University of Hertfordshire Students’ Union

Bringing a university together through film

The University of Hertfordshire is one of the top 100 universities in the world under 50 years old.¹ It has over 25,300 students, 2,700 staff and 10 schools of study. Although the University of Hertfordshire has only been a university for 25 years, it’s history is certainly rich. They haveIt has a strong commitment to their  its students, and the Hertfordshire Student’s’ Union is a testament to that.

The Union is an independent charity that focuses on improving student life at the university. As it is an independent charity, all the proceeds from any services such as bars, shops or venues, goes back into providing services for the students. The Union y campaigns for a variety of solutions including enhancements on campus, in the local community and even in government. Surveys are distributed frequently to ensure services fit the student’s’ needs and welcome views and opinions on key issues are welcomed. The student’s’ academic interests are always represented along with opportunities, support and activities to complement studies.

Student Union sponsored activities in particular allow students to gain a sense of belonging and community, which increases student success and overall retention. This creates a sense of attachment to the campus whether boarding or commuting to the university.

One of these activities was the popular outdoor cinema nights. In the pastPreviously,  the university had to hire out a company that would come and put on the cinema nights. This came with a strain of costs and scheduling that soon became evident. When the University of Hertfordshire awarded the Student Union with a grant, it was easily decided that this money would be best put to creating their its own outdoor cinema set-up.

Once the cinema idea was agreed, chosen, Ross Freeman, technical manager of the Student Union, was tasked with actually creating the open air theatre. He researched and purchased the inflatable screen and sound system and ensured everything fit neatly inside of a rack flight case. The only item missing in the case was the most essential, the projector. The decision that would set the tone for the entire experience.

Understanding the gravity of this choice, Ross was originally hesitant about looking at any projectors under 20,000 lumens. Unfortunately though, these projectors came at a price tag that far exceeded their budget. They just needed a low-maintenance and low-cost projector that was easy to set-up and yet would still consistently deliver a great picture. With a seemingly impossible order, the university turned to Epson.

Working with an experienced Epson Account Executive, Ross Freeman looked at several projector options. A powerful installation projector, the Epson EB-G7905U, was brought to the university to demo. Without the inflatable screen readily available, the projector was trialled on a blank venue wall.

With a less than perfect demo set-up, this mighty 7,000 lumen 4K enhanced laser projector exceeded all expectations and immediately won them over. The university was confident in the projector’s abilities and the decision was made to purchase the Epson EB-G7905U as the Student Union’s official outdoor cinema projector.

The EB-G7905U ensures superb quality and the best possiblye delivery. It is designed for providing a next-level viewing experience for large venues, exactly like the open air theatre, with exceptional sharpness, clarity and detail.

Although Ross Freeman had seen the initial demo, nothing prepared him for the performance during the test run for Opening Night: “When we ran up the system for the first time, I was blown away by the brightness!” The projector’s Epson 3LCD technology and equally high White and Colour Light Output, allows for vivid and bright images even in daylight.

The positioning on the 6.1m x 3.4m inflatable screen was also very important as this was a pop-up cinema and would not be stationary. The EB-G7905U allows for this with it’s new range of motorised lenses and both vertical and horizontal lens shift. It benefits from true 360 degree installation flexibility which allows it to be placed almost anywhere.

Ross was delighted with the ease of setup: “The lens shift is superb and also the fact that you could pull a corner to where ever you needed it suited us down to the ground as with an inflatable screen it is never flat.”

During Fresher’s’ Week, the inaugural Student Union-owned cinema night was launched with the action comedy, 22 Jump Street, as the premier film. It was an overwhelming success with over 700 attending. With these impressive numbers, the Student Union can confidentially  plan and host various themed cinema nights throughout the year with confidence. There have been films for Halloween, Christmas, and student weeks, the possibilities are endless. It gives them the flexibility to play movies for their students without relying on a third party’s schedule or associated costs.

The Epson EB-G7905U has allowed a spectacular cinema performance for a budget-minded, charitable organisation and Ross Freeman couldn’t be more pleased with his choice: “I highly recommend this projector to anyone looking to do an outdoor cinema set up.”