Telescript redirects here. For the programming language of the same name, see General Magic. General Magic was a company co-founded by Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld and Marc Porat that developed a new kind of handheld communications device they

Schematic representation:

(1) Video camera	(2) Shroud
(3) Video monitor	(4) One-way mirror
(5) Image from subject	(6) Image from video monitor

Teleprompter in use

A teleprompter (also known as an autocue) is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. A display device is an Output device for presentation of Information for Visual or Tactile reception acquired stored or transmitted Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical For other uses see Character. In Computer and machine-based Telecommunications terminology a character is a unit of Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured deliberate manner intended to inform influence or entertain the listeners See also Pre-production Screenwriting A screenplay or script is a written plan authored by a Screenwriter, for a Film or Television Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards. Cue cards, also known as note cards are cards with words written on them that help actors and speakers remember what they have to say The screen is in front of the lens of the camera, and the words on the screen are reflected to the eyes of the speaker using a one-way mirror

(Note that this is only true in principle — when the space between the lens and the mirror is covered in a shroud, an ordinary glass pane will work as a one way mirror). A photographic lens (also known as objective lens or photographic objective) is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with A camera is a device used to capture images either as still Photographs or as sequences of moving images ( Movies or Videos. A mirror is an object with a surface that has good Specular reflection; that is it is smooth enough to form an Image.

As the speaker does not need to look down to consult written notes, he or she appears to have memorized the speech or be speaking spontaneously, and will look directly into the camera lens. In Psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store retain and subsequently retrieve information Cue cards, on the other hand, will always be placed away from the lens axis, making the speaker look at a point beside the camera, which leaves a "distracted" impression.

History

The first "teleprompters" were simply mechanical devices located near the camera. The script was printed on a paper scroll, which was advanced as the performer read.

The TelePrompTer company was founded in the 1950s by Fred Barton Jr. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive , Hubert J. (Hub) Schlafly and Irving Berlin Kahn. Barton was an actor who suggested the concept of the teleprompter as a means of assisting television performers who had to memorize large amounts of material in a short time. An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works The term "concept" is traced back to 1554–60 ( l conceptum - something conceived but what is today termed "the classical theory of concepts" is the theory of Aristotle Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic

The first personal computer-based Teleprompter, Compu=Prompt, appeared in 1982. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated It was invented and marketed by Courtney M. Goodin & Laurence B. Abrams in Hollywood, California. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. This custom software and specially re-designed camera hardware ran on the ATARI 800 Personal Computer. The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit Home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992 Their company later became ProPrompt Inc. , which is still providing teleprompting services some 26 years later. Other paper-based Teleprompting companies Q-TV and Telescript followed suit and developed their own software several years later, when computers with enough graphics power to provide the smooth scrolling text became available. .

It should also be noted that Jess Oppenheimer, producer of I Love Lucy, claims credit for the original concept of the teleprompter and was awarded the U. Jess Oppenheimer ( November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) a radio and TV writer producer and director was producer and head writer of I Love Lucy is an American Situation comedy, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley S. patent for its creation. ^[1] Originally used so that Lucille Ball could read commercials on-camera, it soon became a staple for television news. Lucille Ball (August 6 1911 – April 26 1989 was an American comedienne, film television stage and radio Actress, model, film News broadcasting (also known as newscast or newsbreak) is the Broadcasting of various news events and other Information via

As late as 1992, "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" was still using an early mechanical teleprompter. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s Autoscript (a UK and US based company) pioneered TFT monitors rather than the traditional CRTs. This allowed significantly less weight on the camera itself and more portability. They also introduced high brightness monitors allowing prompters to be used in direct sunlight. A further breakthrough in 2005 introduced Voice Activated Prompting. Along with their partner, Sysmedia, Autoscript developed a prompter which required no peripheral to control the scroll of the prompter. The Voice activated prompter simply scrolled at the speed of the presenters speech.

