Using large screen TVs for an autocue alternative

[Andrew Smith]

Found this pic where you have an alternate setup using large screen TV screens instead of the more complicated and expensive setup of dedicated gear incorporating a 45° glass panel.

Here (in attached photo) you can see how the line of sight for the TV camera goes right through the middle of the supports and through the vertical gap between the screens. Wouldn't be a good solution for news readers, but would easily suffice for other uses where you aren't going to be perfectly lined up anyway.

Andrew

[Allan Black]

Hi Andrew. Reading the teleprompter, it looks like a political democratic TV rally.

You’d wonder why they need large screens like that, maybe Joe Biden is way back from the camera and forgot his glasses.

And he’s in a gym, maybe in a large group? And the top screen is for location links?

Cheers.

[Andrew Smith]

Found another example of pretty much the same rig, but with what looks to be a larger screen. This one is at an outdoor event.

Andrew

YouTube (Short URL)

[Josh Bass]

I am actually a professional prompter operator more than I am other things, and yes for live stuff “downstage monitors” are a valid way to go. It lets the speaker move around since the viewing angles are way more generous on a large screen (they could even have 3 side by side or something, though usually in those cases middle screen has text and side screens have slides). Also good for concerts (yes I have teleprompted singers).

Ive seen screens on floor near stage angled up, as well on wall opposite stage higher up, and even once on a stand in the middle of a church aisle about 50-100 ft from stage. Personally I think the farther back you go the larger the screen needs to be, or the necessarily larger text will only allow very few words on screen at once.

That church thing was miserable because the presenters were improvising much of the time, and I could only fit about 6 words on screen at once, so it was very hard to tell when they went from improv to reading and I had basically no time to react when they did.

Possible downside is eyeline...will look like theyre looking down if monitor is on floor, etc.

[Andrew Smith]

Interesting.

I was myself thinking that for a proper teleprompter for a talent at that distance, you'd run into limitations of how big the unit could be (to have the associated height of text for the speaker to still be able to read).

Andrew

[Josh Bass]

Yeah. You have to go bigger and bigger with text the further away the screen is. Also causes you to have to scroll faster to have the text keep pace with the speech.

[Allan Black]

Joe’s support group needs to get on the ball. Use a lavalier mic so he can walk around and don’t set up next to cars.

Interesting Josh. Back in the day before autocue, I worked with a TV newsreader who when he was a kid, his very religious family took turns reading from the Bible after dinner. So now when doing the news, this guy could look down, instantly memorise 2 or 3 sentences, look up and deliver them to camera.

A female presenter I knew could record her script on a small tape recorder then on the set, fit an earpiece behind her long hair and on cue start playing the tape and read to camera, one second behind the tape. She made an absolute fortune doing docos including many overseas jobs.

Cheers.

[Josh Bass]

Yeah, the audio prompter. People still use those. I worked on a shoot where the narrator/talent used an audio prompter. Seems hard as hell to me, but some folks can apparently do it.

[Allan Black]

Our pretty blonde (rich) presenter wasn’t dumb. She told me it took her a while to learn how to read the script a second behind her tape, then there was the last minute script changes, she learned to cope with those as well. When others heard of this technique a few tried to copy it, but with the real expensive projects Blondie had the market sown up.

I was going to add, after our very first news program March 4 1962, the owner of the brand new NBN3 in Newcastle rang our news reader the next day and told him to go down to a menswear shop on Main Street, get fitted, buy 2 new suits and put them on the owners account. Television was here.

Cheers.

[Andrew Smith]

The problem with lavs etc is that subjects often will roam where they please. This makes me work harder as a cameraman. The good thing about a lectern is that they (and everyone) know if they walk away then nobody can hear them, so it reliably keeps them there on that exact spot.

(My nightmare scenario is a venue where you can't take an audio feed from the PA system and you have a wireless lav carefully taped to the stem of the lectern mic. The speaker then expresses a desire to walk around as they talk so they can be 'one' with the audience etc, and someone gives them a handheld mic. They then walk around as they talk ... sounding great in the house but gives nothing direct to the video camera. This even happens after the organisers have been warned why the lectern has to be used.)

Andrew

[Josh Bass]

Live events: source of your income or bane of your existence?

Yes.

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

Interesting.

I was myself thinking that for a proper teleprompter for a talent at that distance, you'd run into limitations of how big the unit could be (to have the associated height of text for the speaker to still be able to read).

Andrew

For Sydney Town Hall, pretty large, we used 75" monitors behind and above the audience for down stage cuing for the presenters on stage. As long as their distance sight isn't a problem then it works well. Have even used rear projection and large screens for certain outdoor live events such as the footy grand finals.

Chris Young