Projection and titles

Projection arrived in live performance as a way to change the picture without changing the scenery, and it brought a set of constraints that scenery never had: a light path across the room, a surface that has to be lit differently from everything else, and text that an audience has to read while also watching people.

This section covers the geometry that decides whether an image fits, the arithmetic that decides whether it is bright enough, the difference between projecting onto a static surface and a moving one, and the particular discipline of titles, where every word displayed is a moment the audience spends not looking at the stage.

The through line is that projection competes with the production for two scarce resources: attention and darkness. A bright rectangle takes both, and a design that does not account for that has quietly reduced the rest of the evening to accompaniment.

Figures come from standards bodies and published editorial guidance where they exist. Manufacturer specifications for brightness, contrast and screen gain are named as manufacturer specifications and are not reproduced as fact.