Solid black backdrop or no?

J

JaredSMark

Active member
In getting a solid black background, I can do pretty well by just moving the subject away from the back of the filming area and make sure no light is getting back there. Do you guys usually use a solid black backdrop to be 100% sure that there's no chance of anything back there coming through?

I'm considering buying one even if it's not necessary just to have on hand. Where would I go to buy something that isn't thin fabric and that's as black as possible?
 
One trick I've heard is to light it up ever so slightly and then add some contrast in post so that it actually becomes black. You may have to shoot with a lower key to fill ratio on your subject if you go with this method though.
 
JaredSMark said:
I'm considering buying one even if it's not necessary just to have on hand. Where would I go to buy something that isn't thin fabric and that's as black as possible?
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There are background kits out there, but one of the handiest things to have in your bag of tricks is a roll of duvetyne. Keep at least a few yards on hand.
 
Duvetyne is also my favourite. It's usually $6 - $7 per yard and has so many uses you will not regret it. Increasing the distance between your subject and background will help keep the black black. Also as already suggested using a higher lighting ratio between your subject and background will also help. A light meter will tell you your contrast ratio when your eyes can not.
 
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For UK and EU people - Duvetyne is not a name in common use here. We use Bolton Twill, which is very similar. I'm not so sure about Duvetyne, but Bolton Twill is NDFR - Non-durable Fire Retardant. So it will have been treated (hopefully) in the factory, but will need retreating, especially if it gets wet. It singes if too close to a light source (Like a PAR64), but the cotton usually doesn't catch fire. Again, not sure about Duvetyne, but it's pretty heavy, so hanging it on lightweight tube can be tricky. It's standard stuff for film, TV, events and theatre.
 
JaredSMark said:
Hey guys, do they make the opposite of this? In white?
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Bleached muslin. Or you could just go to a fabric store and see what they have, more than likely it'll be way cheaper since it's not being marketed towards the movie business.
 
Not in any way to discount the value of duvetyne, but for black and white talking heads I bought one of these:

http://fotodioxpro.com/index.php/fo...k-white-2-in-1-background-backdrop-panel.html

...simply because I'm usually one-man-banding everything and it can be supported with one small light stand or in some cases propped on a chair against a wall. It's worked well but it's only large enough for a single subject waist-up unless you employ a garbage matte in post
 
The advantage of using the standard stuff is that it has properties that work for you. It has a textured finish so tends to soak up light rather than reflect it. It is heavy enough that any creases drop out with it's own weight. It is rip resistant, and if plucked does not run. It can be machined up into wide cloths and the seams are nearly invisible. The fabic is strong enough to have a pocket sown into the hem and chain put inside to weight it down and keep it taut. If you use cheaper and thinner fabric, it often allows light to leak through, has either a coarse, rough finish, or worse, tiny fibres with microweave. These reflect light, and appear very shiny on camera. They also rip and pluck easier. Their light weight often reveals creases, and they can even stretch badly if they use man-made fibres, which the lighter ones do. Muslin is the 'bed sheet' style are often very leaky to lights behind, and the softer type of muslin stretches terribly making a taut surface very difficult to achieve. The proper material is difficult to store, because they are bulky and heavy.

I've got some 30 year old Bolton Twill in my store which I use alongside nearly new, and they still match.
 
paulears said:
I'm not so sure about Duvetyne, but Bolton Twill is NDFR - Non-durable Fire Retardant. So it will have been treated (hopefully) in the factory, but will need retreating, especially if it gets wet.
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Duvetyne is fire retardant, though I am not sure if it's non-durable.
 
Might also want to try velvet. Soaks up the light a lot more than Duv and works well for black backdrops.
 
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