What’s a Teleprompter?

A teleprompter is a beautiful thing. A teleprompter is a time-saver, a money-saver and a nerve-saver.

But actually, the teleprompter is a display device that cues the speaker with lines from any given script or text. You don’t have the entire Gettysburg address memorized? That’s okay. Because the trusty teleprompter is there to save you from blanking and losing your mojo!

The device is placed in front and below the camera lens, and the scrolling text is reflected onto a reflective surface, usually a beamsplitter, so that light travels through the glass and into the camera, and also reflects image or scrolling texts into the speaker’s eyes.

How a Teleprompter Works

A Brief History of Teleprompters:

Before the invention of the teleprompter, back in the younger days of television when programming was inundated with live shows that required almost weekly or even daily script memorization, cue cards were used to help feed the lines to the talent, but it would always be a clunky and awkward process.

In 1948, actor Fred Barton Jr. approached Irving Kahn, president of 20th century Fox Studios, and suggested an idea for a motorized scrolling cue machine. The Director of TV Research and Electrical Engineer at the time, Hubert Schlafly, (who recently passed in 2011) easily put together the device out of butcher paper, half a suitcase and some belts, pulleys and a motor.

The History of Teleprompters

The only issue was that it was easy to tell when the teleprompter was being used, as the device was placed in either the left or right of the camera, so direct eye contact could not be made. Further adjustments were made to the device. The producer of ‘I Love Lucy’ used a system of glass and mirrors to allow for direct eye contact with the camera.

From Popular Science Magazine – July 1960

After Kahn demonstrated the device to former President Herbert Hoover and others at the Republican national convention, there was a huge increase in teleprompter use in all sorts of political events by various politicians. Due to the way it allowed for eye contact with the audience, it helped create a sense of genuine
connection with the audience that is so crucial in political campaigns.

The digital, computerized teleprompter device didn’t come out until the early eighties, when a sound mixer in Hollywood named Courtney M. Goodin created Compu=Prompt, the first computer-based teleprompter that became the standard for teleprompters all over the world. The best new feature of digital teleprompters is the ability to edit the text at the last second before the shoot.

Now, teleprompters are used in almost every live show, political campaign, concert, TV commercial shoot and news
station. They are the confidence boost that every speaker needs to make a great performance an unforgettable one.

Why Use a Teleprompter?

With every passing year, month, day–heck, with every passing second, the world speeds up exponentially in every possible way. Fast food is faster, internet is more than instant, and the importance of immediacy becomes paramount. As soon as an idea is conceived for something, be it a commercial, a commentary on current events, or a rambling comedy sketch, we need to make it happen NOW. And with the given technology, it’s becoming easier and easier to do so.

Machines don’t make half as many mistakes as people do. Humans make mistakes, and that’s what essentially makes us human. That’s why in a shoot or a planned event, there is one wild factor that we can harness and control to cut the production time – performance.  Take care of that, and baby, you’ve got one smooth shoot going.

Stuttering causes more stuttering causes embarrassment and frustration and creative blocks. What Teleprompters give us is the freedom and the comfort to let ourselves really pour every ounce of energy we have into creativity and performance instead of worrying about remembering everything and awkwardly yelling “LINES…please?” every thirty seconds.  And with less time spent on retakes, less money is spent on equipment, studio space and everything else that makes our budget feel sad.

Who Uses Teleprompters?

Let’s see. Bruce Springsteen. Bill Clinton. President Obama. Basically every President after Herbert Hoover used a teleprompter for any crucial speaking events. Elton John. Barbara Streisand. Tom Petty. Paul McCartney.  SNL.  All the cool kids are doing it.

“With our collective musical memory, hand signals and teleprompter, it allows for those ambitious, ad lib moments and an inspired, musical recklessness I believe is unique to our shows.” said Nils Lofgren, member of Springsteen’s E Street Band to the Post, about playing 192 different songs on tour, with the help of the teleprompter.

