Vision systems can be used for many different purposes and require varied set up depending on the client's requirements. Situations commonly using vision systems include:

■   concerts and performances

■   workshops involving a guest speaker

■   lectures

■   school assemblies

■   studio film recordings

■   live online feed

■   filming live - indoors or outdoors

■   classrooms.

The assembly and installation of equipment and accessories is always similar, however the position of equipment and the cabling is often dependent on the purpose of the vision system, as well as the venue and audience specifications. If the event has a large audience and requires audio support you will also need to include an audio PA system in your set up.

When connecting any vision equipment it is important to ensure the power is off and not powered-up until all assembly and installation has occurred.

It is vital to perform regular checks, functionality tests and routine maintenance of vision system equipment and accessories, especially if it is being used after being stored or transported.

Vision system equipment is often positioned in the audience space and can be mobile, in the form of live cameras. The security of this equipment needs to be considered to ensure no loss or damage occurs.

If hiring equipment for an event ensure you inspect the equipment on receipt and keep track of any issues or damages to report back to the hiring company. A detailed equipment inventory should be kept of both owned and hired equipment.

Watch the 5 videos to explore how vision system are used in varying ways across different contexts, including :

■   live performances and events

■   indoor and outdoor venues.

Discuss the requirements for each of the vision system set ups and operation throughout pre-production, during production and post-production.

While the proper layout of a presentation room or multimedia theatre can involve complex geometry, there are some simple guidelines that can be used.

For optimum viewing, the audience should be seated within the shaded area indicated in this diagram(left).   

The audience should be within ±30º of a line perpendicular to the screen’s centre. They should be seated no closer than twice the image height. If a room is too wide to allow all viewers to fall within these guidelines, consider multiple displays. The distance to the furthest viewer depends on the content of the presentation. For general purpose (e.g. entertainment) the last row should be no further than eight times the image height.   This should be adjusted to six times the image height for corporate or data presentations (e.g. spreadsheets), or four times the image height for critical applications (e.g. control rooms, CAD drawings, very fine detail, etc.

To prevent obstruction of the screen by the heads in front, the bottom of the screen should be 1200mm above the floor. This can be adjusted somewhat if the seating is staggered, or if the floor is raked. Allow a minimum of 150mm between the top of the screen and the ceiling. The screen should never be positioned too high – bear in mind ergonomic figures regarding comfortable head tilt and vertical eye movement range: no viewer should have to rotate their head more than ±30° from straight ahead, or tilt their head more than 25° from horizontal.

Rear projection generally has a narrower viewing angle than front projection and is better for long, narrow rooms. Material can be viewed with higher levels of room illumination and is less immune to ‘wash out’ by ambient lighting. Rear projection is available in both flexible and rigid materials although a rigid screen is more expensive than a front projection screen and has size restrictions. It also requires space behind the screen.   Mirrors may be used to reduce the required depth.

The use of vision systems in the entertainment industry has developed extensively over the past decade and changed the way many companies approach the design of their production.

Watch the video (left) to see some amazing things that are happening.

TDC are an Australian company providing video technology and production for the live events and entertainment industry. 

ACTIVITY

Explore how TDC work with the Schools Spectacular and discuss the requirements and challenges they have with such a large scale event.