- 3 Projectors ideally the same and with similar picture quality.
- 3 ways to play the video content. Possibly laptops OR buy some media players.
- 3 VGA leads to connect the laptops or media players to.
- 3 Speakers or sets of speakers. Ideally with own built in amplification. To run from above.
- Leads (phono OR mini jack) about 3-4 metres long to connect speakers to media playing devices.
- 3 plinths OR a table with a black blanket etc to cover to mount projectors on.
- 3 16:9 screens to project onto. Size a maximum of 1.6m by 0.9m to allow for set up.
- Cord, fishing line or string to hang projection screens from the lighting rig.
I tested a variety of versions of this kit basically on laptops plugged into the projectors. I did this without the hanging screens I propose to use as due to time and availability of the location I can only install nearer the exhibition time.
TECHNOLOGY CHOICE
From these the set up that worked best was the three lap-tops and projectors. I did consider players and DVD options but laptops worked just as well under testing. I did consider TV screens but I felt this did not give me the scale and impact I was after as I could not get hold of three that were big enough. This was mainly due to a cost consideration and also time and technical aspects to buy and install all the software and hardware needed. These were 3 laptops equipped with Quicktime player so they would play the clips linked to three projectors with VGA leads. I did look at spending on the media players as they would eliminate the need to have laptops to hide in the set/exhibition space somewhere. This I felt could be done fairly easily under a table holding the projectors and the black curtain hiding this with the laptops underneath. As far as the sound went I wanted each screen to have its own speakers set up behind them so it would look like the sound was coming from the screens and they were talking to you. I managed to source three sets of dynamic speakers running off their own power and purchased three 5 metre mini jack to phono cables to run from the laptops to the speakers.
HIDING THE TECHNOLOGY
When I have been to galleries to look at video installations if projections are used rather than screens they are either back projected as I mentioned earlier or the projectors are on view. I am happy to keep the projectors on view BUT will need to hide the lap-tops. This will be done by setting up a table for the projectors to get them some hight for the projection, covering it in a black fabric and hiding the laptops underneath. The speakers will be raised off the ground by three black plinths and they will be connected by black cables.
SCREENS, SIZE AND BUILDING.
I did consider getting free standing screens but I did not want the clutter and loved "NOW" by Chantal Ackerman where she had slightly transparent perspex screens suspended from the ceiling and back projected onto them. My budget could not run to perspex (this idea would have to wait for another day) but I could suspend screens from the lighting rig. I have worked up a prototype screen. I made this using lengths of white photography backdrop paper from a spool I sourced. I will be attaching thin lengths of wood at the top and bottom the top one to fix and hang it from the ceiling and the bottom one to get the paper to hang straight. This worked well. lengths of strong enough fishing line or cord will secure these to the lighting rig.
Screen size was determined by the space itself and how far the projectors had to be from the screens to fill them. The bigger you needed the image to be the further away the projector needed to be and I ran some tests on the projectors to work this out. I also made lots of measurements of the studio space to determine its physical size and also where sockets and lighting rigs were for fixing the hanging screens to and to enable planning of the screen set up. the studio is 5.5m deep by 5m wide inside the black curtained area so this was the space I had to work with.
From looking at the measurements of the space I began to consider screen size. I wanted the biggest screen size I could find. I discovered that three widescreen 16:9 100' screens (221cm by 125cm) would fit but the angles that the screens would be at would be too tight to work with the video footage itself. They would also have to be too close together and the projectors would have to overlap to be far enough away to project fully onto a screen that big. this would also distance the audience from the piece as they would have to stand way back to avoid interfering with the projections which I did not want. 84" screens(186cm by 104cm) worked better but still the angle of the screens was also too steep and there was no space between the screens and the projectors would still have to be set too far back to allow the audience to get close avoiding the immersive experience I was after.
The ideal compromise was 72" screens ((159cm by 90cm). These allowed for a shallower angle if set up properly see right image below and allowed for the projectors to be set on the table 225 cm from the screen. Whilst still not exactly what I was after i did not want to compromise screen size any bigger as it kept the audience too far away. This is the set up I will be going with.
