OT Black Backdrop

jkerry wrote on 12/6/2014, 6:07 PM
I trying to find a black backdrop which will not reflect light and not let light through the back.
We need to setup a 3 sided area with black background where we will have 3 cameras in the front and 1 camera over head.
We have tried the black muslin but it is too thin and lets light in from the back.

Any suggestions.

Tks,
Jeff

Comments

Duncan H wrote on 12/6/2014, 7:17 PM
I've witnessed TV crew using black velvet for interviews, but I guess if you use powerful lights, you are likely to get reflections from the material's sheen (the TVcrew used some subtle coloured spots to achieve some excellent subtle highlights on the draped cloth). What about a quick trip to a material store & simply buy a few selected lengths. I was faced with a similar backdrop dilemma recently that had to be solved within hours & a visit to a large material shop left me spoilt for choice. Ended up with denim & have used both sides (light & dark) for different interviews.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 12/6/2014, 8:07 PM
I used to have the movie "Labyrinth" on DVD. There's a scene in there where the Sarah is kicking the heads of some goblin type creatures and you had the bodies dancing around w/o heads. They used black felt. The backdrop was felt, the actors for the goblins where felt & had black felt sticks attached to the bodies.

I can't find the bonus feature showing it on Youtube but it was a really really neat trick. They lit the characters how they wanted and the flat black never reflected.
JackW wrote on 12/6/2014, 9:14 PM
Take a look at GAM Blackwrap. It's a matte black, can be molded to any configuration and comes in 50' rolls.

Jack
farss wrote on 12/7/2014, 5:46 AM
Black velvet made for photography. It comes in 6 foot wide. It is heavy and not cheap and oh my goodness, it's a serious fluff magnet.

For problem places and to control spill, as per Jack's advice, Blackwrap aka Cinefoil.

Bob.

Len Kaufman wrote on 12/7/2014, 9:21 PM
My favorite black background material comes from shops that do auto headliners. The material is pretty much wrinkle proof, foam backed. Not sure how wide you need it, but it can be sewn together....especially when you use black, as the seam won't likely show.
musicvid10 wrote on 12/7/2014, 9:54 PM
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/stage-curtains
larry-peter wrote on 12/8/2014, 8:51 AM
Duvetyne is what we've used successfully for years. It's very good at blocking light from behind (its main purpose is light control, i.e blocking windows) and if you eliminate most spill on the front (side facing camera) it can make a good background. It doesn't suck light to the extent of velvet, but you'll find very few black materials can take a lot of front spill without becoming noticeable.