Comment

Comment by Dan Mellitz on December 20, 2012 at 7:48am

Susan,

The school I work for is such a technology driven school. We are one of the driving forces of a new Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning program. We have task forces all the time talking about integrating technology into the classroom. I use it in so many of my tech classes to teach about tech theater through images and words and sounds. I think technology can be a huge part of teaching in the arts. Our high school next year is starting their 1 to 1 laptop program and I am asking them to have the ability to put things like Google Sketch-up and qlab onto it so I can use it in class and they can do assignments with it. I think the ability for the students to do an assignment at home and then bring it in and see it play out on the big screen would be and will be great for them. I think everything we do in tech theater involves some form of technology, and i don't think it will go away. Even if a show goes full projections, someone still has to rig and build the screen.

Comment by Nathan Kelley on December 20, 2012 at 7:14am

I use a pair of projectors linked with a Matrox DualHead2Go to project images and video on the cyc. This is made possible by inexpensive short-throw projectors mounted on the ceiling of our performance space. It is very difficult to find backdrops small enough for our space (16' high x 43' wide) so the video solution is ideal. I use ProPresenter from www.renewedvision.com with the multiscreen module to display the images and video on the cyc. We will never rent another painted backdrop again. You can see pictures of what this looks like in my photos, specifically "Cinderella" and "Little Women the Musical."

Comment by Susan Cardillo on December 18, 2012 at 6:46am

Dan...so glad you like the idea....I will begin working on it after the holidays...going to my doctoral symposium in late January. Hope to learn more about putting the website together properly. That is the idea....the site and the artist would split the fee...but it needs to be reasonable so public schools and community theaters can use the technology. THe site would also give advice about how to best use projections and the different types of equipment that can make it happen. Connecting to blogs like this would also be great. Whether it is a software program like the one Bill suggests here or...the way I had to "ghetto rig" our DVD system...I think many schools find it useful and try using projections.

I will keep you posted...and any suggestions or other ideas you have would be appreciated. I would like to make this project part of my dissertation. My question is: How do we keep the arts in schools using technology?

Comment by Bill Myatt on December 18, 2012 at 6:04am

SCS (http://www.showcuesystems.com) is an effective alternative to QLab depending upon your computer platform.

Comment by Dan Mellitz on December 18, 2012 at 5:30am

Susan, That sounds like a really great idea. Its so expensive for some of these video sites. Even when you pay per video its like $40s each. Just like good sound fx sites. If you could combine the two that would be amazing. I wouldn't mind being part of that. I think it would be great if anyone could submit video they have taken and if approved it goes on the site and they make a small percentage of the fee. I am sure there are a lot of people who have taken specific video for a production, background or whatever that could benefit someone else. I know I have.

Rick, I think balance is a touch one. I have learned that lighting mostly from the top or back seems to work the best and strong images with solid colors not light ones.

Comment by Susan Cardillo on December 17, 2012 at 5:09pm

I am glad to hear that other schools are using projections. Dan, Thanks so much for the name of your program "qlab", sounds great, I am going to look into it.

I am considering doing a project for my doctorate that brings artists and projection designers together on a website to upload their projections which can be downloaded for high school/community use for a small fee. Might make it more feasible for projection design use. What do you think of this idea???

Comment by Susan Cardillo on December 17, 2012 at 5:07pm

I was concerned about spill but if you find the right projections it really doesn't hurt the visual. I found some good street video scenes on http://www.videoblocks.com/ This is a pay service with downloadable video and stills for projection. but for teachers its only $99 per year unlimited downloads. You have to really search to get real usable video though. If anyone has any other sites for projections please let me know.

Comment by Rick Reid on December 17, 2012 at 11:13am

I'm taking a jump into projections after many years out of production work. High school level is about right for this amateur gig, both in goals and budget.

My main question is how to balance the screen and lighting brightness. How can I know what I need for projectors? Yes the lights will be off the screens, but there will be a lot of spill/bounce.

Comment by Dan Mellitz on December 17, 2012 at 8:38am

I am the technical director for a middle and high school and because of our space limitations we use projections a lot. Mostly we did a lot of backgrounds, starting with a few of the scenes in Guys and Dolls in the underground and we used it with a plane flying across the stage when they fly off to Havana. This fall I really pushed our projections and we used it for most of our set. We were running on one projector, but with three 6 X 12Ft screens. There is a program called qlab that runs sound and projections. Its so perfect. You can adjust the size of the image, the location on the screen, the opacity, etc. You can run multiple images at the same time or time them to come up seperatly or with music. I was able to put black in between the images so I was just projecting on the screens. Its free for basics, and then you can rent it for a lower fee per day if you are a teacher. Or you can just buy the license which isn't that much. It makes our shows look so much more professional. I put a picture of that set so you can get a sense of what we do. I don't want to over use it, but its been a great addition. after my second year we had the school get a much higher powered HD projector. I think its about 4,000 lumens. I use it a lot for our dance shows and music concerts. it has really given us a boost in visual professionalism and the kids love that it makes them feel for professional. I think it really makes them want to play better when they know their scenery is at a high level.

Comment by Bill Myatt on December 17, 2012 at 7:05am

I have used projections a number of times.

The first, MANY years ago, for a production of RUR. One projector was connected to a computer which showed a static image of a futuristic factory. A second projector was connected to a VCR (yes, VCR) to project a video "call" from the outer office. (The onscreen actor paused, the onstage actor spoke, etc.) The "screen" we used was a window flat with an opaque shower curtain liner.

We framed out three shower curtain liners and hung them for our production of "Actor's Nightmare." Each of the plays referenced had their own "scenery."

Last year we did a production of Radium Girls. This was our most ambitious use of projections to date. We used five hanging screens (constructed as above), five projectors hanging from battens, 1 laptop (maybe 2), a Dual Head2Go, and a Triple Head 2Go. The last two items allowed us to perform some intricate cues and send different images to each screen. One of the most exciting aspects of the process was the opportunity to take a field trip to Ottawa, Illinois and take some pictures of a memorial to the Illinois "Radium Girls" and the old Westclox factory. The images we took and the experience we had changed the lives of my students.

We are doing The Skin of Our Teeth next semester and look to add some projections to that script as well.

I will be interested to see how this conversation develops.

Contact Don Corathers at dcorathers@schooltheatre.org and see if EdTA/Thespians has any idea about the body of knowledge.

Happy your show went well.

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