Projector advice for touring band

[xiiixiii]

Hi

I posted a similar question over in the Modul8 forum, but have had no response yet. Perhaps the question is more of a general one. Apologies if this topic has been tackled in a previous thread.

I'm heading out on tour with a band soon and am looking to buy two or three projectors that will be part of the stage kit. I'll be running Modul8 from a Macbook Pro and using a Matrox Triplehead2go to give me the three outputs I need. I want to keep a flexible setup as the venues are all sorts of shapes and sizes – I'll be projecting either onto existing architecture (I also use Madmapper) or scrim / screens onstage.

Can anyone point me at any projectors that have a good enough distance to image size ratio to be situated on the stage (a few feet / metres from the surface being projected on) but will still give a fairly decent image size (1.5 metre height or larger)?

Also how many lumens should I be looking at in peoples opinion? I was thinking this might be suitable for the job?

Sanyo PLC-XU3001 - http://www.purple-cat.co.uk/projecto...rdID=PLCXU3001

How few lumens could I go down to in peoples opinion? The band are a very atmospheric 'post rock' outfit so there will be little stage lighting apart from the projections and a few spotlights.

As with all musicians there's a limited budget so any cheaper options would be greatly appreciated. I'm based in the UK by the way.

Thanks very much!

Michael

[deepvisual]

seems to be a contradiction here.
you are projecting onto architecture, but its only 5ft high???

[xiiixiii]

you are projecting onto architecture, but its only 5ft high???

Sorry, poor wording on my part – I meant that if surfaces within the venue (ie walls etc) present themselves I may project onto them. Each venue will be different so I'm trying to have a fairly flexible setup. Cheers

[deepvisual]

I do this quite a lot.
as the venues vary considerably, its tricky to get an ideal system.
if you are doing pubs and clubs, you'll be fine with the suggestions below, if its theatres and arenas, you'll need some serious hardware

for behind the band I'd suggest 2x 5k lumens on a front truss- you can use your own, triangular truss and two manfrotto stands would do..

then I;d have a few 1k lumens projectors on the floor.
I wouldn't bother with the triple head myself. Dual head is fine
no stage backdrops are letterbox shaped.

screens are another issue.. its tempting to use a 8:3 screen behind a band, but more often than not it will be too big or too small.
again you can hang one from two manfrottos and truss or similar, or just go with something modular.. photo reflectors are very handy..and can easily be hung from a simple lighting stand.

I run everything in composite, its more rugged.

Touring paraphernalia - YouTube

Touring paraphernalia - YouTube

[xiiixiii]

Hi

Thanks for the detailed response, really appreciated. All great stuff. The photo reflectors as screens are a great tip – definitely something I'm going to look into. Also the touring paraphernalia vid is really handy, cheers. I'll go back to the band and see how far the budget can stretch for projectors.

Thanks again!