Lighting speakers next to screen - Equipment Advice

In several courses I teach students make presentations standing next
to a projection screen (computer projector). I'd like to get a record
of the presentations in which both what they're projecting and the
students are visible. It seems to me this ought to be possible by
having the students stand next to the screen and lighting them with a
luminaire that has a cutoff so that they're illuminated, but not the
screen. From my reading the device for this kind of control is called
a "barn door".

We'll be recording several days of presentation at a time using a
digital camcorder.

My questions:

1) Does anyone have experience doing this kind of work, and if so,
does what I propose make sense?
2) Do you have recommendations for the kind of lights and barn door
(or other device) I should purchase. I don't have a signficant budget
for this so price matters.

Thanks

Jim Mitchell

On 27 Jan 2007 13:42:21 -0800, "AEngineerDU"
wrote:

In several courses I teach students make presentations standing next
to a projection screen (computer projector). I'd like to get a record
of the presentations in which both what they're projecting and the
students are visible. It seems to me this ought to be possible by
having the students stand next to the screen and lighting them with a
luminaire that has a cutoff so that they're illuminated, but not the
screen. From my reading the device for this kind of control is called
a "barn door".

We'll be recording several days of presentation at a time using a
digital camcorder.

My questions:

1) Does anyone have experience doing this kind of work, and if so,
does what I propose make sense?
2) Do you have recommendations for the kind of lights and barn door
(or other device) I should purchase. I don't have a signficant budget
for this so price matters.

Thanks

Jim Mitchell


Any rental places around Any pro photographers that would were you
could rent some equipment? that way you'd get some good advice and
the use of better equipment than you could afford to purchase.

On Jan 27, 4:42 pm, "AEngineerDU" wrote:
In several courses I teach students make presentations standing next
to a projection screen (computer projector). I'd like to get a record
of the presentations in which both what they're projecting and the
students are visible. It seems to me this ought to be possible by
having the students stand next to the screen and lighting them with a
luminaire that has a cutoff so that they're illuminated, but not the
screen. From my reading the device for this kind of control is called
a "barn door".

We'll be recording several days of presentation at a time using a
digital camcorder.

My questions:

1) Does anyone have experience doing this kind of work, and if so,
does what I propose make sense?
2) Do you have recommendations for the kind of lights and barn door
(or other device) I should purchase. I don't have a signficant budget
for this so price matters.

Thanks

Jim Mitchell

Jim,
The traditional way of doing this is with a spot light on the
lecturne. Barn doors are used with broad beamed light, they are
nothing more than a shade that blocks the light. Some auditoriums have
spots on either side of the screen, some unfortunately only have a
bank of lights in front, short of having some bulbs taken out there is
not much to do with that type of room layout.
You could put a spot light on a stand and light the lecturne that way,
but to look right it needs to be high up, and 15-20 foot stands are
expensive, not to mention the price of a good spot light. The other
thing a light of that sort does is inhibit the speaker, especially if
they move around the stage.
Digital projectors tend to be bright so take a light reading on one
presentation, we average, not whte of black backgrounds and a light
reading around the lecturne, your hand is a good object to use, see
how they fall you might be surprised. Another good thing is that
digital camcorders tend to have good light sensitivity.

Good luck
Tom