Teleprompter Training Tip #13: Location, Location,
Productions can take place in studios, offices, houses or even streets. The number one rule of any shoot, regardless of the location is simple. Safety comes first.
Look out for cabling on the floor, light stands, dangerous rigging and awkwardly placed props. Not only are the lights bright, they often burn very hot . . . so don’t touch them!
When you arrive at the set, the Director will bring you up to spec with how the set up is going and introduce you to the crew. If you’re using a prompter or auto cue, you have at least a four person crew . . . the sound operator, the camera operator, the auto cue operator, and of course, the director.
The bulk of the technical work will be processed before you get there and after the shoot is over. Your first stop will be makeup and wardrobe, but if you do have any last minute changes to the script, get these to the teleprompter operator these as early as you can.
The operator’s main job is converting a screen of computer output into a smooth, scrolling page of generated to project into your monitor. Teleprompters only have very elementary editing functions, so the more time the operator has to make additions, the better. Individual words are fairly straightforward to alter, but if you need to add new segments or whole pages, then that new page needs to be actually entered, either typed or copied from a source.
When the script is finalized in the teleprompter, it’s your time to shine. A glass of water and when the Director says “3-2-1″… it’s action time.
When you are ready to bring your presentations in-house, use professional teleprompter software . . . it will make a huge difference to the success of your production.