Chapter 3: A New Hope
or, You Bet Your Acetate!

In Chapter 1 of this series I talked about the history and the technology of theatrical spotlights, and how that allowed pattern projection to develop to where it is today. Chapter 2 dealt with a lot of different options for image projection to ground us in a fuller context. Now a whole new option has come on the scene, and we're going to spend a little while exploring what it can offer.

The News
Back in Chapter 2 I talked about how expensive a color template made of glass was, and how time-consuming it was to have one custom-made. That's all still true, but there's an inexpensive and very short turn-around alternative now available. Rosco International has come up with a new technology they call the ImagePro. It's a device that slides into an accessory slot on many theatrical lighting fixtures and allows you to place a slide in it, one made from inexpensive acetate, and potentially designed and printed just moments before it is deployed.

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Consider the following case study.

A record company client engaged me to light their concert series in a theatre which they wanted to convert for 2 weeks into a hip music club. I asked them what artwork they could give me, and received a variety of colorful and exciting images. So I sold them on the idea of using ImagePro technology to inexpensively create virtual signage which we could then dim out and make disappear when the acts began. This allowed them to make a strong branding statement during the times when audiences were milling about, but not detract from the entertainment itself later. These pictures show a sort of "before and after": the logos which were sent to me; and what they looked like on the back wall of the space.
To further enhance the production, I made custom slides of each band's name (in a three color design of my own devising) to announce them and build excitement for their upcoming set.

Sh-K-Boom Room Photos by David Neff

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The Advantages
Fast and cheap. And flexible too. This is a short turnaround, budget-conscious approach for up to 4-color photorealistic designs. If you need to get approval from the boss at the last minute, and don't have a week to wait for a glass template to be made and shipped, this is for you. If you might need to change something once you get the light in place and try it out, you'll love the flexibility inherent in this method. If you're on a tight budget, but really want to put up some logos, or a projected image that need to be brighter than a 35mm slide projector, here's a way to do it.

The Disadvantages
The acetate is not going to give you quite as much color contrast. The blacks won't look as black. And this is a short-term use solution. Rosco suggests that their iPro slides will last 20 hours. I've seen some go longer and some shorter, but that figure sounds good as a rule of thumb.

Another factor is that the iPro accessory costs a lot of money if you're thinking of a one-off event, but it can be rented very reasonably. I have worked a whole package rental with delivery and set-up for one light with the iPro system for just a few hundred dollars, and that can be less than ordering signage would be on a similar-size scale.

Summary
If you have an architectural installation, stay with glass. It will cost more up-front, but need almost no attention once you've made it. The iPro would need replacement too often to be useful in long-term applications. Many of our clients, however, are looking for branding opportunities that are one-shot deals, such as at a launch party or to tie-in to a sales meeting, tradeshow or fundraiser. These are ideal scenarios, but there's also the in-between part of the gamut. If you are designing lights for a play and it has to last only a few weeks, or the light is only on for a short period of time, or not all the way to full intensity, this new technology starts to look brighter.

Jeremy Kumin is Tri-Luminary's founder and CEO. With 18 years professional lighting design experience, he has a body of work which often employes textured lighting and vibrant color. His corporate clients have been the beneficiary of his expert use of projected imagery since 1995.