Video Job Roles
Job Roles in AV are split into designers, technicians, and operators. Each role works closely together to create and operate the AV system to make it the best and not disrupt any performers or the audience.
AV Technician
AV Designer
AV Operator
Interrelations
The job of an AV technician is to take care of the projector and the monitor the projector is connected to. It is their job to make sure that everything works and there is no problem. If there is an issue with the monitor or projector it is their job to fix it and keep it up to date s technology evolves.
The Job of the AV designer is to create or find a visual that will work for the show. If it is a new show or a visual does not already exist then the designer may have to use a specific software to create the AV which will work for the show. If the designer creates the visual then they can also make it for a specific theatre.
The AV Operator will run the cues for any AV used in a show. They may also program the AV into a monitor so they know what cue is which and when it needs to be played during a show to have the audience immersed fully. An example of AV in theatre is the musical Back to the Future
The AV team may also work with the lighting team, sound team, and costumes team but they will work with every department to make the show as close to the storyline as possible. They will work mostly with the lighting department and costume team as the lights and costumes need to work well together and not clash.
Components of a Projector
1. Lamp cover
2. Vent
3. Focus ring
4. Lens cap
5. Lens
6. Zoom
7. Remote sensor
8. Front adjustable foot
9. Air filter cover & vent
10. Vertical lens shift
11. Horizontal lens shift
12. Control panel
Photometrics
Photometric is the projection of an image or video onto a screen via a projector
Photometrics in projectors
Focus
Zoom
Distance vs image size
Lens Shift
Type of Lens
Lens Angle
Frame Rate
Keystone (correction
Resolution
Aspect Ratio
Projection Screens
Projection screen – front or back projector – viewing angles and lighting conditions alter the image, dimmer if viewed from the side – number of projectors, the brighter it gets, larger surface area, doubling the image quality, soft blend.​
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Distance vs Image Size
Throw distance is a projector's distance from the lens to the screen surface. The throw distance and size of the image it produces on the screen and proportional to each other based on the projector lens and the screen the image will also increase. The most common projector throw ratio is 2.0. this means that for each foot of image width, the projector needs to be 2 feet away.
Lens Angle
Lens angle is how bright you want your image to appear and also factors into the lens angle, not just the bulb and projector used. The further distance, the larger the image and the darker the projection. The image size has an impact on the resulting brightness. For example, if you double the projection size by doubling the projection distance, you end up with only a quarter of the brightness. If you need a brighter projection, move the projector closer or use a narrow lens. When choosing a lens, its throw ratio is an important factor. The throw ratio is the ratio of the distance from the lens to the screen width.
KeyStone
Setting up a projector can be a struggle to get a perfectly rectangular image on the wall. This is because the lens of the projector has to be perpendicular to the screen. If any corner of the projector is closer to the screen than its opposite, you’ll get some kind of trapezoid instead of a nice rectangle. Keystone correction will digitally adjust the image in the opposite direction to offset the trapezoid. So if the image is, say, smaller on the left than the right, the projector can reduce the size of the right side so it appears rectangular again.​
Frame Rate
In motion pictures, television, and computer video displays, the frame rate is the number of frames or images that are projected or displayed per second. FPS is the abbreviation of frames per second this is how many images there are in a second that make up a video. For example, 1 frame per minute is the length of a Time-lapse photography and stop-motion animation.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio is the term used to describe the dimensions of an image by comparing the width to the height and expressing it in ratio form. These are used across any type of media such as images and videos. The aspect ratio comes in various sizes. It is always written width: height.
Resolution Image
Resolution is the detail an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail. A lens allows you to set the size of a pixel, which means that the higher the resolution, the clearer the image will be.
Balancing Light
Lighting is very important as the angle of light is essential to make sure that the projection is not disrupted and can be seen throughout the entire venue.
To make sure a projection on a theatre stage is not disrupted by the lighting design of the show, you can design the lighting using side lights, footlights, top lights, isolation lighting, and other lighting techniques that can illuminate the stage without shining on the projection. This is because the screen you are projecting onto, whether it is a backdrop or a prop downstage needs a dark backdrop with no light actively shining on it as it can make the projection defective as the audience will not be able to see it, similar with actors on stage the projector needs to be placed high enough to make sure that the projection does not go onto them as it can ruin the effect the projector is trying to give.
Once your projector is on the stage but there is an actor on stage, you need to adjust the floor alignment of the spotlight on the actor to stop the light from spilling onto the projection. Sources 4s are capable and are good to use with projections as the shutters can cut off any light that may be on the projections. You can also utilize the toplight to prevent spills on the projection by angling the lights downstage, so they shine slightly onto the audience. Isolation Lighting can also be used to only illuminate the key point on stage while having the rest of the stage dark, this is to not disrupt the projection which may be taking up the rest of the stage.