Etymology

The word TelePrompTer, with internal capitalization, originated as a trade name used by the TelePrompTer Company, who first developed the electronic device in the 1950s. A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a Business trades under for commercial purposes although its registered The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive

The word teleprompter, with no capitalization, had become a genericized trademark because it is used to refer to similar systems manufactured by many different companies. A genericized trademark (also known as a generic trademark or proprietary eponym) is a Trademark or Brand name that has become the colloquial The United States Patent Office does not have any "live" trademarks registered for the word "teleprompter," but this does not rule out the possibility of a company enforcing the trademark without registering it. Some other common generic terms for this type of device include:

• electronic speech notes
• cueing device
• idiot board (slang)
• prompter
• autocue (in certain Commonwealth countries)

Modern design

Television

Photo of a teleprompter displaying text

Modern teleprompters for news programs consist of a personal computer, connected to video monitors on each camera. Autocue is a UK based manufacturer of Teleprompter systems The company was founded in 1955 and patented its first teleprompter in 1962 A news program, news programme, news show, or newscast is a regularly scheduled radio or Television program that reports Current A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated A video monitor also called a broadcast monitor, is a device similar to a Television, used to monitor the output of a video-generating device such as a media A camera is a device used to capture images either as still Photographs or as sequences of moving images ( Movies or Videos. The monitors are often black-and-white monochrome, and have the horizontal scanning reversed to compensate for the reflection of the mirror. A mirror is an object with a surface that has good Specular reflection; that is it is smooth enough to form an Image. A peripheral device attached to the serial port has a knob that can be turned to speed up or slow down the scrolling of the text. In Computer hardware, a peripheral device is any device attached to a computer in order to expand its functionality (basically input and output devices together are known In Computing, a serial port is a Serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one Bit at a time (contrast The text is usually displayed in white capital letters on a black background for the best readability, while cues are in inverse video (black on white). Difficult words (mainly foreign names) are spelled out phonetically, as are other particulars like "Nine-eleven" (to specify that the event 9/11 should not be pronounced "nine-one-one", for example). Phonetics (from the Greek φωνή ( phonê) "sound" or "voice" is the study of the physical sounds of human speech

U. S. President Bill Clinton during the 1997 State of the Union. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Notice the presidential glass in front of him.

Speeches

Teleprompters are often used for speeches as well. Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured deliberate manner intended to inform influence or entertain the listeners In this application they are called Conference Teleprompter Systems. In this case, the reflector is usually a piece of glass with a special partially reflective coating. It is mostly transparent so as not to block the view of the speaker by the audience or cameras. In Optics, transparency (also called pellucidity) is the Material property of allowing Brooklyn Book Festival crowd by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|An audience at the Brooklyn Book Festival in New York City. Usually two of these are set up, one on either side of the podium (if there is one), so the speaker can look around at the audience and always be able to see one. For the 2004 film directed by Yann Moix see Podium (film. A podium (plural podia) is a Platform that Except for these aesthetic changes, they work the same as for television. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called

Teleprompter Used in Concert Setting

===Concerts===

Controversially, teleprompters are sometimes used in concerts, to assist performers who have trouble remembering the words to songs. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. The teleprompter may be of the kind used in speeches, or may just be a monitor set into the stage floor.

Errol Morris

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris uses a teleprompter-like setup in conducting interviews which he refers to as the "Interrotron. Errol Morris (born February 5, 1948) is an American Academy Award winning Documentary film director " The prompter equipment is set up on the camera (often a film camera) however instead of displaying a written script it is used to display the image coming from a video camera trained on Morris who is seated nearby. In this way the interview subject can be looking directly into the lens of the camera to see Morris' face while speaking instead of off in some other direction. The camera focused on Morris can also be set up with a prompter displaying the subject (using the "video assist" output if a film camera is used on the subject). In this way the two can carry out a virtual face to face conversation for the interview.

Notes

External links

• History of Compu=Prompt First Computerized Prompter
• Largest U.S. Teleprompter Manufacturer