Perhaps a few of us still remember what it was like in ye olde days in putting “lower thirds” rolls on the air. First, a physical page with the desired lettering was prepared by either an artist who was good at lettering or (more likely) by using “press-on” letters. This artwork was then placed on a copy stand and photographed with a film camera. After development, the film was cut into frames and mounted as 35-mm “slides.” These were then loaded into a telecine slide projector for airing.
Preparing and keeping track of even a few lower-third slides was an onerous task, and could grow to gargantuan proportions during live sports broadcasts or, in particular, major political conventions, where literally hundreds or thousands of i.d. slides had to be prepared and kept at the ready. A faster/better technology was obviously needed.
