This is a guide to projecting film and video work outside the cinema space and includes points for both artists and curators to consider when showing moving image work in galleries and other spaces. There are also some tips for making time-based work accessible spaces where it can be quite difficult to watch…

It is a curator's responsibility to consult with artists / filmmakers about how they want their work to be shown. They then need to work with the technician and artist in the space to find the best solution for the work for the space where it will be shown.

As an artist / filmmaker it is important to be specific about how you want your work to be seen, as how it is presented can make a huge difference to the way it is received by the audience. The quality of the projection and sound, whether the space is blacked out, the size of the screen all contribute to people’s experience of the work.

When preparing any show my advice would be:

• Always go and visit the space where your work will be shown well in advance if you can. Don’t rely on drawings and plans – they are no substitute for trouble shooting in the space.
• Go and see how moving image work is presented in different galleries and museums for examples of ways that you like / dislike.
• Talk to gallery technicians and the curator about how you envision the work to look and your technical requirements for the space, where and how the equipment is going to be installed.
• Make sure there is the budget for equipment hire if it’s not in–house equipment.
• Do you want the space blacked out? Black fabric can, in the end, be as economical and a lot less work than painting out the space. To cover black paint with white can take up to 4 coats – that’s a lot of paint and a lot of man hours.
• Consider your choice of projector. For video minimum 2000 lumens is advisable if your screen size is 6ft x 8ft or larger. For 16mm, if you need additional brightness, a Xenon projector may be advisable.
• For screens you can hire standard size fastfold screens or stretch screen material over a board. To project directly onto the wall you can use Rosco supersaturated white paint.
• Think about whether you want your film to be watched from beginning to end or whether it can be on a loop so that people can enter and leave at any point.
• Consider the length of the work, how long people watch for in galleries and whether you will need seating.
• Sound issues – if it’s a group show and there are other pieces that have sound and you will need to discuss how to get around this with the curator.
• Give yourself plenty of time to set up your work so there is time to make any adjustments to fit the space – ensure the equipment is delivered at least a couple of days before the opening so you can do this.

Projection 16mm film? A few tips…

• Consider the choice of projector – brightness / length of throw / lenses / screen size
• To loop or not to loop? – with Kino Club loopers you can loop up to 12 minutes continuously or can use stop/start button to save your print! These loopers save a gallery attendant having to rewind and lace the projector every time the film is shown.
• Loop projection will obviously wear down your film over time and it may get dirty and scratched so it’s always worth having a spare print, or even two for longrun shows. This damage is less if you are projecting intermittently or using a stop / start button as the film is not continuously looping.
• Work prints – if you are showing work prints or prints with splices always make sure they’re double spliced, otherwise you risk damaging not only your film but the projector too.
• Housing the projector – if it’s in a booth, make sure it is dust free and has enough ventilation.
• Positioning the projector - remember 16mm projectors don’t have a keystoning facility so you need to position the projector with the lens at the same height as the centre of your screen.
• Temperature and humidity – If equipment gets too hot or it’s too humid you’re in trouble. Loops can start to stick and projectors can grind to a halt. Make sure there is adequate ventilation and time for the projector to cool down.
• Dust – particles in the air will seriously scratch your film and it doesn’t do the projector any good either, so make sure all sanding and finishing work has been completed in the space before you bring in your film and projector.
• Clean the gate – for the duration of the show make sure someone blows out the gate (with compressed air) every day to keep the projector running clean.
• Sound – you can link the 16mm to an amp and speakers. To keep the hiss and crackle of optical sound to a minimum have the sound low on the projector and amplify it with an external amp.
• Sound of the projector – If the projector is not housed in a booth remember that it’s a mechanical beast and will give you a soundtrack of it’s own – this can work or you may want to soften it by placing the projector in a booth.
• External sound – if your soundtrack is not on the film print then be sure to leave clear instructions on how and when it should be played. You can link a CD player to the stop / start mechanism of a projector so they start loosely in sync.