Presidents 31 – 44

SNL 1995: Wake Up and Smile!

On the 20th anniversary of their morning show, the co-hosts of “Wake Up and Smile” suffer a breakdown when the teleprompter fails to provide their dialogue, and a Lord of the Flies-esque scenario plays out.

Where Can I Get a TelePrompter?

Well, you are in the right place.  Because, you know what?  WE have them.  We are American Movie Company (AMC), and we KNOW
teleprompters from back to front. We are the teleprompter
MASTERS. We have teleprompter specialists qualified in:

•     Russian
•     Japanese
•     French
•     German
•     Portuguese
•     Spanish
•     Italian
•     Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese)

And you know what the best part is? We’ve got offices in FOUR
different cities. New York, Miami, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.

Are you ready for the Teleprompter? Because our teleprompter is ready for you.

Los Angeles – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - 818-855-1754
Miami – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -  954-895-6793
NYC – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – 917-414-5489
Washington, D.C. – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -  703-209-2092

Sources:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/A-Brief-History-of-the-Teleprompter-175411341.html?c=y&page=1

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-15/opinion/ct-perspec-0415-teleprompter-20120415_1_teleprompter-fred-barton-television

Some handy and valuable teleprompter tips.

On-Camera Teleprompter

There are really six different kinds of teleprompters (aka Autocues) : On-Camera, Hand-held, Presidential, Interrotron, Confidence Monitor and Rock ‘n’ Roll.

1) On-Camera:  There are two different physical types of on-camera prompters. The first is ‘Standard size’ – these range from 11” and can go up to 21”.  These teleprompters function in two ways:  They operate “On-Camera”,  that is, they are secured between the tripod and the camera and the talent looks directly through the glass into the camera lens.  Or, these teleprompters can sit on a stand in front of the camera.  “On-Camera” is a little more time consuming to setup, but once it’s set up, the camera can pan, tilt, or even dolly and the prompter goes right along with the camera.  The other setup is on a stand in front of the camera.  This is much faster to set up, but the camera will be seriously limited in terms of its movement.  The camera will only be able to pan, tilt, or dolly a few inches before it begins to pick up the frame of the prompter glass.

2) Hand-held:  This refers to a very small monitor that is mounted on top of the camera.  The talent will have to look slightly away from the lens to read the text, but handled properly, it will look like talent is addressing the audience.  The prompter monitor is small and adds very little weight to the camera so the camera operator will not have to deal with substantial additional weight.

3) Presidential Teleprompter (aka Speech Teleprompter”):  These prompters consist of a pair of monitors on the floor on either side of the speaker and angled glass between the speaker and the audience.  The speaker will see the text on the glass, but the audience will not see the text on the glass.

4)  The interrotron, invented by Errol Morris, lets the director and talent look directly at each other via two interconnected teleprompters.

5) Rock ‘n’ Roll:  These are small monitors that are placed at the foot of the stage for music performers.  A typical setup will have about six of these around the stage.  The perfomer can glance down to see the lyrics.

6) A confidence monitor is a large flat screen TV which is usually at the back of the room.  The speaker can read his lines over the heads of the seated audience.  Advantage here is the speaker can wander around and still see his/her copy.

TIP #1:  ‘Presentation Prompter’ is a great, easy way to use teleprompter software for the mac.  It goes for $99 and works really well.  As far as I can tell, the big difference between this software and other prompting software is that Presentation prompter works in two modes – Edit and Presentation.  When in presentation mode, the operator cannot change the text.  Edit mode makes the image a little smaller, but you can change the text.  It adds a second or two when making changes.  That second or two can seem like a long time when someone’s staring at you while you correct a typo.  But, overall, I think that time is negligible.  The programs that allow you to edit in presentation mode are much more expensive and, in my opinion, not worth it.

TIP #2:  Be sure to get the lens as close to the glass as possible.  Always clean the glass.  Delete unimportant text that the talent doesn’t need to see.  I generally make important stage directions a color other than white (which is reserved for text that is meant to be spoken).

