Auto cue

[tom hardwick]

Hi Team,

I'm looking to buy some sort of auto-cue system that I can fit in front of the Panasonic GH1. Anyone have any experience of such a system or any recommendations? I believe you can use your smart phone as the scrolling feed, but know no more than that.

tom.

[TimStannard]

There are dozens of DIY telepropmpter vids. This was one of the simplest descriptions of teh principle I came across: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HZhQ6x3Y-U
I think a smartphone would be too small to be realistically useful. I have a Windows phone app which scrolls text in big letters but imagine reading a paragraph a few letters at a time!

But Tom,. you're a real perfectionist when it comes to the glass in front of your camera. i'm surprised you'd even consider shooting through a layer of angled glass.

[tom hardwick]

You're right Tim, I'm a real perfectionist. Which is why I'm looking to buy an auto cue for my client. He owns the GH1 and he wants to talk passionately straight to camera. Thanks for the YT link, I'll go take a look.

[col lamb]

If he talks straight to camera passionately whilst reading the autocue then he will appear to be reading an autocue.

You just have to watch the BBC to see seasoned presenters on say Breakfast TV reading notes asking questions and responding in a natural way, put the same presenter on the 6 o'clock news and the go goggle eyed reading the text, Sophie Rayworth is a case point she is reading the text and it is oh so obvious.

[tom hardwick]

You're right Col, reading an auto-cue smoothly and naturally is a skill that many never seen to master however much they practice. But we'll give it a go; he's tried reading cards held just off axis and as we all know that just makes you look llike an untrustworthy swivel-eyed loon. If he holds the remote's text speed control we might just get something acceptable captured.

[Michael Slowe]

Tom, if you want him to really appear natural and not reading then get him to relax, think about his subject, and just speak 'off the cuff', I do that with my documentary subjects and it works a treat. If he fluffs then fine, he must just carry on ad if you have C/A's there is no problem with the edit. People reading a prepared narrative looks and sounds just what it is.

[tom hardwick]

Thanks for your thoughts Michael but my client has honed every word, refined every sentence, is 85 years old and can't memorise 3 consecutive words. So auto-cue it'll have to be I'm afraid. Trouble is the device has to be quite close making the words big enough to read, and this limits the choice of focal length (and therefore dof) that can be used.

[col lamb]

In true cheap n cheerful style how about this

Large screen TV with your camera just behind and in the middle.

Subject far enough away from the screen so he can read the text

Your camcorder set up to suit

Using an HDMI adapter and your Samsung Note you can output the text on the Note's autocue app onto the TV

Then he will be able to read the text, the camcorder is not n his face and all you have spent is a HDMI adapter lead for the phone

ps
A laptop can also do the same task

Also I have the app on my Asus tablet and it works well, you can easily adjust the scrolling speed

[chrisk]

Tom,

Try this Teleprompter program. http://www.freetelepromptersoftware.com/pc.htm. It's free and does an excellent job. I have found V4.0 to be unresponsive to keyboard control in Win7 but V3.2 works perfectly.

I have used it on a 10" netbook and a 17" laptop with the screen positioned immediately under the camera lens to be read straight from the screen. The laptop is a bit cumbersome to mount but does allow you to use very large, easily readable text. Everything is adjustable.

The site also gives info on teleprompter hardware and how to make your own. The semi-silvered glass is expensive, but I have tried making an angled mirror with plain picture frame glass , rather dim but readable. If you are worried about DOF, the semi-silvered glass does act as an ND filter and you can lose a stop or two, worsening the DOF situation.

Try it, it's free

Chris

[fraught]

You can get an Auto Cue system for the iPad... can't remember what it's called, but will post its name soon.

[Michael Slowe]

Here's another suggestion Tom, find a younger client!

[TimStannard]

Here's another suggestion Tom, find a younger client!

Probably once a fortnight, I read a post online which makes me laugh out loud.
This was it for this fortnight. Thank you Michael