How to Make Video for Expanded Cinema
Presented by the Video Association of Dallas

April ?, 20--

Thank you for checking out Expanded Cinema, a program presented by the Video Association of Dallas in cooperation with -----. We're delighted to offer this program and excited about your interest in participating.

Expanded Cinema is a program of new video art works created especially for the LED display that wraps the Omni Hotel in Dallas, TX. The display was especially designed for the unique architecture of the building, and at 193' high x 999' in width or circumference, it is among the largest screens in the world. It's visible at a great distance and from many different angles, providing artists a rare opportunity to share their work simultaneously with an entire city, including many people who might never enter a museum or gallery.

Because of the complex demands of this project, it is important that artists understand the information on this page, including both the technical requirements and the deadlines. Please read everything on this page carefully.

The "Template" Consists of a Video and a PSD:

While the display is big, it's very low-res and oddly shaped. It's made up of bars of light, with one bar per floor, effectively just 20 "pixels" tall and 333 wide. Video for the display must be made in the correct aspect ratio, or it will be distorted to fit the display.

To enable myself and other artists to make video for the display, I led an effort to create a template for it. Here's what the template looks like (the shapes and colors were merely for purposes of testing intelligibility on the display. This image is NOT the actual template, just a smaller JPG of it):

Templage Image

Template PSD (click to download). This was used to create the template test video. It has the right dimensions and resolution (1280 x 248), and it has a checkerboard layer that tells you the actual locations of the display "pixels." The template PSD also has guidelines that show the divisions between the front, side, and back of the building; and the panels are labelled, so you can tell what will appear where on the building. You can find an image and more about the building below.

This PSD also has a layer of black bars. If you put your images or video under this layer, it will give you a very rough approximation of what the display might actually look like, i.e.,how much detail you can expect to lose. In the actual display, the light bars are only a couple of inches thick, and they're separated by close to ten feet of mostly-black space – so although the eye may read the light bars as thicker, esp. from a distance, in fact there's a lot of missing data.

You can bring this PSD or its layers into Final Cut or other editing program in order to make use of these aids.

Template Video (click to download). Your video should be the same format (mp4) and have the same dimensions or aspect ratio and resolution (1280 x 248) as this template video. Please use 30p (the template is in 29.97p), and please use square pixels.

Here's documentation video of the entire 2012 program, showing the actual videos made for E.C. 2012, side-by-side with how they looked on the display. This video should be very helpful to you in understanding how moving images translate onto the display. You can also see video of how the template video translated onto the display here.

Additional Requirements:

Your video must be formatted as specified above and be no longer than 4? (depending on program length and no. of artists) min.
Also, please include your last name in the name of your files.

The Omni will not display anything that refers to:

 

Religion
Sex
Gender
Sexual preferences
Economic status
Political matters
or anything that might offend groups or types of citizens of Dallas
And they also cannot display most kinds of advertisements or logos.

Audio

The program audio will probably be simulcast by KXT 91.7 FM radio, so your piece will need to have audio consistent with their format (no long silences, curses, or other content that's inappropriate or wildly incongruent with their usual format). KXT is a public radio music station; you can listen here. (Note, we will not be able to confirm that the audio will be broadcast until KXT has had an opportunity to hear the entire program audio, to make sure it complies with FCC and other requirements.)

Many people may see your work without the audio, so you may want to try to design your video so it will also work without it.

Because KXT has a license to broadcast most music, you may use the kinds of music a radio station would normally broadcast without concern for permissions.

Deadline for Video Test File with FINAL Audio:

You will be afforded ONE chance to test your video on the Omni display prior to submission of your final video, to see what it actually looks like on the display.

Because of the time-frame needed for KXT's approval of the audio and for publicity, your test file must include your FINAL audio. You will NOT be able to make even minor changes to your audio once you've submitted this file. But you will be able to revise your visuals after the test, and your test video can include more than one version of your visuals, so long as everything is in one mp4 no longer than 4 min.

I must receive your test file with FINAL audio no later than March 9, 2014. Please put your compressed test video (with final audio) in a folder, zip the folder, and send it to me via wetransfer.com or similar facility, at carolyn at c-cyte dot com. I will compile and deliver the videos into single video and audio files for the Omni and KXT (together with intro/outro, station i.d., etc.).

Test Screening:

The test screening will take place on or about March 17?, 2014. We will videotape the test screening and put it online where you can view it; but if possible, it's much better to see the test screening in person.

Deadline for Final Submissions:

I must receive your compressed, FINAL video (with audio unchanged from your test version) by March 30?, 2014. Please put it in a folder, zip the folder, and send it to me by wetransfer or similar facility at carolyn at c-cyte dot com.

By submitting a video for this program, you represent and agree that you hold all necessary rights to the video (other than for any music covered by KXT's license) and that the video may be shown on the Omni wall without compensation to you at any or all such times April 9 - 14, 2014, as VAD may determine.

More Info:

What Works Best on the Omni Display: Because of the low resolution, you'll probably need to make the forms in your visuals much larger and stronger in color and contrast than you might expect. Forms are often more intelligible if they're moving; but the display's fade time is maybe a second long, so forms blur or leave tracers if they move too quickly. Light images on dark backgrounds generally read better than the reverse. The color of the screen is not completely true.

The Building: The building footprint is boomerang-shaped, with no real corners:

Omni Hotel

The image above shows the front of the building, but the best view of the display and the one from which the most people will probably see it is from the back.

For Still More:

If you've read all of the foregoing and still have any question, please contact me at carolyn at c-cyte dot com. For more about me and the Video Association of Dallas, go here.

Creative Commons License

The Omni Dallas display template was created by Carolyn Sortor with Ben Britt. The template and related info are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.



VAD Logo

Go to the Dallas Videofest