TIP #3:  Learn the ‘over under’ mode of coiling cables.  You can see videos of this online.  It’s a little hard to understand at first, but you can quickly pick it up.

I trust the above information was helpful.

Interrotron Director’s View

The Story of the Errol Morris Interrotron

Errol Morris, an incredibly prolific American filmmaker and documentarian, invented the Interrotron. The word was formed by combining the notions of terror and interview. Most people feel extreme fear (terror) at being on camera being interviewed. (Note: the word is sometimes misspelled as interritron, interratron or a variation).

In an interview published in FLM Magazine, Morris explained that what he always wanted to achieve in his films was true eye contact between the interviewer and his interviewee.

We all know the importance of looking a person in the eye. Eye contact occurs when two people look at each other’s eyes at the same time. Looking directly at someone’s eyes does several things – it exudes confidence, it gives the viewer emotional information, it makes it more difficult to elude, to be cagey, to lie.  In fact, using the Interrotron, is as if the interviewee is watching television and curiously the effect is less intimidating – it accomplishes the original aim – it gets the person to speak freely. Essentially, the two people involved are looking at each other’s live images. In fact, they are not looking at each other. Morris in an interview with Scot Paley of 60 Minutes, spoke of the Interrotron and its value. To paraphrase – he said that it gives him the ability to create an interview where someone is talking to him and it’s as though they are talking directly to the audience. He adds that eye contact is incredibly important. We all recognize the power of that connection when it happens.

If I may go off on a tangent – I just heard Vice-President Joe Biden say “…look them in the eye”. He was referring to the 14 senators or so who are now standing in the way of bringing comprehensive gun control legislation to a vote. The idea, of course, is that if those lawmakers were to meet eye to eye, face to face with the parents of the children slaughtered by a madman at Sandy Hook, they might find it more difficult to say no to gun control. Common sense will rule, sane people expect.

I now return to our topic – the Errol Morris Interrotron.

Morris recalled that when he directed “Gates of Heaven” in 1978, (about the pet cemetery business) he was not happy about his interviews. Those interviewed were not looking directly at the camera lens – it always seemed they were looking just a bit to the side. Morris’s head was right next to the lens and that’s where they were looking. He wanted his subjects to look him in the eye. He wanted mutual eye contact. His image had to be where the lens was. But how could that be done?

He found a way. The Interrotron was the answer.

But, let’s step back a moment and talk a bit about the Teleprompter. For the few out there who don’t quite know how the Teleprompter works – it displays text – an image is projected on a two-way mirror. It is widely used by both politicians and newscasters. They look directly into the lens and read text at the same time. No one had thought of using it for anything else, amazingly enough. Morris had the idea of putting his face on the Teleprompter or more accurately, a live video image. In essence, he was then able to be talking to someone, and he/she could respond and look directly into the lens of the camera. There was no distraction, no looking to the side. There was true eye to eye communication. Contrary to preconceptions, rather than intimidating people it makes them feel at ease. It seems they are speaking directly to the interviewer. The Interrotron creates intimacy. The exchanging and imparting of information is simplified.

Eye to eye – the truth is revealed.

Errol Morris Interrotron

Best Price Teleprompter Rental

By Amy Bursor, NYC Prompter Princess

OK, so you have a video shoot coming up and you need a teleprompter.

But, you want the best price.

And so you tell your production assistant to go and get you a good deal on a really cheap teleprompter rental.

He/she goes on Google and searches for “Lowest Price on Teleprompter Rental” and finds you a really, really cheap price.

Why not go with it?

Amy Bursor, Prompter Princess – TeleprompterRental.com

Well… It could work out just fine.

Or not.  It could backfire!

Some production companies buy super cheap teleprompters and then get a PA to learn the basic free “no frills” software included and then…

 Voila! They become a teleprompter rental company.  And they get on the Internet and offer to rent you a teleprompter,  really, really cheap.

Think about it.  You have just one chance to get it right.