THE INSTALLATION SPACE
This will be a black box lit only by the screens and projections. One screen in the middle with two angles at about 30 degrees either side of it. All the screens will be the same size and at about eye level suspended fro the lighting grid. The projectors will be central on a table off the ground and this will be covered by black material with the laptops hidden away underneath. Speakers will be positioned behind each of the screens attached to the laptop playing their projection and therefore their sound. There will be a brief overview of the piece on the exhibition door explaining it.
TECHNOLOGY CHOICE
From these the set up that worked best was the three lap-tops and projectors. I did consider players and DVD options but laptops worked just as well under testing. I did consider TV screens but I felt this did not give me the scale and impact I was after as I could not get hold of three that were big enough. This was mainly due to a cost consideration and also time and technical aspects to buy and install all the software and hardware needed. These were 3 laptops equipped with Quicktime player so they would play the clips linked to three projectors with VGA leads. I did look at spending on the media players as they would eliminate the need to have laptops to hide in the set/exhibition space somewhere. This I felt could be done fairly easily under a table holding the projectors and the black curtain hiding this with the laptops underneath. As far as the sound went I wanted each screen to have its own speakers set up behind them so it would look like the sound was coming from the screens and they were talking to you. I managed to source three sets of dynamic speakers running off their own power and purchased three 5 metre mini jack to phono cables to run from the laptops to the speakers.
When I have been to galleries to look at video installations if projections are used rather than screens they are either back projected as I mentioned earlier or the projectors are on view. I am happy to keep the projectors on view BUT will need to hide the lap-tops. This will be done by setting up a table for the projectors to get them some hight for the projection, covering it in a black fabric and hiding the laptops underneath. The speakers will be raised off the ground by three black plinths and they will be connected by black cables.
SCREENS, SIZE AND BUILDING.
I did consider getting free standing screens but I did not want the clutter and loved "NOW" by Chantal Ackerman where she had slightly transparent perspex screens suspended from the ceiling and back projected onto them. My budget could not run to perspex (this idea would have to wait for another day) but I could suspend screens from the lighting rig. I have worked up a prototype screen. I made this using lengths of white photography backdrop paper from a spool I sourced. I will be attaching thin lengths of wood at the top and bottom the top one to fix and hang it from the ceiling and the bottom one to get the paper to hang straight. This worked well. lengths of strong enough fishing line or cord will secure these to the lighting rig.
Screen size was determined by the space itself and how far the projectors had to be from the screens to fill them. The bigger you needed the image to be the further away the projector needed to be and I ran some tests on the projectors to work this out. I also made lots of measurements of the studio space to determine its physical size and also where sockets and lighting rigs were for fixing the hanging screens to and to enable planning of the screen set up. the studio is 5.5m deep by 5m wide inside the black curtained area so this was the space I had to work with.
From looking at the measurements of the space I began to consider screen size. I wanted the biggest screen size I could find. I discovered that three widescreen 16:9 100' screens (221cm by 125cm) would fit but the angles that the screens would be at would be too tight to work with the video footage itself. They would also have to be too close together and the projectors would have to overlap to be far enough away to project fully onto a screen that big. this would also distance the audience from the piece as they would have to stand way back to avoid interfering with the projections which I did not want. 84" screens(186cm by 104cm) worked better but still the angle of the screens was also too steep and there was no space between the screens and the projectors would still have to be set too far back to allow the audience to get close avoiding the immersive experience I was after.
The ideal compromise was 72" screens ((159cm by 90cm). These allowed for a shallower angle if set up properly see right image below and allowed for the projectors to be set on the table 225 cm from the screen. Whilst still not exactly what I was after i did not want to compromise screen size any bigger as it kept the audience too far away. This is the set up I will be going with.
THE INSTALLATION SPACE
This will be a black box lit only by the screens and projections. One screen in the middle with two angles at about 30 degrees either side of it. All the screens will be the same size and at about eye level suspended fro the lighting grid. The projectors will be central on a table off the ground and this will be covered by black material with the laptops hidden away underneath. Speakers will be positioned behind each of the screens attached to the laptop playing their projection and therefore their sound. There will be a brief overview of the piece on the exhibition door explaining it.
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