Design Effective Lighting Backround Projection

[erico3456]

I have just started working on a show at a theater where most of the battens are a piece of crap, so while the director wants different background looks for each scene, she would like to try and minimize the amount of drops we have to hang, and instead wants me to try and provide simple suggestions of a background (cloudy sky, starynight, countryside, castle, etc) for different scenes. Although there is a small budget to accomplish this it is not large, so I am trying to figure out the most effective way to do this.

I am looking at several different options and am looking for imput on the best, cheapest ways to accomplish these, or other options. Some things that I have looked at is a basic project (we have a pretty good projector and excellent screen/cyc) but my worries on this is that the actors will have images on them and there will be shadows on the backdrop, also that I will have a hardtime with the blackouts. Another option I am looking into is a Soft LED screen, but the problem is that it is quite expensive, and also I can't seem to find a size or combinations that would work well for our stage.
Another option is using digital lighting, such as high ends DL 1s, but the problem with this is that it is quite expensive, and I might still have the shadow problem. Another option is to use a massive amount of gobos and do some cool cyc lighting, which I don't really have a problem with except, that we would probably have to rent a bunch of fixtures to put them in, because we always run out of fixtures.

Let me know your suggestions on how to maximize one of these ideas or if you have an idea of your own. Thanks!

For reference here are some of the stage specs: proscenium opening 25' by 39', stage depth 29', grid height 51', 2 trusses hang used as electrics {front and back} (stage is used mostly for rock shows, not theater) 1 center pipe electric, FOH positions are 2 ceiling pockets with about a 35/40' throw, two side box positions with a 25/30' throw, balcony rail with about a 60' throw.

 

[JChenault]

A general rule in any projection is that you want to minimize as much as possible any light reflecting off of your projection surface to the audience that is not the image you want to be seen. A projection will not be any where near as bright as your stage light so it will be washed out.

In general doing any kind of projection successfully takes planning. It may look easy, but it is complex.

There are four likely possibilities. LED wall, Video projection from front or rear, Projecting a transparency using a Rosco Image Pro -or a Selecon fixture, and plain old gobo patterns. Each one give different effects, at different price points, with different amounts of work and effort.


Several suggestions.
Make a scaled section drawing of your space. To see if a front video projector will cast shadows, draw an actor in front of your projection surface, and draw lines from the projector to the surface. It will become clear if you have a problem.

Assuming you are front projecting on your cyc.

• Use the same section drawing to see how far upstage an actor can go without getting light on the cyc. Make sure this is acceptable to the director. If you want the cyc to sing, you will likely need six to eight feet of dead space between the cyc and the most upstage area.
• Paint the floor black. Make sure there is little or no white in the set to reflect your stage lighting.
• Use lots of side light - and less front light.
• The white cyc will always be there. If you want it to go dark sometime - hang a black scrim six to eight feet downstage of the cyc. Note that all lights hitting the cyc will need to be upstage of this scrim.

Don't expect the kind of realism you can get from a painted drop. It probably is not practical. If you go the cyc light with steel gobos, you can get some wonderfully saturated colors and patterns that can change during a scene if you wish. If you go with a video projector you have have more realistic images that can morph during the show. For some shows that is a lot more fun than a drop.

You might want to consider rear projection. A special rear projection screen is somewhat spendy, and can eat up a fair amount of depth in the stage, but it can be inherently darker than a cyc. If you go down this path don't try to use muslin for the screen ( you will see the bright spot of the lamp through the muslin). Don't try to put the projector too close with a super wide angle lens. The edges of the image will drop off quickly.

These are general comments only. As usual what works depends on what you are trying to do, how much you have to spend, and how much time you have.

Have fun.