Teleprompter support for Podcasting Using iMovie

Question

Level 1

6 points

Teleprompter support for Podcasting Using iMovie

I'm storyboarding an instructional video/podcast and I want to make the 'narrator' role more efficient and effective by providing 'teleprompter' support. I've come upon a product called Videocue by Vara Software that may do the job:

" ... a webcasting tool featuring an on-screen teleprompter to allow the user to record while facing the screen. Videocue integrates with blog systems such as LiveJournal, MovableType, Blogger, and TypePad. Videocue is now a Universal binary, and features a "core image" library for photo effects, podcasting abilities, 3D graphics, subtitle text track, .Mac publishing, AppleScript and QuickTime support, and more. Videocue 2.5 costs $40, while Videocue Pro 2.5 costs $90."

I was wondering if anyone has any successful experience working with this product and any information about whether Videocue's output can be imported into iMovie.

Thanks for any feedback you can offer!

core duo, Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Posted on Jul 9, 2006 11:02 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jul 10, 2006 2:46 AM in response to ramonekalsaw

I remember looking at it a long time ago ..I think it had been mentioned on some other site, such as VersionTracker.. but I couldn't think of a use for it.

However, its blurb says: "..Once you're done, you can save the finished QuickTime movie to your computer.." ..so I'd guess that - as you say - "..Videocue's output can be imported into iMovie.." as iMovie can import and use QuickTime movies.

Why not click on the 'Contact' tab at the top of Videocue's webpage, and email the writer(s) to get confirmation that its output really can be used in iMovie?

P.S: A word about teleprompters: if the iSight (or whatever camera you're using) isn't as close as possible to the screen, it may appear that the speaker isn't looking at the camera, but is looking below it at the screen with the words on. Just shoot a few seconds of yourself looking at the Mac screen and looking at the camera, and you'll probably see the difference.

It may help if you're using an ordinary video camera, positioned just above the Mac screen, but the narrator is a long way from the screen/camera ..say six feet away or more. That way, it won't be so obvious that the person's eyes are looking at the screen, instead of at the camera!

'Professional' (TV studio) teleprompters use an angled piece of glass in front of the camera to reflect the words, from a teleprompter below, into the 'line of sight' of a person looking directly at the camera lens. You could create such a device, using a Mac and a piece of glass, if you want to.

But this is just a small warning that using a Mac teleprompter beneath the camera may NOT look as good as you might expect, unless the camera is a LONG way from the person.

Reply

Answer 2

Jul 10, 2006 3:12 AM in response to David Babsky

Oops: one more thing; just a piece of glass at 45 degrees to reflect the words in front of the lens isn't enough: the text needs to be reversed, left-for-right, as a mirror image, if you're going to make a reflector to superimpose the words, on the Mac screen, into the direct 'line of sight' of the person looking at the camera lens!

Matthew can probably tell you more about that..

Reply