Teleprompter Rental Nashville

Interrotron Mark III Rental (Director’s Unit and Talent Unit)

The Interrotron Mark III contains two separate units:

The Director’s Unit comes with its own camera, lens, tripod, hood, mirror, mounting plate and a professional 16 X 9 camera monitor.  It can accept any signal your camera outputs (HDMI, HDSDI, Component, Composite).  Thus, your director not only is “face to face” with the talent directly through the lens but he/she can simultaneously judge framing, exposure, depth of field, focus, color saturation, etc.

The Talent Unit is built on a modified, professional teleprompter platform.  But the standard definition VGA teleprompter monitor is replaced by a large 16 X 9 full HD monitor, sized to correctly display a human face in the correct proportion.   Our sliding 15mm, double gold plate mounting system will easily accommodate any camera and also support your zoom lens if desired.

Each unit comes in its own rolling Pelican case.  It is delivered in your city by a trained technician who will set up and operate the unit and then at the end of the shoot, repack and return both units.

Talent Unit:

• Telescript 19” Fold’n’Go Display

            • 19″ High Bright HD 4×3 Monitor

            • Composite, VGA, SDI or HDMI inputs

            • Reversible image capable

            • Optical Quality Mirror

            • Adjustable Camera Mount Glide Plate & Rods

            • Includes 3” and 4” Camera Risers & Multiple Increment Counterweights

            • Fits all professional and prosumer cameras

• Power cables & BNC/VGA/SDI or HDMI cords as needed

• Note: Client provides talent camera and heavy-duty tripod

• Note: Tennessee Prompters’ Sachler Video 20 Tripod System is available for $50/day

Director’s Unit:

• Telescript 15” Fold’n’Go Display

            • 15″ High Bright HD 4×3 Monitor

            • Composite, VGA, SDI or HDMI inputs

            • Reversible image capable

            • Optical Quality Mirror

            • Adjustable Camera Mount Glide Plate & Rods

            • Includes 2”, 3” and 4” Camera Risers & Multiple Increment Counterweights

• Sony HDR-FX7 3-CMOS Sensor HDV 1080 High-Definition Video Camera

• Silk Sticks-Miller 30 Fluid Head Tripod with Rolling Spreader

• Power cables & BNC/VGA/SDI or HDMI cords as needed

• Note: Client responsible for providing compatible input signal format (not HD-SDI)

Price: $1195

Delivered with an experienced technician.

($65 hr OT after 10 hrs)

The Mark III unit was invented by Errol Morris, the Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, who used his Interrotron to get great “face to face” interviews with famous, but non-professional folks.  Actually, his wife is credited with coining the word “Interrotron” which is a combination of the words “Interview” and “Terror”.

The Mark III rig is especially useful with children.  Telling a child to “keep looking into the lens” is most often an exercise in futility.  But when a kid sees a smiling human speaking to him/her from in front of the lens they are naturally drawn to that face.

It’s simply human nature.

The unit also serves to relax the talent.  This is especially true with those not used to being in front of the camera.

The Interrotron not only saves shooting time (read $$$) but often gets the best response on the first take.

That’s why top commercial directors prefer the Mark III.

Interrotron Mark II

This is basically just a teleprompter that can accept a video signal from a second camera.   It is not the real “Errol Morris invention” . but can serve to calm the talent by allowing them to see the face of the director or interviewer in front of the lens.  It does not allow the “face to face” more intimate communication possible by the Marl III or the EyeDirect described below.

It does not come with a director’s unit or second camera or professional camera monitor.

Price $645

Delivered with a professional, experienced operator.

Your other option, particularly if you are traveling or if on a tight budget, would be to consider the EyeDirect.

This popular device functions like the full Mark III in that both director and talent can see and interact with each other while preserving perfect eye line.  It does give him/her a “face to face” rapport with the talent.  Often, producers will shoot with the full Mark III in a major city such as New York or Hollywood and then take the smaller, highly portable EyeDirect on the road with them.

To see images and learn more about the EyeDirect click here.

Price: EyeDirect $250 day / $750 weekly.

It weighs 30 lbs in its custom-fitted rolling Pelican case and is just a bit larger than an airline carry-on bag.

We can ship it to you anywhere in the world.

 EyeDirect Rental

The EyeDirect functions like the standard Mark III Interrotron in that both talent and director are able to see each other “face to face” and can judge body language as well as speech all the while allowing the talent to maintain perfect eye contact with the lens.  To learn more about the EyeDirect just click on the tab in the top menu.

Like the Mark III, this unit relaxes the talent who see a human face rather than the cold eye of the camera.

The unit comes in a custom-fitted Pelican case which protects it while being shipped.  The case weighs about 29 lbs and is just a bit larger than the typical airline carry-on bag.

The case has a retractable handle and wheels to ease transportation.

Price $250 day / $750 week

Presidential Teleprompter unit

Presidential Teleprompter Rental (aka Speech Prompter)

The Presidential Prompter is the standard device of choice.for speaking to an audience from a podium.  Chances are you have seen  these in action on TV.  Every President since Dwight D. Eisenhower has used one.

