If one MUST fly a prompter in multi-cam....which one is best?

[Bryan Trieb]

Hello everyone....hope this post finds you all flying often and in good health.

 

I have an award show coming up and they want me to fly a prompter. Which one would you all recommend as being the best balance between light and easy to rig/power, and good viewablilty for the talent?

 

I have flown a prompter in the past, but it was one of those rather clunky glass screen small units. Didn't enjoy my experience with that style of prompter. I'm pretty sure I've seen some sleek LCD units rigged to a camera on the steadicam. Always but a brief glimpse on US based multi-camera shows.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Thanks!!!

 

Bryan Trieb

[Stephen Press]

I flew a very good one last week, it was an Autocue brand not clear on what model. It has a flat 17? LCD screen above the glass. I was a bit worried at first how well it would balance as it mounts from the camera handle and not underneath with the extra plate and arms. As it was I had to have the camera as far back as it went. With the light triax back in the camera if I had had a wider lens on I think I would have had to put some extra weight on the back of the camera. That aside it flew well, was easily readable and didn?t cripple me. They had problems getting the teleprompter to feed from the return video and wanted to run another cable to me but I was able to use my video sender in reverse, from the teleprompter to my rig, had some fun and games powering it though as I normally power the transmitter from the rig.

[BasThijssen]

Hi Brian,

 

I worked with this confiuration some months ago. It was the wireless camera from Grass Valley and we made the prompter also wireless with a small HF transmitter. It worked ok but you had the idea that you were flying the Titanic.

 

 

Bas Thijssen

Edited November 15, 2005 by BasThijssen

[Guido Lux]

Hi guys!

 

I found the Autocues and other prompters way to heavy and too big! I've got a bracket made so I can mount my 7" Panasonic right under the lens! It works great for the talent and it's nice and light! I'll work again with it tomorrow and take some pictures!I'll post then tomorrow!

 

cheers,

 

Guido Lux

[Mitch Gross]

I don't like the Autocues. The brackets are an odd design that can easily interfere with a head or mounting plate. The screen is on top which raises the center of gravity and can add vibration. The monitors are relatively heavy for their size, even as LCDs go.

 

I like the simpler setups that use computer monitors. They often have better contrast and give a sharper image, so a smaller screen can still be more readable for talent. There are a few lower cost units that use smaller screens and are designed for handheld (or Steadicam) use. Check out PrompterPeople.com for a small unit. They mount the screen from below and do so in a simple and solid way. The smallest rig is so tiny that I figure I could make a front rod mounting rig for it if I ever got around to it. They're cheap enough to add to your kit so you don't have to fly the supplied beastie. The only problem with flying computer screens is that you need to convert the signal to something it can display. But there are small boxes out there that can do this no problem. I think Horita makes one that is the size of a pack of cigarettes and can run off 12v. Use a Modulus for your prompter feed and you're all set.

[Bryan Trieb]

Hey guys...thanks for your responses.

 

Bas....thanks for showing the pics.

 

Guido...I'm curious to see pics of your set up! Any chance you can post them? Do you just run cable from the "prompter out" on the camera straight into your lcd?

 

I think ultimately I'd like to be able to fly a prompter that way....lcd on rods just under the lens. The only challenge would be the eyeline of the talent...as I'm usually only about 6-10ft away from them.

 

The production ended up changing slightly and didn't need to fly a prompter...however I will have another award show in April that will definately want one so I have ample time to prepare.

[Guido Lux]

Hi guys! Here are the promised pix! Better late than never...

 

cheers, Guido

[Marc Abernathy]

im doing steadi on CNN now (atlanta shows) so ill post up which prompters turner uses if anyone cares to know. they are SUPPOSEDLY ordering 3 more so im not sure which ones they are.. i guess i could ask engineering... but they have been on order for a while now..

 

anyway, this is the old school kind that has the cloth on back with the glass and the lcd monitor is on top. it all connects on the camera handle...

[Mitch Gross]

Mark, show us some pictures. Was it you I saw in the recent "60 Minutes" piece about the guy with the financial show who screams the whole time? Can't recall if it was CNN or CNBC.

[Peter Abraham]

No, that would have been the lovely and talented Keith Greenwood of New Jersey. His work at CNBC is unbelievably clean, and he just keeps churning on through hour after hour, different sets, different shows. A nice fellow and very fine Op.

 

Peter Abraham

New York

[David George Ellis]

Was it you I saw in the recent "60 Minutes" piece about the guy with the financial show who screams the whole time?

 

The guy who screams is Jim Cramer. His show is called "Mad Money". I've actually been wondering about how that show was shot. Very fluid and constantly on the move. I came across "Mad Money" about a month ago and was intrigued. I figured Steadicam is mostly used in the studio, but the camera's stamina seemed Olympian. Cramer's coverage between breaks is more often than not a oner and then cut to commercial.

 

I normally don't watch CNBC because it tells the story of trading smart money 8 weeks too late for us outside the insider circle, but Cramer's show is the only one that even covers speculative and value play stocks. Being a contrarian, I like his show b/c he helps me understand the fundamentals so I can make sense of the technical analysis. And it's shot very dynamically. The only news show that isn't just f'ing talking heads

 

Then again, Cramer's Charitable Trust owns a good percentage of the stocks mentioned on his show. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I can see his leveraging potential. I conceeded to the fact that it was shot using either a Jib, Steadicam or combination of the two. Thank you Mitch and Peter, for clearing up that air of wonder. Now I can concentrate on what that maniac is yelling "Booyah!" about all the time.

 

My hat's off to you, lovely and talented Keith Greenwood of New Jersey. Thank you for fulfilling two of my daily needs. Coverage of the market, and shooting it in a manner to match Jim Cramer's off-the-wall energy.