Look Up

So, you have an event with a few hundred people attending. You plan to have some cameras for I-Mag (image magnification) along with some PowerPoint presentations, and you want to know what size screens you need and how many. Believe it or not, there are some guidelines for screen requirements and they have little to do with how many people are in the audience.

First on the list of considerations is room layout. Having 500 people seated theatre-style is a completely different scenario than 500 people sitting at rounds because their distance to the screens is different. Ideally, people should sit (in relation to the screens) no closer than twice the height of a screen and no farther away than eight times the height of a screen. So, let’s say you have a screen that is 10 feet tall. That means you want your audience to sit no closer than 20 feet and no farther away than 80 feet from the screen. Why is it based on height, you ask? Because our eyes perceive more detail from top to bottom. That’s why TV standards are based on how many lines make up a picture. Those ads you see for 1080P HDTVs are for TVs made up of 1080 lines from top to bottom.

This guideline is subject to change, however. If there are going to be presentations with a lot of fine detail or small text then your audience needs to be closer, just like holding something closer to your face if it has fine print (reading glasses included, of course). In this scenario you may want to have your audience no farther away than five times the height of the screen. If you’re just doing cameras for I-Mag, you can be farther away. Being too close can be uncomfortable, which is why a minimum distance is also important. Screens should be high enough off the ground for people to see the entire screen (usually about 4 to 6 feet for a seated audience). Delay screen may need to be added if people are seated too far away.

Now, let’s take a moment to think three-dimensionally. In addition to room size and layout there is one key factor that trumps all others and is often overlooked, and that is ceiling height and ceiling obstructions such as chandeliers and ceiling coves. If the ceiling height is 18 feet and the screen should be at least 5 feet off the ground so people can see it, and you factor in a foot or so for drape, you now have a maximum screen height of 12 feet. Ceiling obstacles may determine where the screens can be placed So look up — it may just affect what you can and can’t do.

Scott Reagles is a production manager and video director for IPG (Initial Production Group), based in Denver, Colo. He focuses on bridging the gap between clients and technology. You can reach him at scott@initialpro.com. IPG is a full-service production company that has been serving the faith-based market for more than 20 years.