It consists of two glass panels on thin steel rods which are positioned on either side of the podium.  The audience can see right through the clear glass so the speaker’s face is not blocked from view.  But the speaker can clearly see his/her text reflected in the two-way mirrored glass form their vantage point behind the podium.  For this reason, the device is sometimes called the “invisible teleprompter”.

We have prompted for every President since Gerald Ford with our Presidential Prompters and highly experienced, professional operators.  We are regularly called to the United Nations to prompt for visiting Heads of State.  Not too long ago we prompted for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.  It was a fascinating experience.

It is essential that a highly experienced operator set up and use this device as in virtually every case your event is live.  This puts pressure on the operator to be ready when Murphy’s Law kicks in and there is some unexpected problem.  Our skilled operators carry a backup laptop because, let’s face it, while today’s computers are rugged and dependable and we always update and care for ours… they are still computers.  And on rare occasions they fail.  So a backup is not just a good thing, it’s an essential thing when operating at a live event.

Additionally, the operator must thoroughly know the software and be able to react instantly to every change in the script.  Suddenly the talent stops for a joke or to respond to an audience member or to just ad lib for a few moments… the operator cannot get flustered. If the speaker strays “off script”, the operator needs to not panic and handle the situation.   He/she must stay calm and professional and deal with the unexpected.

For more information as well as images of the Presidential Prompter click on the tab at the top menu.

Price $845

Pair is delivered with a professional operator.

Confidence Monitor

While speakers most often stand behind the podium, some performers prefer to roam about the stage and occasionally venture out into the audience.  In these cases we recommend using one or more Confidence Monitors.  These are flat screen HD monitors which receive a teleprompter signal.

The size and number of monitors vary depending on the venue and the client’s preference.

Typical configurations are:

Price $645

Two 19″ Monitors.

Delivered with Operator, Computer & Software.

($95 per additional Monitor).

Price  $645 One 32″ or 36″ Monitor on a low black stand.

Delivered with Operator.

($125 per additional unit).

Large screen 42″ to 90″ Monitor mounted on a large rolling stand.

Delivered with Operator.

Price:  Please Call 212-219-1075

EyePrompter – Nashville

iPad Teleprompter Rental / EyePrompter Rental

We have experimented with virtually every type of iPad prompter and, frankly, we are not in love with any.  The text is just not easy to control. And the key to a good prompter experience is the confidence the talent has that the text is going to keep up with him or her.  If they speed up, the text flow must speed up if they slow or stop the text must follow suit.

The iPad is just not great at this.  There is a way to control the iPad with an iPhone via Bluetooth but I have never been satisfied with it.  It is not dependable in a professional situation.

But, the best iPad prompter we have seen is the EyePrompter.  It is one piece, folds flat so it fits in a small briefcase (great for shipping) and unfolds ready for action in literally one minute and eleven seconds.  I timed it.

It sits on a small light stand or low C-stand (typical 750 stud) not included.  We do supply the adaptor.  This means you can use any camera from a small prosumer camcorder to a huge professional rig with a very long lens.

Price $95

An additional $25 if you need the iPad and software.

Note: This unit is not delivered and does not come with an operator.  It can be picked up and dropped off in Manhattan and Hollywood.

More information on eyeprompt rental click here

Rise and Fall “Robotic” Presidential Prompter Pair

Occasionally, there is a need for several speakers to share the same podium at a live event.  They may be of varying heights so that the teleprompter may need to be adjusted up or down for each individual.  Having an assistant rush onstage to adjust the prompter height is not a good way to handle this.

Enter the Rise and Fall “Robotic” Presidential Teleprompter.   In rehearsal, our operator sets the height of the two glass “paddles” for optimum comfortable reading level for each speaker.  Then during the live event, he/she robotically adjusts the prompter height from a nearby location.

This unit is available in New York and San Francisco but can be shipped to other cities.  Our Manhattan robotic prompter has served Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Nantucket, Newark, Atlantic City, Hartford, Westchester and the Hamptons.

Price: $1695 Rise and Fall “Robotic” Teleprompter

Pair Delivered with a Professional Operator

Podium Teleprompter

Now there are cases where in spite of the fact that the Presidential Prompter is virtually invisible, the speaker still does not want the audience to suspect that he/she is using a teleprompter.  In that case we recommend a  “Podium Prompter”.  This consists of a thin “high bright” professional prompter monitor placed directly on the podium.  The wires are dressed inconspicuously down the inside of the podium and over to the operator hidden offstage.  

Note: As the Presidential Prompter is in two large rolling Pelican cases and the Podium Prompter is in one small briefcase, it’s cost effective to ship the podium prompter for venues where the budget is an issue or the local operator is not totally familiar with the more complex Presidential Prompter setup.  A local operator can easily connect the device (it’s a professional camera monitor with HDSDI, BNC, HDMI, Component and Composite inputs).  It has a VGA converter just in case.    The Podium Teleprompter is available in NYC and Hollywood but can be shipped anywhere.

Price:  $645 Podium Teleprompter

Delivered with a Professional Operator