odd sized LED video displays

[Guest fredcamino]

the project i'm currently working on involves displaying video composited with my motion work on a 9'x30' LED video structure. Obviously this does not conform to any typical aspect ratio. The thing is that they are planning to project the video from DV (widescreen or standard, they havent decided) and have just accepted that video will be distorted (squished vertically, stretched horizontally), to fit the screen. But they don't want my type treatments/graphics to be distorted. my idea was to make my AE comps to conform to the aspect ratio of the LED structure (10:3, so a 3000x900 comp) and then when it is composited on the dv footage it will become distorted (squished to fit into the 720x480 frame), but when it is displayed on the screen it will stretch to the proper size. do you think this will work? if not do you have any ideas? thanks.

[Guest Sao_Bento]

How would the video be distorted to fit the screen? It goes in at 720X480, The projector would just regurgitate the same size right? So how would you scale it to fit the screen - via a DVE before it enters the projector or through some sort of custom optics?

Otherwise you'd be stuck turning the projector on it's side and working with a 720X175 area of a 720X480 comp. Pretty bad for type I'd think.

[Guest Sao_Bento]

Oops, that should be 720X175 is equal to 9:30 ratio. - I think . . . this is starting to give me a headache.

[Guest fredcamino]

yeah it gives me a head ache too! my boss claims that the video will be stretched to fit the screen. i have no idea how or why or what or anything. supposed to meet with the projector people tomorrow, so hopefully i'll learn more. thanks though!

[Guest Sao_Bento]

>>supposed to meet with the projector people tomorrow, so hopefully i'll learn more<<

 

That'll be the key. Make sure you get numbers! sizes, ratios, percentages, whatever they have. That way at least you can distill it down to something specific.

[Guest yogert909]

Is it 9' tall and 30' wide? If so,I see no need to render 3000x900 if it's 720x480 going into the display. Make it 1600x480 and squish the final comp into a 720x480 comp.

 

If it's 9'wide x30'tall, make your comp 720x2400 and squish it to 720x480.

 

This should work for you, it's the same technique for rendering widescreen DVDs.