit for Betacam, DSLR and mini DV cameras. The philosophy of the design is to provide a universal mounting capability, including the ability to mount on camera matt box bars. The folding hood, glass, spare glass, and all the necessary brackets can be packed in an optional foam lined case for safe and easy transportation.
Autocue, as part of their Starter Series, iPad, or tablet, on-camera mounting kits come in two versions, one for larger ENG cameras and an extra lightweight mount for DV style mini-cameras which are particularly suited to presenter self operation. Richard Satchell, Commercial Director, commented “Our concept for the entry level Starter Series is to provide an affordable prompting solution whilst maintaining quality standards. We provide wide angle hoods as standard, and systems are designed to be capable of multiple rig configurations, such as above or below the lens, for use with green screen or lighting LED rings without having to purchase another unit.”
Prompter People, well known for their competitively priced on camera units, will also be showing equipment suitable for mounting an iPad or tablet on ENG or DV cameras and will be launching RoboPrompter for use with miniature cameras and pan and tilt heads.
Taking advantage of the excellent display qualities of the current range of smart phones and tablet devices, prompter text can be read, even in sunlight, at a distance of three meters or more using smart phones or four to five using an iPad or tablet.
You will also need a prompting App. There are many on offer but few suitable for serious use. Look for speed of script acquisition, editing, and most importantly a really solid speed control which can not only offer WiFi or Bluetooth remote control options, but also a rock solid wired control for live use. The three most suitable contenders that come to mind are iPlus, picoPrompt, ProPrompter (no wired control option), and iCue.
www.allaboutprompting.com
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