Prompting: it is not only for the news

 

Review contents:

Prompting: it is not only for the news Television crib Portable teleprompter ART-5 for studio and field shooting Acoustical prompter ART-9 Prompter systems from Autocue Company BDLAutoscript Teleprompters Software for TeleScreen-32 Pro teleprompters from DRS-DigiTrax Systems from Electronic Script Prompting Company Inteliprompter Software Engenius Prompting Mirror Image teleptompters Teleprompters of Stewart Instruments VSS-2 Teleprompter Color TFT LCD Teleprompting Displays and Software from Telescript Teleview Teleprompters The teleprompter of Vectorbox News system

Cris Lampert is the technical expert of the BDLAutoscript Company. Below is his opinion, how the electronic teleprompters can be applied for the production of the TV-programs of various genres and how it is necessary to improve the teleprompters, that they would be used with maximum effectiveness together with modern cameras. The objections of Cris Lambert has recorded by Dick Hobbs (agency Hobbs Associates).

The viewer trusts to the TV presenter, which looks directly in his eyes, when speaks something. It can be the news announcer telling about recent catastrophe, or presenter of popular show, telling about the one who has become a winner of variety competition, but without dependence from a genre of the program, if it presenter directly looks in eyes of the viewer, the latter is inclined to consider, that him the truth is speaking.

There is a widespread delusion, that the teleprompters suit for activity only in the news studio, but actually its scope is much wider. Everywhere, where there is somebody, making words immediately in the camera lens, the television prompter is possible to apply, because allows arranging the announcer’s text directly before orator, but this text is not seen to the viewer. In this connection the probability of errors and repetitions at speaking of the text is considerably reduced. Quantity of surprises (occasionally unpleasant) decreases also at air realization, as already an announcer hardly will forget the important piece of the carefully prepared text, and therefore the director of the news program will not become to shout and to run into despair.

Teleprompter in the News Studio

The sharp director even uses the teleprompters at shooting of films and serials, and not only for the text imaging. There was a case, when at shooting of the known English actress in operating time above an episode including the emotional dialogue, on a screen of the prompter was depicted an image of the interlocutor of the heroine, which physically was absent on a site. It has allowed to receive much more indicative close ups.

By word, what the program was not shot, the teleprompter allows to increase it quality.

Certainly, the use of the teleprompters results in additional charges for the equipment purchase and, probably, for drawing in of the additional expert, so not only budget, but also staff is increased. But it also results in reduction of the time needed for the program or film creation, as it was already spoken, the quantity of doubles is sharply reduced, the time on preparation of a text material decreases, and it signifies, that relative small additional charges on the teleprompter and its operator will be paid back quickly.

Let’s make the lighter prompter

In the teleprompter the surprising ability of a glass to pass and to reflect light simultaneously is used. The sheet of a good optical glass with special coating fixed under the angle 45° to the lens, at all does not effect on a picture, but in this case on glass the text depicted on the screen monitor of the prompter can be reflected. This text is well seen to the announcer or presenter of the program. It is enough to add a casing removing from a glass undesirable sparkles, dazzles and reflections, and as a result the teleprompter system is made.

At the beginning of the existence the teleprompters were very heavy, and they were used with camera on CRT, which not differed by compactness or lightness. In addition to in those times at shooting of the TV program it was not supposed of heavily moving of shooting equipment in studio, therefore size and weight were not a serious handicap to activity. Massive and slow-moving camera on a pedestal was so large and heavy, that the adding of the heavy CRT monitor was resulted in to minor increase of weight of all system only because of some counterbalances on the panning handles, and all was OK.

Compact teleprompter in a transport case

In the course of time the CCD cameras have appeared. They were a little bit lighter than their predecessors, but also had have the large sizes, therefore the using of the teleprompters with 15" CRT monitor did not represent a large problem. The serious revolution has taken place after appearance of the cameras of the TV journalism class.

For example, at those years BBC has passed to the Thomson SportCam cameras. These multifunctional cameras have inverted a submission about shooting process of the television programs, as allowed the fast changing of the shooting process configuration even immediately during shooting, as they could be used both on a pedestal, and for shooting from a shoulder. With appearance of this camera class there was a necessity in the lighter teleprompters.

Here it is necessary to make small retreat from a theme. The conventional practice in Great Britain is the leasing of the teleprompters for the production of this or that program. Certainly, the specialized studios of news production are equipped with the own teleprompters, but in studios of the general assignment such equipment is mounted specially for this or that program, than the requirement of simplicity and speed of assembly and disassembly of the prompters is stipulated.

