What style backdrop wont look tacky?

N

nsudharsanan

New member
Hello everyone,

After spending the last couple days reading on how to actually light and shoot video, I have poured through forum posts and guides, totally overwhelming myself, and ultimately registering for this forum :)

My question is, I am planning on shooting live videos of singer-songwriters to post on youtube and the like. The videos will be static, excruciatingly simple, and most likely with 1 or 2 cameras. For this kind of set up, what is a cheap (emphasis on the cheap) backdrop that will look semi-professional and not tacky, while also fitting with the musician style (the all white background seems way to marketing and product sales to work for this). I am trying to avoid the ugly drapes look. Any help would be greatly appreciated, since I literally have no idea what I am doing.

Thanks,
Nik
 
Entirely depends on the kind of mood you want to set, and how it fits with the music.

If it's the typical acoustic-folk-rock kind of thing, easiest thing might be to do it in a coffeehouse which already has an interesting background. Or whatever else might fit.
 
Hmm, that is a great idea, but I think the majority of the videos are going to be shot in my apartment...which limits my background abilities. Would something like a dark green flat sheet pulled super tight across a wall work adequately?
 
If your ideas are anything like what I'm visualizing, I'd prefer "real" locations for this kind of thing -- somebody's living room, front porch, abandoned factory, barn, folk stage at a coffeehouse, backstage jam out in the woods behind a folk concert, in their car (just kiddin'), something like that. You can match it to the mood of the music and the personality of the performer as well as what's available to you. The main issue in these kinds of locations will probably be acoustics even more than lighting. You should get some big thick mover's blankets, and foam, and some stands, tape, grommets, rope and such to hang them up off-camera to absorb reverberation. And think about wind protection for the microphones if you're shooting outdoors.

- Greg
 
Alright you guys convinced me. I am going to try moving things around in my living room and see if I can convey that intimate natural vibe.
 
I went through this recently, in trying to decide what background to use for my band when we play at local dives. I wanted something that would make us look "powerful" and not detract from out faces, yet also show a little bit of reflected stage lighting.

I went through many colors and patterns, but surprisingly settled on black. (mottled black & dark grey is also good.) My preference is to get it extra wide, and then scrunch it in like a curtain. This gives a bit of texture. You can also purposely let it get wrinkled, which gives a different, nice 3D effect to the lights.

Also, FWIW, I prefer a thicker, texture material, not just plain cheap muslin. Heavy canvas is nice, or muslin with a black scrim laid over it, which is what I'm using now. VERY nice!
 
If you want more of an organic, "Coffee house" look, then get few foldable wooden panels (foldable doors, dividers, etc) from Home Depot. These can be easily stored when not in use.

Be aware, though, that wood-tone is far from the best color for making faces pop.

Also, avoid plain plaster walls. The only thing worse than brown, for making faces pop, is white. (unless you use colored ambience lighting)
 
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