What is a Lumen? Why does a lens matter?

When companies call us for a corporate event and need a video, slide show or power point presentation shown at their event, they usually just ask for a projector and a screen. Some of our customers know the difference, but others haven’t the slightest idea of what goes into the type of system they could get. So the next series of blogs is going to go into detail about the common nomenclature of the A/V world, specifically, screens and projectors.

We are going to start with projectors. Projectors are always rated first on how bright they are. So, when you see the term “lumen,” that is telling you how bright the projector is. The higher the lumen output, the brighter the image will be. And, as you can imagine, the higher the lumen output, the higher the price. Most professional projectors range from 2500 lumens to 10,000 lumens. The projectors you see at concerts can be upwards of 100,000 lumens. The most common lumen output you will see would be in the range of 4500-6500.

The higher the lumen output the better the picture will be. The blacks will look better, the contrast ratio is typically higher and the image, most importantly, will be easier to see. It really comes into play with the general lighting in the room. If you are having an event where you expect the lights on, or it may be in the afternoon in a venue with a lot of windows, a high lumen projector will be necessary. When I say high, I mean at least 5000 lumens. You don’t want your client to be complaining that it isn’t bright enough. Ultimately that will be what happens.

The next thing you need to know is the projection distance, or how far you have to “throw” the image. In most cases you will project the image onto a screen, and that screen is relatively close to the projector. But in our world, we need exact measurements to make sure we fill up the whole screen. That’s where the lens comes in. Lenses are sometimes called “glass.”

The lens, or glass, will allow you to “throw” the image very wide if you are extremely close to the screen or keep it very tight if you are far away from the screen. Both wide angle and short angle lens's can get expensive to rent. And those lenses tend to need a higher lumen projector. So knowing where the screens will go, in relation to where the projector will be are very important to us. All lenses are numbered. The number is what tells you the distance you can be from the screen to fill it completely. For example, a 1:1 lens means you have to be 12 feet away to fill up a 9x12 screen. Pretty simple.

So now you know a little more about projectors. Next up will be the screen! As always, any additional questions you have, don’t hesitate to call Matt or Michael and they will help you through the process.

-Jason

{Wedding Wire Review} Christine and Yordan

Christine and Yordan had a fun wedding at the Washington Crossing Inn.

"We had a very positive experience with Synergetic. We ended up going with Mike as our DJ. Mike was young, easy-going, and a very friendly and easy person to work with. We requested him because he had worked on other intercultural weddings before. He was outstanding, considering the few twists we had to make his life more complicated.

The week of the wedding, Mike spoke with us in a lengthy conversation about the order and flow of how the reception would be. Because we both have families from Europe, we had a variety of people (and many non-Americans) in our bridal party. Mike practiced over and over again how to pronounce peoples' names correctly. In the end, he did not mess up at all when he announced everyone as they entered the reception.

At our wedding, we had professional Bulgarian dancers perform and lead the guests in dancing. Mike worked with us and the dancers very well to coordinate the music and the flow of the entire evening. Mike was very sensitive to our needs ... we had quite a bit of European techno and pop hits that we wanted played. He played most of them throughout the evening; he also included a nice balance of classic songs that everyone could enjoy - our dance floor was NEVER empty the entire evening (no joke).

He started out the night with the pass-a-dollar game ... we had never heard of that before, but it turned out to be a real hit with the guests and set the mood for a fun night. Mike always talked to either my husband or I during the reception to see how the timing was going and if there was anything else we needed. We did other activities during the evening, such as the Anniversary Dance, bouquet toss, garter, and cutting the cake.

Many guests commented to us how fun our DJ was at our reception. My husband and I agree that Mike was one of our top vendors ... Synergetic was professional (always communicated with us in a timely fashion through e-mail or phone). One thing to be aware of is that it is kind of difficult to get ahold of your DJ directly ... it always has to be taken care of through the people working in the office. Though we did talk with Mike months before our wedding, we were a little nervous that we didn't get to talk to him again until the week of the wedding.

I highly recommend Synergetic, and specifically, Mike. He has a great attitude, is extremely flexible, and was not over the top like many other DJ's at weddings can be." -Christine and Yordan

Thank you so much Christine and Yordan! We truly appreciate your kind words and I know they mean a lot to Mike. We wish you all the best!

{Video} Lighting at the Merion Tribute House

The color of 2012

The color of 2012
In 2010 it was turquoise, 2011 was honeysuckle and what will next year be? The Pantone Color Institute has named “Tangerine Tango,” a blend of red and orange, as the “it” color for 2012.