You can go with us at TeleprompterRental.com, a national teleprompter service with “top of the line”  Teleprompters, (Autocues).   It becomes a question of cheap v. quality.  We will provide you with the best quality units, and fully featured software.  We do not scrimp on this.  What interests us is not “cheap” it is “expensive” if it means the best.  You will work with professional operators who have back up machines available  if  it becomes necessary to replace the teleprompter.

Or you can trust your project to the “cheap teleprompter dudes”.

Believe me, it makes a real difference where you rent.

Look, I am not forcing you to get your teleprompter, presidential teleprompter  aka speech teleprompter or Interrotron from us at TeleprompterRental.com.  I am strongly suggesting you do rent from us!

But, if you don’t, make sure you do rent from a national teleprompter company like ours.  A single owner-operator may give you a cheap teleprompter rental rate.  But how do you put a price on having a professional, experienced operator/technician who can trouble shoot a broken unit?  You need someone who can call for back up parts, a new mirror or even get a fellow operator to rush over a replacement unit so your show can go on.

Your gig absolutely must to be good.  On time and on budget.

But again, you know that.  Consider all your options and choose us.

Feel free to call me, Amy Bursor, here for TeleprompterRental.com and forget all those come on’s like “Really Cheap Teleprompter Rental,” “Best Price on Teleprompter Rental” and  ”Lowest Price on Teleprompter Rental. “ 

Deal with professionals.

Deal with us.

By the way , a while back we bought two of those really cheap teleprompters.   And, if you’re just using a teleprompter  ” in house” and you don’t need to fit it to different cameras, etc. – buying one of these might make good economic sense.

To recap:  Rent from a reliable source - TeleprompterRental.com

Or gamble with the dudes at… those sites which may be cheap but aren’t worth the risk.

Bet on TeleprompterRental.com

We take pride on our work.

By Valentin Ewan

Since ancient Greece there have been those who have struggled to remember their lines in plays and speeches. Teleprompters arose in response to this.  Back then “prompters” were people who would whisper lines to stage performers from the left of the stage.  As media developed and television began its ascent into the public consciousness in the late 1940s, performers relied on cue cards held by stage hands in order to know their words.  Seeing how cue cards had to be changed abruptly from one whole piece of text to another, they sometimes resulted in clunky speeches with awkward pauses or transitions.

It was in 1948 when a Broadway actor sought help in order to read his lines more smoothly.   He approached technical friends who helped to create the first teleprompter!  The first teleprompter was just a simple machine that rolled a piece of paper across half of a suitcase.  The new invention was greatly valued because it did allow for much smoother readings.  But it still looked noticeable on television when a person was using a teleprompter, because their eyes were always diverted away from the camera. It was a producer on the famous show “I Love Lucy” that led to the creation of the teleprompter we are familiar with today, which allows speakers to look directly into the camera while reading their lines.

Teleprompters became very popular with television but where they got the most attention was in politics. Teleprompters appealed so much to politicians because it saved them from needing to memorize countless speeches and with the new medium of television allowed them to make closer connections to viewers by being able to look directly into the camera.  Some people like to give President Obama trouble for using a teleprompter but people should know that each president, from Eisenhower to Obama, have all used teleprompters.  The only president who didn’t use a teleprompter after its invention was Richard Nixon, an admirable feat, but it hardly made him a great president.

Don’t worry you Cambodians, when Nixon said “Bust out the Barbecue sauce HAROOOOOO” he was saying it all from memory and not relying on a cold, ruthless machine.

Teleprompter operators throughout the development and use of the machine have played a key role in making sure that everything runs smoothly, as a good teleprompter operator must scroll the text at the appropriate speed for the speaker and account for any variability or changes within the text.  Recent technological developments have allowed some teleprompters to adjust their scrolling to the speed of the speaker’s voice automatically without the aid of an operator.  Despite this new technology, the majority of teleprompter users favor using teleprompter operators because it allows for more control over production and the automated technology is not yet perfect.

