I think that is a common misunderstanding of the inverse square law, I've heard it before. People ask if they get a short throw lens if it will make the image brighter because it's closer.
The answer is NO, it's not the distance it's the size of the image which the brightness is proportional to.

I see where the confusion happens, if you have two matching projectors (with the same lens) and one is 5ft away from the screen and the other is 10ft away from the screen: then the one that is 10ft way will be twice and high and twice as wide, therefore 4x the sq feet of image surface.
The same amount of light is spread over 4x the area making it 1/4 as bright.

It's the increased area that makes it dimmer, but it's the distance that makes the area larger, thus the mistaken connection.

So lets clear that up, by taking one of those projectors and putting in a wide angle lens, one that makes the image 5ft wide from 5ft away. The other has a long throw lens that makes the image 5ft wide from 10ft away.
Now both images are 5ft wide, from the same lumen projector and ... both images are the same brightness.

We move the short throw projector back to 10ft away, and it's now got a 10ft wide image, and is 4x the area and 1/4 as bright.

so we can change distance, or the beam spread of the lens, and both things change the area of the projection. Now distance is decoupled from area, but we see that it's area that is proportional to brightness not distance.

Now just for fun in case anyone needs it lets look at the inverse sq law and how it is about Area.So far that was nice and easy with 5ft and 10ft, lets put the long throw lens back in both projectors and put one at 5ft and one at 15ft. Away from the screen.
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I've mentioned that I love Isadora, and I have a lot of patches that might be useful so I'm going to try and share a few here.   If you have any problems or questions about Isadora feel free to ask me, and I'll see if I know or can figure out how to help.

You will have to have "the newest" or close to newest version of Isadora to open my example files (1.2.9 on the Mac, or 9b51 on the PC)

One of the things I love the most about Isadora is the Quad Distort Actor.   I had been using my own cobbled together software in which this was the primary feature, and when I started using Isadora I though that it was so much better than everything I had tried, if only it had this one more feature.  Well Mark added the feature and I was hooked.

The simple explanation is that a Quad Distortion actor is just Like a Projector but you can control it's corner points to correct for even radical keystone distortions.

I think this is obviously useful, but I want to point out some of the great things that it makes possible.
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Mabou Mines Residency

Deadline: June 5, 2009

Applications are now being accepted for Mabou Mines/Suite, a laboratory for artists (individuals or groups) to experiment with performance ideas. To be eligible, artists must have a history of making work. Artists are appointed to investigate a particular idea or ideas. New work, or new aspects of work, must originate in the Suite and will be shown at the end of the Residency, at whatever level the artist feels will most benefit to the work. Audiences are invited at no charge.

CultureBot as always keeping us apprised of the mood swings of our insightful, and/or feckless government representatives. 

U.S. Senate to Art World: Drop Dead!

And a quick link to try and do something about it.

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=12612041

I'm sure you know that NY Arts is a large part of the economy, no just directly, it also drives other moneys into the economy by attracting visitors to other entertainment services such as dining and hospitality.

This makes the entertainment sector one of the most effective trickle down investments.

And though it's usually a sad point the fact that arts salary are comparatively low means that these workers are at high risk during an economic downturn, and that moneys invested to maintain there jobs will also have one of the highest re-investment rates into the local economy.

This pure economic need of those employed in the arts; in addition to the cultural, educational, and general standard of living arguments makes support for the arts through an economic slowdown very important.  
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I urge you to check out the Map Fund Grant oportunity.

November 3rd, 2008:
Guidelines available and online application open

January 20th, 2009:
MAP FUND DEADLINE

http://www.mapfund.org/apply.html

DISTRIBUTION GRANT FOR NEW YORK STATE ARTISTS
DEADLINE:  December 31, 2008
www.free103point9.org ">free103point9

support for the distribution of new works in
film, video, sound, new-media, and media-installation.
Appropriate for someo of the New Media works done here at DPI.   The  project consultant/mentor offer with the grant seems pretty intetesting as well, and I'm intriged to see what happens.

Distribution Application Seminars & Panel

New York City & Streamed at www.free103point9.org
November 13, 2008,
6:30 p.m.
Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI)
535 West 22nd Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10011
(212) 337-0680

ReSiDeNt @ LEMUR: New Works, New Instruments, New Artists
PERFORMANCE: Oct 9nd 8PM $5

ReSiDeNt Submissions

Deadlines are rolling, allowing artists to submit applications to be

considered for future residencies throughout the year.