National Teleprompter Rental

1)  It can be built away from the camera so that the AC and DP can concentrate on the camera build, as it were, and the prompter operator can set up his unit separately, thus saving time.

2) Should the director wish the talent to look “off camera” then the prompter can be rolled to the desired position easily.

3) If the teleprompter operator has a later call than the main camera crew (often the case to save money) then the camera does not have to be taken off the tripod, the prompter then set up and then the camera positioned back on the teleprompter sliding plate and adjusted.

The second most popular teleprompter is the “Presidential Prompter” often called a “Speech Prompter”.  This is the type with two glass pannels one on either side of the podium.

The two monitors are located on or close to the floor so they are out of sight of the audience.  This is the type presidents and executives use when making a live presentation to an audience.

1. Because the two mirrors are partially silvered 50/50 glass, they allow the audience to see right through them to clearly view the face of the speaker.  They are supported by very thin metal poles that are about as skinny as a human finger.  Thus, the prompter is virtually invisible to the audience.   From their point of view it looks like the speaker is making direct eye contact with them.

2. The speaker then has total freedom to never have to look down at notes but to always have that all important eye contact with the audience.

3. If the event is being televised, or even recorded, the camera view is minimally obstructed by the Speech Teleprompter.

4. If there are several speakers at the event and they are of substantially different heights there is a variation on the Speech Prompter called a “Rise and Fall Presidential”. This has computer-controlled, motorized poles that literally “rise and fall” on remote command to the exact pre-set height of the various speakers.

5. We have this Rise and Fall, motorized Presidential Prompter units available in NYC, Hollywood, San Francisco, Nashville and several other cities.

Confidence Monitors, often called “Down Stage Monitors (DSM) or even “Rock ‘n’ Roll” monitors.  These consist of one or more small monitors, (usually 19″ to 32″) mounted on black folding stands which tilt upwards at an adjustable angle.

From the audience’s point of view, they look like they could be audio monitors or perhaps footlight units.

1. The Confidence Monitor setup allows the speaker to move about the stage without being tied to the podium.

2. The audience believes  that the speaker is looking directly at them.  The fact that the speaker if looking down at the monitors works, in most cases, as the stage is higher than the floor of the auditorium and the speaker is standing while the audience is seated.

3. These units are also known as Rock ‘n’ Roll Monitors because musical performers use them for song lyrics.  It gives the singer one less thing to worry about.  They relax knowing that the lyrics as well as the song order are there in front of them “just in case” .  Obviously, text of any other thought they may want to share  directy to the audienec can be added on the spot to the Confidence Monitors as well.

4. A typical setup for a speaker would be two or three 19″ Confidence Monitors.   For a singer it woul depend on how actively he/she struts around the stage.  So, for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Monitor it might take three 19′ monitnors or up to seven or more!

Back of House Confidence Monitor

Note:  There is another type of Confidence Monitor called a “Back of House Monitor”.  This is a very large monitor set up at the rear of the auditorium.  We feel this is a bad idea.

1. The BOH Monitor needs to be very large for the speaker to be able to read it from the stage.  The larger the space… the larger the monitor.  This usually entails more rental expense and more transportaion expense.

2. All the extra cabling needed to go to the monitor often requires cable being strung along the floor.  It can be a tripping hazard as well as a potential legal liability for the producers.

3. Additional, time is needed  to wire the back of the house and run power to it.

4. An unmanned monitor could be knocked over by anyone  entering or exiting the venue.

5. It destroys the illusion of the speaker’s spontaneity when the audience can simply look back and see the speech copy on the big screen.

6. Bad idea.

7. Did we mention that it’s a bad idea?

This is a variation on the standard through-the-lens teleprompter.  It fits on the rods of the camera system right in front of the lens.  The monitor is a 10″ square extremely light, high-bright monitor.  It can be powered via P Tap from the SteadiCam battery or by small onboard batteries.

It also has a wireless option.

1. It’s extremely lightweight, which SteadiCam operators love.  It’s also symmetrically configured for the proper balance.

2. Unlike the Israeli arm units that place a small monitor over the lens our SteadiCam Prompter lets the talent look directly into the lens.

3. It’s fully battery operated.  No dangling power cables.

4. It comes with a wireless option so there are no cables at all and the SteadiCam operator can walk or run freely and turn in 360 directions without seeing a prompter operator jogging along beside him.

5. The SteadiCam prompter works equally as well on a Jib, Slider or Dolly.

This is a fairly new type of Prompter.  It takes advantage of a new technology called “AutoScroll”.  The text can literally be spoken into an iPad which records the copy in a “speech to text” technology.

Then, when the speaker reads the copy it scrolls automatically to follw the spoken word.  When the speaker reads quickly, the Prompter scrolls quickly to keep up perfectly.

When the speaker slows down or stops, the text on the screen does the same.

If the speaker goes “off script” and tells a joke or ad-libs, the Prompter sits still and waits for him/her to continue.

The standard version is 10″ diagonally and the pro is 13″.

1. The Podium Prompter is easy for a speaker to  use.  He/she simply reads the copy into it and then edits it during practice.

2. It’s very affordable.  As no operator is required, it costs a small fraction of the rental price of a Presidnetial Teleprompter or a Confidence Monitor.

3. It is very small and lightweight so it can easily be shipped to a client speaking in a venue far from a major teleprompting center.  With no operator, there are no additional charges such as operator fee, travel or hotel expense.

3. The low price and easy portability allow the user to afford having the unit for several days to practice and edit and improve the copy.