Theatre Projection Tips Intro
The quality of your equipment, and your tech expertise, only matter so much—the most important thing is storytelling. With projections, your only limits are the limits of your creativity. When combined with your other design elements (actors, lighting, costumes, set, props, etc.), projections can expand your ability to tell your story, even if you don’t have state-of-the-art equipment in your booth.
Take photography as an example: you can own the most basic and inexpensive polaroid camera, but with the right vision, passion, and creativity you can compose beautiful, striking images. We also know that even with the most expensive camera equipment, it’s possible to shoot mediocre pictures. Your vision is what matters most, and your commitment to bringing it to life on stage!
That being said, there are certain requirements to make projections work well in your space, but the best way to discover these is to get in there and try it. Be creative! Get your hands on the best projector, screen and laptop you can, set it up in your theater, and play. Tweak projector settings, try different images, adjust your theater lighting. You can research online all day and take other directors’ advice, but there is no substitute for seeing projections in your own space and making adjustments based on what you see. Don’t be afraid to delegate to a student, volunteer or tech to try it out for you. You will keep learning and discovering ways to make it look better for the next show; but you have to start somewhere!
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Jacquelyn Karney
February 14, 2024
One more question…how do I know if my projector will be good enough Is there a certain kind of projector I need? I work at a school, and I think ours is decent. Thanks!