Hi guys,
We want to put on a sort of premiere for our film at a local high school. We've got the auditorium booked, but I really don't trust the projector they have there. It's one of those really cheap small ones they hook up to a laptop, I just don't trust the brightness, clarity, contrast ratio at all. The screen is, if I were to guess, a square, 10-12 feet in both directions, but to be honest I really don't know. The image would be projected from about 15-20 feet away, at about 20-30 degrees from below. Does anyone have any suggestions?

If the lights are going to be turned down for the presentation, I think that their projector will do the job. It's not going to be theatre quality, and it's not going to fill the whole screen, but it will get the job done. I've presented a couple of projects this way and haven't had any negative feedback from participants.

My best advice, talk to your contact and get ahold of the Chorus Director / Theatre Director and ask if you can preview their setup a few days before your event. Set it up as close as you can to how it will be the night of your presentation.

If you simply can't live with what they offer then rent a projector. I see you're in Maryland, but here in Columbus, OH I would goto Bartha Visual http://www.barthavisual.com/

I know they do work all over the country, see if they'll ship you something. Ask for Stu, he's a great guy an has helped me out several times.

Hope this helps,
Kevin