There is a definite need for a projection design process here.
Hi, for a few of the scenes in our show(Auntie Mame) we are going to
drop a white
cyc infront of the set for some of the scenes. We will be doing a rear projection, and I was wondering what programs are out there other than
powerpoint for filling the full
screen (that will probably be a bigger resolution than 1920x1080) so that it wont give black bars...
I have acess to both pc and
mac and the photos for projection are going to be shot at a larg enough resoultion that it will be larger than we will need so we can make sure to fill the full size.
Or would
powerpoint work?(or are the slides a fixed size...?)
Thanks
Brent Sancken
When you mention rear projection, I assume that you are actually meaning that you are projecting onto the
cyc, which is at the rear of the set. However, if you truly mean rear projection (
projector behind the surface, allowing for the
image to
pass through the surface to be seen by the audience), then there are several factors to consider. First off, do you have the required space behind the
cyc to create an appropriate sized
image. Then, you need to know the
transparency of the material your
cyc is created from. There are many other factors.
Now, if you truly mean that you are projecting on the front of the
cyc (at the rear of the set), then you have another, completely different set of variables. Before we get to either of these, we need to know more about what you want to accomplish.
When projecting onto the
cyc, you do need to understand that it is not a surface intended for projection. That is to say, don't expect it to have the same performance as a
projector screen. You will have apparent light loss due to its reflective properties (or lack thereof). So, your contrast ratio will not be ideal. Also, you may need to tweak your colors depending on the color of your
cyc (probably is off-white which may render some of your images as being slightly dirty).
Your concern about black bars should be minimal. Obviously video black will be of some concern, but you should be more focused on the quality of the
image that is to be seen. My guess is that you think that you will need an
image larger than 1920x1080 because you have a wider
cyc that does not fit that
aspect ratio. Not knowing the size that you wish to produce, the distance to the audience, the concept of the
image,
etc., will make this difficult to help you in this process. So here are some basic tips.
The human eye is more susceptible to changes in brightness than it is to color or resolution; you will want to make brightness (or aparent brightness) your main concern. Choosing a
projector will depend somewhat on the rest of the design process. Will your images be mainly bright overall? Then you don't need to worry as much about contrast ratio from the
projector (though you still need to worry about ambient light). Will your images have a high variablilty between light and dark with the need to see detail? You will need to have a higher contrast ratio (not
dynamic contrast ratio which will reduce the light output to obtain that) as well as a greater amount of control of ambient light.
If you want to make an
image that is wider than a 16x9, you get to choose to mask a portion of your
image (black bars) or blend multiple projectors together to get a wider
image (more technically difficult). Since you say that you don't want black bars, let's assume the latter (if you are OK with 16x9, you can skip this and make sure you get the appropriate
projector). To blend two or more projectors will require a few different things. You need matched projectors (resolution, age, brightness, lamp life,
etc.) in order to get the best
image. You will need something to create a larger
image, such as a
Matrox DualHead2Go. You will then need a different software solution than
Keynote or
PowerPoint because you will need to blend the images together (several options include
Qlab, Isadora,
etc.). This will probably not be the goal for your first time doing this. There is more that you will need to understand about the projected
image before I would recomend you trying this. You need to have your plan in place before making the final decision as to whether you will be overprepared or give your director the limitations of what you can do.
Is your show about the projections or about the actors? The reason I say this is that projection can easily upstage the actors. After all, it is much bigger than them. You don't want there to be too much happening behind the action that draws away the attention of the audience. Subtle is best. If you are going to have simple still images and want to
fade between images, then a slide player (like
PowerPoint) may be all you need. However, any challenges that you
face in projecting your
image will all need to be done in the content creation.
When creating your content, your best
image will be one that matches your
projector's native resolution. Design with that in mind. If your playback computer is connected directly to the
projector, then it will receive the
EDID and the resolution will be set at native. If you are using a slide
presenter such as
PowerPoint and have set the slides to the appropriate
aspect ratio, then all should be well (no
masking as well).
I'll try to add more later, but I have run out of time right now.