Tech Tips on how to plan a showing of Green Fire

QUICK OVERVIEW

Questions Equipment considerations

• How many people in the • DVD/Blu-ray/Computer Player audience? • Sound • Where will it be shown? • Screen • What equipment do I need? • Projector/Monitor • Location of screen, projector, • Room lighting – control of speakers and audio gear ambient light • What’s the room set-up – can • Power sources everyone see? • Microphones for discussion, if • What’s the seating arrangement? needed

Compiled by Dave Steinke and Steve Dunsky, co-directors of Green Fire. Contact: [email protected]; [email protected]

What Kind of Screening Will You Host?

Venue Best For Equipment

Personal showing

The fastest/easiest way is to Good for showing to one or Computer with a DVD player. show the film on a computer two people. Sound will be better if you with a DVD player. have small external speakers that work with your computer.

Home showing

You would show this just like Good for small groups of DVD player, television set, you watch movies at home. people. speakers. Check to make sure Put the Green Fire DVD in everything works before you your DVD player and watch it show it. on your television with the sound coming out of your TV or speakers you might have plugged in to the DVD player.

Small group showing with a big television

Might be shown in a Good for small groups of Large screen High Definition classroom or a small meeting people. The bigger the screen, television (42” to 60”) with a room. Same setup as home. the better. DVD player. Should have You might need to plug the really good speakers in the DVD into the TV. It would be nice to play the television or additional Blu-ray disc in this setting, but speakers that plug into the A good rule of thumb is one it will require a Blu-ray player DVD player. inch of diagonal television per and the proper cables to person – i.e. a 42” television patch into the monitor. Make sure you have all the screen should accommodate correct cables and plugs and up to about 42 people. be sure to practice before the screening.

What Kind of Screening Will You Host?

Venue Best For Equipment Good for small groups of Small group showing with a people. The best conditions Computer with a DVD player. projector are low light or nearly dark. A projector that is compatible Generally, the higher the with the computer or a DVD This is pretty much like lumens on the projector, the player/Blu-ray player and nice showing a PowerPoint better the picture and less external speakers. presentation or what you control of the light you will typically see in a classroom. need to have. Make sure you have the The DVD is projected onto a correct cables and plugs and large screen with really nice The Blu-ray disc would be best that everything plays correctly sound in a darkened room to in this setting, but it requires before the show starts. a small group of people. a Blu-ray player and the proper cables to patch into the projector. It would be best if the projector is capable of showing off the Blu-ray quality. Check the owner’s manual and adjust the settings properly.

Large Group showing A convention key note It will take lots of time to set presentation, a plenary up and test and check sound This is where we really want session screening. Generally and ambient light. You might to spend some time and looking at between 100 and need to add microphones for energy and probably some 200 people. the introduction and money renting equipment discussion after the film. and try to show Green Fire in It would be best (maybe the Blu-ray players rent for the best light we can. We only way) to play the Blu-ray approximately $100.00 per want this to be the best disc in this setting, but it will day, a high definition experience possible for the require a Blu-ray player and projector (720-P at about audience – on a par with a the proper cables to patch $500 per day, and 1080-P rent movie theatre. The high into the projector. And it for around $1,000 or more definition of Green Fire is on would be best if the projector per day) speakers and a mixer par with most motion pictures is capable of showing off the and cables run about $300.00 today, so let’s show it off. Blu-ray quality – the full 1920 per day and the delivery, set x 1080 HD picture. up and tear down another $100.00 or so. So figure a Check the owner’s manual ballpark figure of about and adjust the settings $1000- $1500.00 for a really properly. nice high-end screening.

What Kind of Screening Will You Host?

Venue Best For Equipment

Ball room, meeting hall, large Again a convention, key note Now we are getting into venue showing presentation, a plenary rental equipment with session screening. Looking at enough quality to show it This is the next best thing to a more than 250 people. really big on a screen and movie theater. We want to plenty of speaker power to make this as close to a theater Definitely play the Blu-ray disc hear all the sound quality in experience as possible…dark in this setting, but it will the show. room, comfy seating, big require a Blu-ray player and sound, a beautiful high the proper cables to patch You may need to get some AV definition experience on a big into the projector. help from the hotel or venue screen that everyone can And it would be best if the folks or have a rental easily see. projector is capable of company come in and set the showing off the Blu-ray whole thing up. quality. Check the owner’s manual and adjust the Prices will run a little higher settings properly. than the above, depending on the city and the venue. Other options might be to play the show off of a High Definition tape deck, or playing the show off of a high speed hard drive or computer.

Theater showing

Most theatres are different as A local movie theater like the The highest quality copy of far as the equipment they Ringling in Baraboo. the show that the theater can have for showing films. It It’s surprising how handle. These types would might be best for Steve or inexpensive it is sometimes to include Blu-ray, HDCam, Dave to talk with the owner rent a theatre when the running the show off of a high or the projectionist to get movie house is not showing speed hard drive and other them the highest quality copy films. Earlier hours, forms of 1080-High Definition of the show we have. weeknights, days are best; playback. and look at the small theatres We will not have a 35 mm film or smaller venues. Sometimes Contact Dave or Steve and copy of Green Fire in case that the owner will make enough we’ll be happy to help. question comes up. on food and drink to waive the theatre rental charge.

What Kind of Screening Will You Host?

Venue Best For Equipment

Drive-in Theater showing

Not many of these venues Good for warm summer night First you need to find a left, but it would be pretty screenings. Drive-In. Then approach them cool to have Green Fire show about screening Green Fire as at a drive-in. Just refer the part of a special event or theater owner or projectionist promotion. to Dave or Steve and we’ll figure out a way to get this Then get an old car and put a done in the best format! bunch of people in the trunk, buy some beer and Kentucky Fried Chicken and head for the movies!

A little bit about aspect ratios…the size and shape of your television or screen.

• Green Fire was made to be seen in a 16 by 9 format…sixteen units wide by 9 units high. That’s the best way to see it. It’s the way the director saw the scene when it was filmed. • Some DVD players and projectors will automatically show it in 16 by 9, or it may automatically change it to 4 by 3 or something altogether different. If the people in the scene look stretched or squished, then something needs to be adjusted. Don’t show the program if the people in the show don’t look right – get some AV help or go to the projector or DVD manual for instructions. • Blu-ray Disc's Full HD 1080p resolution produces over 2 million pixels per frame to produce a razor-sharp picture with unmatched depth and clarity that takes full advantage of the capabilities of today's 1080p HDTVs and projectors. That's six times the picture data contained on DVDs, which are encoded at only 480p.