Scale & Perspective
In theatre projection, scale and perspective are crucial elements that contribute to the immersive experience and effectiveness of the visual storytelling. The careful consideration of scale ensures that projected images or videos accurately fit the size and proportions of the stage and surrounding set pieces, maintaining a cohesive and believable environment for the audience. Additionally, perspective plays a vital role in creating depth and dimension within the projected scenes, enhancing the illusion of distance and spatial relationships between objects or characters. By skilfully manipulating scale and perspective, theatre projection can seamlessly integrate with live performances, effectively transporting audiences into diverse settings and enhancing the overall impact and emotional resonance of the production.
Step 1: Ensure the projected image precisely fits and fills your cyclorama.
Step 2: With an actor on stage, view the projection from the audience's perspective. Identify key elements within the projection that indicate scale, such as tables, chairs, and notably, door handles, which maintain consistent proportions universally. If these objects appear disproportionately large relative to the actor on stage, it signals an issue. If they seem slightly small, it's generally less problematic, especially for distant elements which naturally appear smaller.
Step 3: Should these key objects appear too large or too small, adjust the size of the projection accordingly. This can be achieved by physically resizing the projection's dimensions using the projector or manipulating it digitally in programs like PowerPoint, Keynote, and QLab.
Important: Maintain the image's original aspect ratio to prevent distortion; avoid merely reducing the height, which would warp the picture.
Step 4: If enlarging the image results in cropping, it's acceptable; the audience won't notice the missing portions. Prioritize correct scale and perspective over displaying the entire image. Conversely, if reducing the image size leaves empty space on the cyclorama, options are limited. Consider lowering tabs or slightly adjusting masking legs to conceal this gap. Although the backdrop may appear slightly smaller, ensuring correct scale outweighs the visual distraction of an improperly scaled backdrop.
