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Best Teleprompter setup?


Peter Alongia

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I don't operate the prompter but have helped in a pinch set it up. Most of the time we ask client email files ahead of time or bring them on a USB stick to set. Any laptop will run the software I believe the shooter has a older model macbook he uses just for the prompter now as he rents it too. It always seems to work fine. 

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I'm looking to expand into the prompting world. Does anyone have recommendations for a teleprompter setup? What's the industry standard? What about Mac vs PC software?

I have been doing professional Teleprompting for over 30 years and I use the Telescript AV Sofware.   They have a website at

www.telescript.com

PC based systems are the most common and most reliable.  Mac software is sketchy at best and you pay a lot more for the hardware.

You need to dedicate a computer to just teleprompting so a good cheap Dell Laptop works fine.  The cheaper software (some offer it free) is pretty much junk.  You need to spend the money on good proven reliable software.  To reliably do smooth scrolling you have to turn off a lot of stuff that can interrupt it like Bluetooth and WiFi or background processes like email checking and other non related processes.

The iPad based teleprompters or App based software are all pretty worthless since you can't easily navigate the script or make changes.  Teleprompting as a service is all about Reliability and versatility and the ability to make changes quickly which happens constantly on commercial and corporate video production.   You don't want something that crashes or gets lost with a spinning beachball in the middle of a live event or when you only have the celebrity or CEO for 20 minutes to shoot their 5 minute speech.

You get what you pay for... is a good rule and applies to Teleprompting as well. 

 

 

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Is that really true re PC vs Mac platforms for prompting apps?  I don't know anything about the apps, but all the "promptologists" I work with show up with Mac laptops….

p

I think it's more a "Courtney vs. Mac" than anything really significant (except the mention of the Apple hardware being more costly --- this is true).

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I'm a Mac owner myself, and I try to avoid Windows at all cost. 

That being said I do have a copy of Windows 7 on my MacPro running in Parallels Desktop. I don't think it's the way to go for a promoter setup (parallels), so maybe I should look at getting a cheap PC laptop. 

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After Courtney's comments, this topic is pretty much covered.  Nobody on this board, or pretty much anywhere, has more experience with computerized teleprompting than he does.  Google it and see who were the two people who invented it... and then either take his advice or take your chances.

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"The first personal computer-based teleprompter, Compu=Prompt appeared in 1982. It was invented and marketed by Courtney M. Goodin and Laurence B. Abrams in Los Angeles, California. The custom software and specially-redesigned camera hardware ran on the Atari 800 Personal Computer, which featured smooth hardware-assisted scrolling. Their company later became ProPrompt, Inc., which is still providing teleprompting services over 32 years later."

-Wikipedia

Twenty-eight years after developing Compu=Prompt®, the first portable computerized teleprompting system, ProPrompt Inc. President Courtney M. Goodin and website developer Laurence B. Abrams accepted an Emmy award at the 61st Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards ceremony.

January 7, 2010

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After Courtney's comments, this topic is pretty much covered.  Nobody on this board, or pretty much anywhere, has more experience with computerized teleprompting than he does.  Google it and see who were the two people who invented it... and then either take his advice or take your chances.

Uh, ok.  Kind of a silly thing to say, since there are a lot of very successful prompting businesses that use Macs, not only working in video but especially working corporate events and even music tours.  One of our local prompt-inventors-of-Mac spends his time touring as Jimmy Buffet's prompter guy, while several other people run his video+corporate prompting biz w/ all the big tech co's in the SF area.  Some of them have become part of various bigtime execs' entourages, just like their hair/MU/wardrobe people.  

p

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Uh, ok.  Kind of a silly thing to say, since there are a lot of very successful prompting businesses that use Macs, not only working in video but especially working corporate events and even music tours.

p

I agree completely with you Philip, I just wanted to give credit to Laurence and Courtney, and I already called out Courtney for his Windows PC bias. There are quite a few very good, very stable prompter applications that run just fine on a Mac. Courtney would not be comfortable with any of them but that's another issue. Just because Courtney literally invented computer-based teleprompting (running on the Atari 800) doesn't mean he is the final world on the subject.

Edited by Jeff Wexler
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The issue of which computer or which teleprompter choice is best is beyond my knowledge and abilities. But, for anyone interested in the development of this technology, we did a profile of Courtney Goodin in the 695 Quarterly.

Courtney has enjoyed a varied career so it required two issues to tell the story.

His experiences working on Roar (that extraordinary project with Noah Marshall, Tippi Hedrin,  Melanie Griffith and an abundance of lions) is featured in the first part of the interview. That also talks about his work with the "GoodSound" Talkback box for Nagras and other products he made.

You can find that Summer 2011 issue here:
http://www.local695.com/Quarterly/3-3/

And a direct link to the Courtney Goodin article (Part 1):
http://www.local695.com/Quarterly/3-3/3-3-courtney-goodin/

Part two featuring the development of teleprompting and his work with Broadcast Widget is available in the Winter 2012 issue:
http://www.local695.com/Quarterly/4-1/

And, a direct link to Part 2 here:
http://www.local695.com/Quarterly/4-1/4-1-courtney-goodin-part-2/

David

Edited by David Waelder
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