Those who have used teleprompters to the most effect have always been those who sought out good teleprompters and skilled operators to work them.  Teleprompters have been successfully in almost all types of media, from live events and scripted shows to even musical pieces of media. Teleprompters have even found a place in documentary film in the form of the Interrotron, a camera that works to show the captured speaker not text, but their interviewer’s face. Teleprompter use and rental should always be considered an option if you wish to give an intimate speech or presentation and don’t have the time to memorize it. Prices for renting teleprompters or hiring teleprompter operators are very reasonable if you look in the right place.

Teleprompting has come a long way and is likely to continue well into the future.  Society just needs to make sure that the literacy rate of actors and politicians doesn’t drop any further.

Get a good job as a Teleprompter Operator

By Amy Bursor

Amy Bursor, Teleprompter Specialist at Teleprompter Rental.com

A teleprompter, aka autocue, is a computerized device that cues actors their lines and prompts anchors with their scripts.
Basically there are three types of prompters:

1. The standard teleprompter or autocue, which is generally placed before the lens of the camera. The talent looks directly into the lens and sees their lines displayed in a type size which is adjusted by the operator for maximum readability.

2. The presidential teleprompter. This is usually a pair of devices usually positioned to the left and right of a speaker at a podium. President Obama uses one to great effect. The device looks like a pair of tilted glass panels mounted on a pair of vertical poles. The computer screens mounted at the bottom of the poles project an image of the script upon the reverse side of the “partially silvered” glass. The speaker only has to glance left and right to read the copy.

3. The Errol Morris Interrotron: This is a new invention used to facilitate interviews.  It addresses two problems: People being interviewed (especially non professionals) tend to be uncomfortable looking into a camera lens and often look off camera to the interviewer.  This results in a less than relaxed subject and problems with eye lines.  The Interrotron projects a video image of the interviewer in front of the camera lens for the interviewee and vice versa. This makes interviews go faster and look better.

The Interrotron, once set up, does not usually require an operator but a trained operator is essential in the efficient operation of the standard and presidential models.
A professional prompter operator must be punctual, well organized, (and being a good writer is a definite plus).  It’s an entry-level position, but it’s a very helpful way to get your foot in the door in the TV and professional video industry.
Step 1
Practice your computer skills. A good teleprompter operator types well, understands how to import and format documents from the Internet, a CD, DVD or memory stick.  Note: I can’t overemphasize the importance of  proofreading the copy to eliminate errors.
Step 2
Learn TV lingo.  Be at home on the set by familiarizing yourself with film & TV protocol.  Know what the pros call all the industry commands, positions, equipment, etc.
Step 3
Try to organize a tour of your local TV station and ask lots of questions.  It’s really important to understand every individual’s responsibilities to the production.  And if you want to aspire to one of these positions you should know what your goal is.
Step 4
If you don’t already know, ask the operator to show you how to enter data into the computer and how to scroll through a script.  A good teleprompter operator rolls the script at the pace the on-air talent reads his/her lines.  One way to do this at home is to download free trials of various prompter software systems and experiment with them.
Step 5
Always ask for business cards from the film & TV professionals you meet.  The industry is all about networking.
Step 6
Thank the facility’s staff for their courtesy.  Follow up with a thank you email to the producer and/or director. Include a resume and let him know that you hope he/she would consider your for any future opening.

Teleprompter Operators get to be on set where the action is.  It is a great job for actors with flexible schedules.

Email us for more details. (Billymilling@gmail.com)

TeleprompterRental.com

Presidential Teleprompter

A teleprompter, or autocue, is essentially a device, a display device which prompts a person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script.  In effect, it is akin to using cue cards.  The screen upon which the words are scrolling is directly in front or below the lens of the professional video camera taping the event.  The speaker need not look down to refresh his memory by reading the notes.  He appears to us (the viewers) to be speaking spontaneously or to have memorized the speech.  Were he to be using the outdated cue cards he would look distracted because the cards are usually set away from the lens axis.

