15 May Production role: Autocue operator
Although it’s a straightforward and apparently simple role, I believe the Autocue operator to be a pivotal component of the production team. As part of my tasks I had to make sure that;
- Scripts were devoid of typos, spelling mistakes or superfluous information.
- Scripts were structured in a way that would make their reading fluid.
To achieve this, I maintained constant communication with the editorial team to ensure that any potential mistakes or inconsistencies in the script were identified and corrected on Inception. I would also discuss with the team of presenters to make sure that I met their preferences as much as possible in terms of font size. A font too small on the prompter forces the presenter to focus harder which reveals subtle eye movements and ‘kills the magic’. A font too large and you run the risk of having parts of the text jumping out too fast, catching the presenter off guard. Evidently, a nice balance is required in terms of scrolling speed as well.
The role of an Autocue operator is one of the most stressful, particularly in the first few weeks. It required steady hands and solid nerves. In this regard, I think this role, as well as being in charge of the graphics once and featuring as a guest alongside the presenters, introduced me perfectly to the kind of ‘good’ stress experienced in professional broadcasting environments.