Projecting video…

• Consider your choice of projector – the brightness, length of throw, lens, size of image.
• Zoom lens – with video projectors you have the advantage of a zoom lens but if you’re looking for a large screen size in a space with limited throw, check how wide your projector lens is to you’ll be able to have the image size you want.
• Resolution – by using a zoom lens you risk reduction in the image resolution and brightness. Be sure to check how your work looks at different sizes.
• Positioning the projector – often the best way is to use a ceiling mount or put the projector on a high shelf.
• Keystoning – when projection from an angle you need to use keystoning to adjust the aspect ration to a true rectangle.
• Avoid excess keystoning – using keystoneing too much can distort the image. It will create a black frame around your image, which is never a true black. This won’t be so obvious when projecting onto the wall but if you are projecting onto a screen you will have light spill over the edges.
• Formats – there are a range of video and digital formats to choose from. Explore what is most appropriate for your work and the space and is accessible.
• DVD – this format is easy to loop but always test your discs well in advance of the show to make sure they work with your player. Always have a spare copy in case there are any problems with the disc.
• DV Tapes – these are more stable than DVD but obviously not so easy to loop. The DVCam format is more stable than miniDV.
• Beta and Digibeta – these high resolution formats are often used in screening situations but rarely for gallery exhibition purposes due to the expensive nature of the equipment.
• DVD players – if you find DVDs stick it’s often the player that’s causing the problem, so try swapping the player for another one in this instance. Another reason they stick or stop working is if the player gets too hot, so allow time for the player to cool down.
• Ventilation – if equipment gets too hot it will stop working. Always make sure there’s adequate ventilation for your projector, player and amp.

A few words of advice from Mike Jones at Film and Video Umbrella…

Particular care should be taken in shutting down the projector – the unit should be allowed to run the cooling fan for the full period required, and should never be turned off directly at the mains or from the on/off rocker switch on the unit.

The units should not be exposed to dust or humidity; this includes times when the units are in the exhibition space but not turned on. Exposure to dust will result in poor image quality, and units will have to be returned to the manufacturer for full servicing and cleaning. Units should not be enclosed in any housing which will reduce the efficiency of the cooling system.

Multiple screen installation – using synch units, etc

Video is often shown in multiple screen installations, which can bring up another range of issues.

• Cables – be sure to not overcrowd the room with cables as they are both a heath hazard and if tripped over could damage your equipment.
• Multiple players – be sure if housing various players to keep the equipment well ventilated, as more than one player will generate more heat.
• Multiple Soundtracks – Be aware that to show more than one work with sound will lead to their soundtracks affecting each other. Explore ways to balance the sound or alternatively insulate or cordon off one work from another to reduce sound leakage.
• Synched multiple screen video projection – in order to show multiple screen video projection in sync you will need a special sync unit to keep maintain the materials synchronisation.
• Sync units – there are a couple of different sync units available for hire. Designer Systems sync unit is 3–4 frames accurate, which for many purposes is adequate, but if you need frame accurate synching you will need a more complicated programmable sync unit, such as a Dataton unit which requires a laptop to run it.
• Disc encoding – with both these systems check the disc encoding / authoring requirements as discs that are not authored correctly will not run. It’s always advisable to author the discs well in advance and have them tested by whom ever you’re hiring the synch unit from to avoid major stress during installation!

Outdoor screenings… things to consider…

Screenings outdoor present different ways to engage with audiences but also present new technical challenges.

• Power – if there is no power on site you may need to use a generator. They can be noisy so ensure you order enough cabling to be able to site the generator a good distance from your audience.
• Discuss any health and safety issues with the site owners and managers well in advance of your proposed event.
• Choice of projector – projectors outdoors need to be much brighter. If you’re projecting 16mm outside use a Xenon projector, for example.
• Screens – size and where and how the screen is going to be installed.
• Seating or standing?
• Lighting / toilets are things you may need to consider – depending on how remote your location!
• Sound / PA system – you will need more than a domestic amp and speakers when outside and bear in mind that cheap PA systems can sound pretty rough.

For example when I showed one of my 16mm films, Aspect (dir. Emily Richardson, UK, 2004), in a forest in Kent we needed a generator to get power to the site, which had to be a good distance away from the screen as it was noisy. We surrounded it with hay bales and put it behind some bushes but still it had to be about 20m away. We hung the screen between two trees using a scaffold tower which then doubled up as our projection / sound booth. As well as needing a bright projector we obviously needed a more powerful sound system with PA. Lighting and toilets also became a consideration due to the remote nature of the site. The weather played a part in the success of this event as it was a warm starry night but that was out of our hands, although we did have a back up plan – if the rain came down there was a nearby barn where we could have set up and moved people too. For an event like this there’s a huge amount of planning but ultimately it’s really worth the effort.