Necessity is the mother of invention, says the proverb sometimes attributed to Plato.  That seems to be the case in the invention of what we know today as the teleprompter.

Back in the 50’s a few men saw the need for the concept of the teleprompter.  Fred Barton was an actor who thought of a way to help himself and other performers who found it difficult to memorize large amounts of dialogue.

Irving Kahn, a vice president at 20^th Century Fox was approached by Barton with the novel idea.  Kahn turned to Hubert Schlafly, an electrical engineer and director of television research.  Apparently, when asked if the idea was feasible, he said it was a piece of cake.  He is credited with building the first teleprompter.

After trial and error he rigged a series of belts and pulleys and… well, you know the rest.  The contraption was operated by a hidden technician.  The words were printed on a paper scroll.  It was turned gradually as the actor read.  Everyone took notice of this new marvel.  The New York Times noted that it  “coaches television actors into letter-perfect delivery of their lines and permits news commentators to simulate prodigious feats of memory.”

It became clear that the use of a teleprompter had endless possibilities.  Politicians saw its promise.

Teleprompter lore has it that in 1952 Hubert Schlafly received a strange phone call summoning him to the Waldorf-Astoria and told to bring “the gadget”.   He found himself face to face with Herbert Hoover!

The ex-President was scheduled to deliver a speech at the Republican convention that summer, and he worried about fumbling his words in front of the TV cameras.  He needed a secret weapon.   The teleprompter was it!  Hoover was not only open to using it – he saw its importance for the future.  At the Republican convention, he was impressive.  It looked to everyone as if he were looking directly at the audience, reciting his speech from memory.  At a certain point he paused – a bit too long – the teleprompter operator also paused – a little too long.  He was waiting for Mr. Hoover to continue to speak.  It was an awkward moment.  An annoyed Mr. Hoover muttered, “Go ahead, teleprompter, go ahead.”  The gaffe made the teleprompter an overnight celebrity.  A version of this incident has also been attributed to President Eisenhower.  Both used the teleprompter.  Both had mild tempers.  Both could have lost their place on the scroll and their patience.

“We must have gotten 10,000 newspaper clippings from around the world,” Schlafly, who died in 2011, recalled in an oral history interview conducted in 2000 by the Cable Center, a nonprofit educational arm of the cable industry. “That got us into the public-speaking business.” Ironically, Mr. Schlafly, did not use a teleprompter himself until he was 88, while rehearsing his speech for induction into the Cable Television Hall of Fame.

Virtually every President since Herbert Hoover has used the Teleprompter.  President Johnson relied on it during the 1964 campaign and on subsequent speeches. During the most recent Presidential campaign much was written about President Obama, Mitt Romney and other hopefuls and their reliance on the Teleprompter.

It is amazing that what began as a memory aid has become the centerpiece of modern political campaigning.  In conclusion, the Teleprompter is here to stay!

Teleprompter Reading For Maximum Effectiveness

By Amy Bursor

TeleprompterRental.com – 917-414-5489

When you have a project to complete, there is only one choice – deal with professionals.  That is especially true if it involves the use of a Teleprompter.  Put your mind at ease and rent from us.  We have teleprompter operators who can deal with any emergency.  Our staff can trouble-shoot a broken unit or call for replacement parts, a new mirror, anything that may be necessary.  Fellow operators are a phone call away.

When your job must be done with the assurance that it will be within your budget and on time, don’t hesitate to call us.  We can satisfy your needs.

TELEPROMPTERS  in NYC, LA, DC, CT, NJ and MIAMI

We offer Interrotrons and other equipment as well.

We are ready to work for you.  Promptly and professionally!

Call us at:  917-414-5489

Amy Bursor, Teleprompter Specialist – NYC Office

The Importance of Teleprompter Rehearsal

This sort of gaffe continues to happen.  The way to handle it?  With humor as Charles Barkley and his colleagues did.  They got a laugh!