Category: Teleprompter
Teleprompter Anecdotes – Amusing!
Posted by Bill in Teleprompter aka Autocue Monday, 27 February 2012 21:26 No Comments
Enjoy the following teleprompter references in this political season.
For some reason President Obama has been singled out for his use of the teleprompter. It only enhances his unquestioned ability to communicate.
Here is an example of the brouhaha surrounding the use of the teleprompter:
The Truth About Obama’s Irish Teleprompter “Gaffe”
Dozens of readers emailed me to ask why I hadn’t include the teleprompter mix-up at last week’s St Patrick Day event in my top 10 gaffes by Barack Obama and Joe Biden when the president supposedly thanked himself for hosting the event because the wrong speech was loaded onto the machine.
Well, it seemed a bit fishy to me and there was no video. And upon further investigation – Obamaphobes and dittoheads brace yourselves for a big disappointment – I can confirm that there was no gaffe by the president.
This is what happened.
THE TELEPROMPTER MADE THE PRESENTATION A SUCCESS
Posted by carmen in Autocue, Teleprompter Thursday, 16 February 2012 20:04 No Comments
Teleprompter Use Strongly Recommended
I am not unaccustomed to being in front of an audience, however, I found myself in a situation where I had to deliver a speech in Italian. I am not fluent in Italian so when a friend suggested I use a teleprompter I saw it as a great idea and embraced it.
I did some research and came upon American Movie Co. The teleprompter operator was incredibly attentive and sensitive to my needs. He was totally professional and made me feel so at ease that the stress disappeared. He patiently instructed me on how best to use the teleprompter. I became familiar with it and delivered what was a flawless presentation! In addition to making the teleprompter available on short notice they also managed to enlarge photos of the many pieces of wearable art, jewelry, and other objects which I was showing at this particular venue. They had several models to choose from and together we settled on the teleprompter autocue pictured below.
- Teleprompter autocue
You might like to see the beautiful, amazing jewelry in question. It is made by a cooperative in Lucca, Tuscany called “Belle di Niente”. It loosely translates to “Beautiful Things from Nothing”. It is run by a small group of women who make the most inventive pieces from remnants of fabric and leather and most interestingly from plastic, yes, plastic from multi-colored soda bottles. The idea is to recycle and to imagine. The possibilities are endless. The unbridled creativity of these women, all artists in their own right, is awe-inspiring. What they’ve created is brilliant and aesthetically unparalleled. I might be given to a bit of hyperbole given that one of the women, Marina Bigongiari, is a personal friend and I represent her work here in the US. But, don’t just take my word for it – see for yourself. Check out their website. If you are interested in any of the items feel free to contact me at:
venturacarm@gmail.com
Belle di Niente
Belle di Niente artists (founders)
Now back to the reason for this entry – the teleprompter – a great asset to anyone who takes pride in making a good impression at a presentation. The teleprompter was invaluable.
Teleprompter and Green Screen
Posted by Bill in American Movie Company, Autocue, Green Screen, Presidential Teleprompter, Teleprompter Monday, 30 January 2012 19:15 No Comments
Teleprompter and Green Screen
My friend, Ana, on the Green Screen
Using a teleprompter (aka Autocue) and actually seeing what a green screen looked like were not part of our schedule. Let me explain. I was here visiting from Portugal with a group of 6 high school students, all aspiring musicians. We walked around Manhattan, mesmerized. We visited the usual tourist attractions and were lucky enough to see Wicked, Memphis, and Porgy and Bess!
Back at our hotel, the teenagers were watching television and reliving every moment of this wonderful trip. On one of the programs, I don’t know which one, they were showing a behind the scenes filming. They showed actors in front of a green screen stage and then magically transported to a foreign place.
Filomena, a singer with some experience performing in front of small groups both at school and in small town church halls said she’d give anything to be able to sing and visit a studio where they had a green screen stage.
The other students joined in and began to see how they could accomplish that. They called their parents back home, and I even heard one of them say they could use the money they’d saved up to rent a green screen studio. They all began to go on the internet and it will astonish you, but it is true – they came across the American Movie Company, which does have a green screen stage. The next day they called and the studio was free that very afternoon. So instead of going to the Cloisters we all went to the studio. They were in awe – they had never been to any studio – so to see a green screen stage and to see and actually use a teleprompter was beyond belief.
Teleprompter Speech Led to Award
Posted by Bill in Autocue, Battery Powered Teleprompter/Autocue, Daylight Teleprompter, Presidential Prompter, Presidential Teleprompter, Teleprompter, Teleprompter aka Autocue Sunday, 29 January 2012 05:47 No Comments
Teleprompter Rental Made It Possible
I am not competitive by nature, or so I would have said last year before I used a teleprompter (aka Autocue) to sew up a friendly competition. I live in a gated community in Northern New Jersey. I belong to one of the many clubs devoted to fundraising for a variety of worthy causes, including Haiti.
Young boys in Haiti
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was devastating. Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid. Words fail me - how to convey the catastrophic magnitude of such an event? My friends and neighbors just wanted to do our part. I wanted to raise the most money. I had to find a way to beat out my friends who depended on index cards.
When practicing my speech at home, I often became incredibly emotional and often lost my place. That is why I decided to buy one less designer bag and rent a teleprompter instead. I am so happy I did. My speeches in front of donors went flawlessly. They were all very impressed with my apparent self-confidence, my ease in front of large groups. I knew that the teleprompter was like my security blanket. If I became distracted or maudlin – the teleprompter was there to bring me back and I soldiered on. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that my speeches were in Spanish, French and English, of course! The teleprompter operator was not fazed at all by the foreign languages. Ok and we shot in bright sunlight so I had to have a battery powered, daylight teleprompter with a high bright monitor.
I don’t mean to brag but I raised a lot of money and in the process was judged to be the best speech giver! I got a certificate to that effect. When asked what gave me that edge, I said that the Presidential Teleprompter was it!
Thank you teleprompter!
Now, I give you a really great video of interviews we go with and without the teleprompters.
Teleprompter Came to New Jersey
Posted by Bill in Teleprompter Sunday, 29 January 2012 01:06 No Comments
Teleprompter Came to New Jersey.
Prompter in action
I was to meet an old friend, Eileen, at her house in New Jersey. We were to be filmed by our mutual friend, Peter, as we acted out a few scenes of a play written by her son who happens to be studying in Ireland. She’s a semi retired English teacher but still very interested in drama. I am a lawyer with a flair for histrionics.
What happened next satisfied our penchants for the dramatic.
Michael sent us the script by mail three weeks in advance – enough time for us to memorize the lines. However, to quote Robert Burns “…The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew…” And so they did. The script didn’t arrive on time for our recording session. There we were unable to re-schedule given that Peter was away with his wife on a second honeymoon – they chose to go without what many consider indispensable – iPhone, iPad.
Peter showed up on the scheduled day ready to shoot! He trusted that we would be ready and eager to become legends! Alas… that didn’t quite happen as easily as we had envisioned. Peter is a problem solver. He called Michael in Dublin who immediately emailed the scenes in question. Peter has a friend who works in advertising in New York who was able to connect him with a teleprompter operator who drove out to New Jersey and saved our day! They coordinated and actually performed a miracle – they printed the script and Eileen and I acted our hearts out and actually found reading the teleprompter fun. We felt like real actresses.
We sent our interpretation to Michael and he has shown it to his classmates who were rather impressed with our dramaturgic skills.
We were both so thankful to Peter and his ability to make things happen.
Who knew that a teleprompter would save the day?