A projector controller for protecting audience members from intense light imposing an exclusion zone in which light intensity may exceed an eye-safety threshold in front of a projector for emitting screen illumination onto a screen , comprising: an object detector configured to optically sense a presence of an object in a detection region beneath the exclusion zone and above the audience members; and control electronics configured to control the projector when the object detector indicates the presence of the object in the detection region; wherein the object detector comprises: a light source configured to emit sensing light at a depression-angle interval and in an azimuthal-angle interval , the depression-angle interval and the azimuthal-angle interval defining the detection region, said light source comprising a pulsed laser emitting a pulsed sensing light; an optical receiver configured to receive scattered light produced by the sensing light scattering off of the object; and localization electronics configured to receive an output of the optical receiver and generate a signal indicating presence of the scattered light on the optical receiver, the localization electronics configured to measure a time-of-flight between the pulsed sensing light and pulsed scattered light originating from scattering of the pulsed sensing light off of the object; characterized by said control electronics being configured to control the projector by reducing intensity of light projected by the projector based on the measured time-of-flight when the time-of-flight corresponds to a distance between the object and the projector that is less than an exclusion range , wherein the distal end of the exclusion zone, beyond which the light intensity of the projector does not exceed said eye-safety threshold, is located at the exclusion range from the projector, said distal end being located between the projector and said screen. an object detector configured to optically sense a presence of an object in a detection region beneath the exclusion zone and above the audience members; and control electronics configured to control the projector when the object detector indicates the presence of the object in the detection region; wherein the object detector comprises: a light source configured to emit sensing light at a depression-angle interval and in an azimuthal-angle interval , the depression-angle interval and the azimuthal-angle interval defining the detection region, said light source comprising a pulsed laser emitting a pulsed sensing light; an optical receiver configured to receive scattered light produced by the sensing light scattering off of the object; and localization electronics configured to receive an output of the optical receiver and generate a signal indicating presence of the scattered light on the optical receiver, the localization electronics configured to measure a time-of-flight between the pulsed sensing light and pulsed scattered light originating from scattering of the pulsed sensing light off of the object; characterized by said control electronics being configured to control the projector by reducing intensity of light projected by the projector based on the measured time-of-flight when the time-of-flight corresponds to a distance between the object and the projector that is less than an exclusion range , wherein the distal end of the exclusion zone, beyond which the light intensity of the projector does not exceed said eye-safety threshold, is located at the exclusion range from the projector, said distal end being located between the projector and said screen. <EOS>