State-of-the-Art Prompters Help Position University, Students Ahead of Industry Competition
UPLAND, IN, APRIL 11, 2011—While the Media Communication Department at Taylor University may have began small, its growth in size and curriculum over recent years has made the university quite competitive for broadcast majors with the addition of expert staff and equipment, including Autoscript teleprompting gear. Autoscript (NAB Booth C6625), the world’s leading teleprompting company and a Vitec Group brand, is helping Taylor University’s Media Communications majors enter the workforce with experience using state-of-the-art technology.
To kick off the 2010-2011 academic year, Taylor University’s Media Communication Department made the transition to HD in its Rupp Communication Arts building—home to the campus’ television production studio, student-run broadcast radio station, digital audio workstations and sound booth, edit suites, and various other student support spaces. In addition to outfitting its production studio with HD equipment, the Media Communication department added two 15”Autoscript TFT Entry-Level Prompters (ELP15) and a 12” Autoscript LED TFT (LED 12TFT) on-camera prompting system for student use both in the studio and in the field after seeing them on display at NAB.
“We are big believers in NAB and we use it as a time to see what’s out there in the market,” says Josh Taylor, chief engineer for the Media Communication Department at Taylor University. “We were looking for a teleprompting company that’s rooted, has a solid reputation in the industry and has a durable product that can stand up to student use. The design behind Autoscript has been well-thought out and I feel comfortable that it would all stay together based on the durability of the design.”
Inside the Rupp Communication Arts building, the TV control room is interconnected via a single and multilink fiber to the campus chapel, basketball arena, football complex and Kessler Sports Activity Center—allowing the students to bring in cameras and audio feeds from the other campus locations to the Rupp control room via the fiber. Inside the studio, in addition to the LED12TFT and ELP15 on-camera prompters, students have access to four Sony PMW350K cameras with Vinten Pro pedestals and Vinten Vector heads.
In the field, upperclassmen have the option of using the Autoscript 12” LED portable prompting system with a variation of Sony cameras and extra mount connectors. Extremely versatile, the Autoscript LED12TFT is perfect for location-shooting and is equipped with either a tripod or handheld mount, helping to keep setup under 20 minutes for on-location productions.
“As far as the performance goes, the displays themselves are really nice. When we have the portable prompter outside, even in direct sunlight, you can see the LED screen very clearly,” says Taylor. “While we ordered the studio prompters back in July, we had also talked about a 12” LED portable prompter for some time. When students needed one for a client project in October, we ordered it and received it the next day.”
As part of the department’s offerings, students take on actual paying clients to gain real-world experience. According to Taylor, they receive a working budget and must set and achieve goals with the client by the end of the semester. Whether it’s for an award-winning client project or miscellaneous class project, Taylor says the students appreciate the flexibility and ease of use the Autoscript software and equipment bring. In studio, students have access to WinPlus Studio software with a dedicated scroll control, while in the field they use WinPlus Xlite prompting software with a wireless controller and 10” netbook.
“Both Autoscript controllers are really nice. The wireless controllers keep the students from being tied down,” says Taylor. “The students also find the software really easy to use—writing the scripts in Microsoft Word, they find it simple to bring them into the software. Overall, they are impressed with how the system operates.”
For more information and to find an authorized Autoscript dealer, please visit www.Autoscript.tv or contact ussales@autoscript.tv.
About Autoscript
Established in the U.K. in 1984, with headquarters in the U.S. and the U.K., Autoscript is the world leader in the prompting industry. Autoscript provides a complete range of PC-based teleprompters, the best designed and built hardware, PC cards and software, and – with its expanding line of intuitive accessories – is the new definition in prompting. Autoscript is a member of the Vitec Group. For more information, visit www.autoscript.tv.
A Snapshot of The Vitec Group
Vitec is an international Group principally serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military, aerospace and government (MAG) markets. Listed on the London Stock Exchange with 2009 revenue of £315 million, Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers worldwide rely. Vitec is organised in three divisions: Imaging & Staging, Videocom and Services.
Imaging & Staging designs, manufactures and distributes equipment and accessories for photography, video and events.
Videocom designs and distributes systems and products used in broadcasting and live entertainment, film and video production and MAG.
Services provides equipment rental, workflow design and technical support for camera, video, audio, fibre optic and wireless technology used by TV production teams and film crews.
More information can be found at http://www.vitecgroup.com.