Though the company BDLAutoscript specializes just on production of the teleprompters, it the experts and management do not supply of illusions on them own account: this equipment is perceived by the studio engineer simply as inevitable evil. Everyone understand, that without a good prompting system the announcers and presenters can very fast be confused in the texts, but it does not mean, that someone wants to spend for assembling of equipment more time, than is necessary minimum.

Therefore also there were very heavy requirements to the hardware of the prompting systems, which should be simple and very fast and simply jointed to cameras, and also compact and easy. Naturally, all this should not be reflected in the solution of a primal problem of this equipment, i. e. in the presentation on a screen an announcer’s text which will be precisely visible and convenient for reading.

Liquid Crystal Displays

Fulfillment of these and many other requirements was possible with the development of flat liquid-crystal displays. As a result the capability has appeared to use the large, bright and clear display, which weighs much less than its CRT-equivalent. Also this is important that it has a less size. The screen monitor in the head of the teleprompter usually fastens vertically (that is with the horizontally located screen directed up) and lower of the lens axis. The CRT-monitor is necessary to dispose enough low concerning to the lens axis. While the cameras were large, the prompter was far from the control ring of pedestal and did not hinder the operator in control of the camera. In accordance with reduction of the camera size the prompters began to hinder their control. The LCD monitors have allowed deciding this problem, and today the 15" monitors in any way do not influence to the functionality of the camera fixed on a gas-filled pedestal.

Teleprompter with prepared anchor’s text

At the beginning of this article was mentioned, that the teleprompters can be successfully apply for the news production. The directors realize the simple fact, that the announcers should look in the camera lens, but it is necessary to them simultaneously to see the text. Actually, if, without dependence from a genre of the program, it is necessary to someone to read the text, looking in the camera, a teleprompter always will help to make it from first time, without doubles and the necessity of some correction at video editing.

Besides the gas-filled pedestal for a long time has ceased to be a limit of dreams and a standard operator equipment for news team. The TV journalists want to make the camera as a part of action. They want the close-up shooting the hero of a subject, then to be transferred with the camera in the people’ crowd, and at the same time to carry out a scaling, panning, shooting in motion etc. Try to make it with the CRT based teleprompter, attached to the camera.

At present is produced the broad range of the teleprompters with the LCD monitors developed for use together with any shooting equipment, including the cranes and devices of a Steadicam type. In these cases, apart from of ease and compactness of the LCD prompters, their other advantage becomes obvious: they do not require the power mains and can work from the camera battery by voltage 12 V. It is not only easier, but also is safer, as the necessity in power cables, scattered on a floor or wound round the crane, is disappeared.

But, nevertheless, the requirements to a miniaturization are constantly increased. The studio remotely controlled panoramic heads are developed for miniature cameras; therefore create both very compact and light prompter heads. In these cases for the efficiency increase the special mirrors (for example, Perspex of BDLAutoscript Company) and other accessories are used.

The special plates are also produced which are fixed between the camera site and the tripod head. On this plate a teleprompter fastens. In such approach it is important, so it allows dismantling the teleprompter quickly, without removing the camera from a tripod, as it is frequently happened at change of the shooting character, particularly during an interview. Afterwards the removal or mounting of the teleprompter with the help of such plate it is necessary only slightly correct the camera balance.

Text preparation for a teleprompter

The teleprompters can be used even with the smallest cameras, but in this case it is necessary the small prompters also use. For example, with use of 6" LCD monitor maximum distance for text reading can reach 2 m, that it is quite enough for shooting of the reporter in field conditions, if there is a necessity of pronouncing of a part of the report directly in the camera.

And imagine the journalist, which works outside of studio and wants to tell about any complex problem, but his knowledge in this area are low. Some minutes of the text preparation with the notebook will save from necessity to make a set of doubles or from stuttering during an air program.

In spite of the fact that the prompter heads are much lighter than their CRT-analogs, all of them have certain weight and at use with very small cameras are capable essentially change the dynamic balance. Therefore, for example, the BDLAutoscript company has developed the special attachment providing the fixing of the prompter head not on the camera, but immediately on a tripod. In this case camera is not loaded by the prompter weight and its balance is not changed, but there is a capability of application of the prompter with the large screen monitor.

In conclusion it is possible to say, that from the moment of their appearance the teleprompters have passed a long path from bulky devices of announcer text output fixed on large heavy cameras, up to flexible systems, which can be used for the production of the programs and films of any genre together with any cameras and broad range of the auxiliary shooting equipment.