I am a huge fan! The orange tone makes this such a fun, bright color that can easily bring out all the energy of an event, yet keep it feeling warm and cozy with the red like tones. It is a color that you can easily see in the longer, sun filled days of the summer, but still make a room feel comfortable through the shorter days of winter. Many people have to opt out of the darker colors in the summer because the sun’s rays last longer, but this hue will definitely allow guests to see it more easily, earlier in the event.

I am hoping to see a lot of this color in the floral! Lighting beautiful centerpieces just makes for an incredible room and shows the time and attention to detail that the client wants to portray to their guests. I am also interested to see what the florist’s pair with this color to make it pop even more.

Our friend Leigh at La Petite Fluer says that she is encouraged by this color selection. “We love it because it’s a color that can be interpreted for many styles and seasons. For Spring- tangerine, yellow and gray would be amazing. For Summer, we like a citrus blend- tangerine, yellow and lime. And for Fall, grape, tangerine and mocha is rich and sophisticated.”

When it comes to lighting, this would be a great color for up lighting, break up patterns for walls or ceilings, but not so much for a dance floor wash. While this color is in the skin tone family, I think this would most likely end up being too orange and make people look a bit strange, especially in photographs and video. Sticking to a lighter amber or lighter pink is still best for the dance floor.

The ladies over at Proud to Plan also like this selection. Owner Erin Proud said, “It is time for this vibrant and fun color to take center stage! The reddish-orange shade makes it a great choice for bridesmaid attire because it beautifully compliments most skin tones. Try combining textured tangerine linens, with lush ivory floral, lots of gold candles, all washed in gorgeous amber lighting and you'll create a warm and inviting setting your guests won’t soon forget!”

And our friend Tanya Gersh, of Tanya Gersh Wedding Design, based in Montana, said, "Tangerine is the new pink. It is bold, edgy and sexy. The perfect description of today's modern, confident bride!" I think Tanya is spot on!

I am really excited about seeing this color and hope our designer friends come up with creative ways to show it off!

For information on this color and the Pantone Color Institute, go here.

The color of 2010

The color of 2011

-Jason

{Wedding Wire Review} Jill

Another great Wedding Wire review - this time of Chris :).

"Synergetic was one of the best vendors to work with! They listened to everything we wanted and made sure everything went smoothly! I have heard nothing but compliments from all of our guests! I cannot recommend Chris and Kirk enough! They kept the reception running smoothly and kept everyone dancing all night long!" - Jill

To see more of our reviews, go here.

Thought You Might Be Curious

Since we are an A/V company, we get asked by our friends, family or just the average person what the “two pieces of clear plastic” next to the president are when he speaks. Well, the answer is his… teleprompter.

The “contraption” resembles a mic stand with a piece of glass attached to the top of it. From the audience's perspective, the high quality prompter glass is transparent, giving the impression that the presenter is speaking fluently and professionally without any assistance. From the presenter perspective, the glass displays a mirror image of the pre-prepared speech from the LCD monitor at the base of the stand. Whenever you have a behind the shot view of the president, you can usually see wording on the glass.

So now you know what it looks like and what it is.

-Jason

WOW My Wedding - One More Day to Enter!

Do you want to make your reception one to remember? Want to "WOW" your guests? Want your pictures to stand out? Share the story of your proposal with us and you could win a lighting package worth over $1000!

If you are a current DJ (Wedding I package) or Lighting client, or book us before December 18, 2011, and your wedding is happening between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012 you are eligible. If you have already booked lighting with your DJ package, or multiple lighting options, we will refund you the difference. DJ clients will be able to WOW their guests with reception up lighting, a dance floor wash and monogram. Lighting clients will have their current package upgraded, so if you booked up lighting, we'll give you a dance floor wash and monogram, if you booked a monogram, we'll give you up lighting and a dance floor wash and if you booked a dance floor wash, we'll give you up lighting and a monogram!

To enter, share the story of your proposal. How did it happen? Was it unique? Were you surprised? WOW us with your proposal story and we'll WOW your guests. Send your proposal story with the subject "Wow my wedding," to beckyd@synergeticsounds.com by Sunday, December 18, 2011. Please keep stories to 600 words or less, and include at least one picture of you and your fiance/the proposal.

We will pick our three favorite stories and post them on our Facebook page on Tuesday, December 20, 2011. It will then be up to our fans to vote for their favorite story. You can place a vote by "liking" the Synergetic Sound and Lighting page and then "liking" your favorite story. While comments are nice, they do not count as votes. Voting will end at midnight on December 24, 2011 and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

So if you want to WOW your guests, send in your story today!