Projector location in a theater

[Sayen]

Hi folks!

Our new auditorium (high school) was constructed without a projector installation or an ideal location for one. I'm curious where different theaters mount their projectors, and if anyone has any suggestions for me.

We divide our auditorium in half with a large curtain across the midhouse regularly, so projection from the booth is not idea. It'd be a long throw anyway.

I could see dropping a mount from the catwalks, but it would have to hang pretty low to hit the stage, would be very visible, and I have no idea how I would service it after installation.

I have seen arrangements that hold a projector and attach it to a batten - I could use this with a rear projection screen. Anyone have experience with how much movement I can expect to see? Is it going to wobble excessively?

I'm not wild about carts. Too visible, lots of setup, and then I need to store a cart and hope it doesn't grow legs.

I really want an arrangement that minimizes my work load. It's bad enough striking all of my gear and refocusing lights for every meeting and assembly, but I could do without the hassle of locating and setting up a projector. Something semi-permanent would be excellent.

Any thoughts?

Oh, and I am not asking how to rig it. That will be done with professional gear by professionals, since this needs to be safe and outlast my time at the school.

Thanks,

[ruinexplorer]

Do you already own the projector? If so, what kind? Where are you planning on running the video source from?

If all you are going to use it for is movies, etc, then I would recommend using rear projection. Do you have clear access to the rear wall? Would there be enough room to mount it on a shelf there and still have clearance for your cyc? If not, I recommend scaffolding, not a cart. Flying projection in a theater is a possibility if you have the right set-up, but as you theorized, you will likely have some drift in your image and focussing your image can be a real pain in the behind. With rear screen, you want your projector to be as centered on the screen as possible (a luxury that you rarely have with front screen), which is why you will want the height offered by the scaffolding.

If you are forced to put it FOH, the scaffolding can again offer you flexibility. Draping scaffolding is common practice and a great use for old soft goods. If the large drape that splits your auditorium has an opening in the middle, theoretically you could use that to hide your setup.

Obviously you will need assistance with either temporary setup. Two people can accopmlish this task (I have done it quite often).

Davin

[OnWithTheShow]

what is the distance to the rear of the house and what is there now? Is there a booth or followspot position? We had to deal with the cart in the aisle for years and since we are primarily a theatrical space a projector on the stage was out of the question. In the end we just spent the money that was needed to get a projector that could throw from the back of the house.

[ruinexplorer]

I forgot to also show you this for FOH: Scissor Lifts by Draper

There are other companies who do something similar, but just to give you an idea.

Davin

[Sayen]

Oh, that is just awesome - I hadn't seen a product like that before.

To answer questions:

I don't have a projector yet. Between my funds and the PTO we'll buy a nice one, but the type and lens are dependent upon placement. Short term we have a few around the school that are 'workable.' As for use, right now it's mostly presentations and videos to meetings. As a director I'm not big on video in shows. Cost at the moment is not as big of a concern as placement - and yep, I know how pricey these get.

Source is a problem - I'll either run a few miles of cable around the space, or experiment with wireless video systems. Yes, yes, I know, try wired if I can. Probably run a computer or DVD player at midhouse position, since the curtain obstructs the use of my booth.

I have a motorized rigging system, which is much more stable than a traditional counterweight, but still...a slight movement is going to translate to several inches on the screen. Distance to the screen from the current floor mount projector is about 15 feet, which places the rigging on my last scenery batten.

[tech2000]

In my high school we have a projector installed right in front of the booth and shoots about 70' or so. (Some projectors have an option of a long throw lens and can shoot up 150' or so) When our installed projector broke (no money to replace it yet) we thought about hanging a smaller classroom sized projector from our catwalks but haven't in hopes of finding money to replace our previous one. Depending on the angle you may be able to hang it from the catwalks. I personally do not like the idea of mounting it on a batten because if there is an air current going, it could start swaying and the picture would move around. Although if there is no other way, (and me and my supervisor thought about it) then that could be the only way.

[ruinexplorer]

Based on this, I would recommend my second suggestion for the drop down projection. Have you already purchased a screen or have you been renting? Have you ever seen the rigid frame screen that they use over at Gammage (4:3 format)? They use it for the Warren Miller ski films. If you have the flexibility to give up a lineset for something like this to live on, you'd probably be happy (especially if it is just downstage of a full stage masking with a teaser just downstage of that (to mask the rigging). Since you are doing front projection, be aware that you will have to control light (even bounce from the stage) so a lower light angle is preferable (for you, not the speaker).

Since you will be having it professionally installed, they should be able to run Cat-5 cable for you as well. With the use of baluns, you will be able to get better signal reliability than wireless (and considerably cheaper than fiber-optics). If you are unfamiliar with this technology, check with some of the local AV companies (LMG or AV Concepts - both rental companies - carry this type of gear). The cabling would be able to drop from the cats to your FOH position when you have the drape in and could probably go to your booth when it isn't.

[ruinexplorer]

Originally Posted by tech2000

When our installed projector broke (no money to replace it yet) we thought about hanging a smaller classroom sized projector from our catwalks but haven't in hopes of finding money to replace our previous one.

Depending on the age of your projector and how you use it, you might want to consider repair over replacement. Check with Projector Repair; Replacement Projector Lamps and Bulbs and ask their recommendation. You might also be able to buy a refurbed projector for much less than a new one. Most often in the academic setting you don't need the latest and greatest, so buy one that is on the way out and you can probably get a great deal (and they are usually still serviceable for at least 5 years).

Davin

[BillESC]

You might want to look at BenQ's MP771 projector.

It is an ultra wide angle projector capable of a 74" diagonal image at one meter! With 3000 ANSI Lumens and a 2000 to 1 contrast ratio the MP771 has plenty of punch.

BenQ Global - Consumer Electronics

[wadeace]

you might want to consider to run cables from different locations in the theater to allow different presentation types. havening the projector run to the booth, then running cables that can be patched thought from the mid-house, and back stage positions.