Thursday, January 29, 2009

Don't Change Out Film Systems for Digital Prematurely


For Small Theaters, Digital Cinema Has Benefits - For Big Theaters, Stick with Film (for now)
Article by Steve Thorburn, published in IPM Magazine.

"Digital cinema has come a long way since and has some excellent applications for theaters, but still isn’t the best choice for every situation. There are benefits: print cost goes away, the last run of the image is just as good as the first, a multiplex can quickly reschedule theaters based on today’s ticket sales. But for theaters with screens wider than 20 feet, you pay a price in image quality..." Full story here.

How to Issue an RFP/RFQ


The RFQ (request for quotation/qualifications) and RFP (request for proposal) are basic tools of project development, providing a control for identifying and evaluating designers, contractors and suppliers.
Article by Lisa Thorburn, published by Blooloop.

"Designing an appropriate and goal-oriented document of this kind takes both time and planning. To get back the best and most accurate quotes or proposals, you must be willing to provide all of the information known about the project. This is no time to withhold facts – the contractor or vendor must be fully briefed on what you seek to accomplish in order to properly assess and communicate their ability and cost to complete your project. If you have drawings already available, even if they are basic sketches, provide them. The old adage, “an image is worth a thousand words,” really holds true during a design or creative process." Full story here.

Great Expectations


Do you know what your client expects from a project? Currently, we’re experiencing life from the client side of the fence, and learning from the experience.
Article by Steve Thorburn, published in Systems Contractor News.

"We grew, we ran out of room, and nobody liked the idea of running a second shift. So we plunged into the office space Realtor thing. We located a spot that is better than our existing space. Then came the build-out plan. Being savvy AV designers who continually deal with space planning, we whipped up our base plan in about two hours and then spent the next month refining it. Our new landlord took the plan and gave it to an architectural firm voted one of the “best places to work” in the area.

I admit I got a little ruffled, professionally, at the first teleconference— when the architect began to instruct us about the design process and about how architects work, and then said the project would take six months (three times longer than the lease contract allowed.) It dawned on me that they had not prepared for our meeting..." Full story here.

The Audiovisual Acoustic Design Process



Tailoring acoustic and A/V design to the needs of the church while grasping the realities of the church building design
Article by Steve Thorburn, published in Church Solutions magazine

"The words of Pastor Jeff ring out loud and clear in the 700-seat sanctuary of the New London Presbyterian Church in New London, Pa., reaching the ears of congregants through a professional audio-visual system and acoustic treatment in the church's new, two-story, 50,000 square-foot building, which opened in time for the Christmas season. Good acoustics are important to the quality of a worship experience – and to educational and social interaction.

In the case of New London Presbyterian, the acoustic and technology consultant worked closely with New London church mission director Mark Ham to design the audio/visual and acoustics systems to serve classrooms, gathering areas, offices and a kitchen in addition to the sanctuary. How the church’s needs were reconciled with the realities of its new building is a story that will be useful to others exploring their options for sound optimization..." Full story here.