sharkstooth scrim or bobbinet to cut glare from rear projection?

[Stuart R]

Hello all,

We're working with a new LD who is suggesting we hang a sharkstooth scrim or even bobbinet a couple of feet in front of our rear projection screen so the image "blends" better with the rest of the scenery and lighting. [He and the director agree that they don't like it when a projection looks like a projection.] I'm all for tips and tricks but am concerned about the loss of lumens - we're already wishing we had a brighter lamp.

Has anyone had experience with this? Thanks.

 

[RonHebbard]

Hello all,

We're working with a new LD who is suggesting we hang a sharkstooth scrim or even bobbinet a couple of feet in front of our rear projection screen so the image "blends" better with the rest of the scenery and lighting. [He and the director agree that they don't like it when a projection looks like a projection.] I'm all for tips and tricks but am concerned about the loss of lumens - we're already wishing we had a brighter lamp.

Has anyone had experience with this? Thanks.

@Stuart R One potential negative is double imaging from the position of patrons seated off center.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[Rainmaker]

In the past I've found that changing RP materials can make a big difference both in perceived lumen output and in how directors view it "blending".

If your audience angles allow you to use black screen, I would. It makes the image contrast better and IMO more "realistic". I also think it looks better in the context of scenery.

I also would play around with the content itself, much like not making the set or props or costumes seem "lived in", if your projection content is too "crisp" it will also stand out. I've used overlays and other blending modes in PS and AE to make my content fit in better with the surroundings, "grunge textures" overlayed, or playing with contrast, saturation, etc.

Finally, play some with how the VQs transition...directors think sometimes they don't like how a projection looks because they're caught up in how it got there.

I know there were some tangents there but hopefully some of that helps.

 

[jtweigandt]

Even though I complained about Anastasia being to bright. Some of the animation of a backdrop "flying" in and then having a little terminal bounce just like a real drop was brilliant.
I just did my first extensive projections for Elf, and found that the transitions in and out were indeed very important to the look. Also ended a couple of scenes.... like the kiss with dropping the lights first and silouetting the actors with the background for just the briefest time before it faded was very effective. Having the background not just blink out made it more a part of the set. I also composited some cyc lighting with a slow effect programmed onto the projection to make the "northern lights" in Buddy's journey through the ice flows. We had Rockefeller center christmas tree projected, but our brilliant painter made a Promethius statue that sat 10 feet in front to tie "real" scenery to the projection.

 

[Stuart R]

Thanks, guys. We'll definitely think about making the content a little not-so-bright-and-new and also attend to the transitions. I'm still not sure about the scrim. (btw, we already have the RP screen, which is white, so changing that is not really an option)

 

[ruinexplorer]

Yeah, a scrim works wonders for an LED wall, but I'm not convinced that it is what you need here (unless you were trying to minimize a hot spot)