Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Painting backdrop

Message

   We're doing a church production for Easter.  We will have a scene of Jesus praying in the garden.  Afterwards we will be rear projecting onto one section of the muslin backdrop, so I can't paint in that area.

The rest of the backdrop I will be putting in loose greenery and definitely an olive tree, maybe one on each side of the blank area.

The QUESTION:  Should I paint a background color (a textured blue) before putting in the tree(s) or should I leave it natural and let the lighting do a color wash so that it all matches with the blank area?

Author	Message
razberryt Walk-On Joined: 3/24/10 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: Painting backdrop Posted: 3/24/10 at 12:27am
	We're doing a church production for Easter. We will have a scene of Jesus praying in the garden. Afterwards we will be rear projecting onto one section of the muslin backdrop, so I can't paint in that area. The rest of the backdrop I will be putting in loose greenery and definitely an olive tree, maybe one on each side of the blank area. The QUESTION: Should I paint a background color (a textured blue) before putting in the tree(s) or should I leave it natural and let the lighting do a color wash so that it all matches with the blank area?

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JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 3/25/10 at 12:17am
	Why not think of using a painted scrim, much better effect, you can also control the transposition of the wash lighting & the reveal. I doubt Muslin [calico] would not give you the rear projection effect, as the weave is too tight to see thru. Edited by JoeMc - 3/25/10 at 12:34am
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
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razberryt Walk-On Joined: 3/24/10 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 3/25/10 at 9:16am
	I would love to have a nice scrim, but the $$ to get one . . . . However, the muslin works fine, we've already tested it. It's the non-bleached really thin stuff. FYI - if anyone ever needs to know - You get it at Hobby Lobby, 108" wide. Print a coupon from their website for 40% off before you go . . . Anyway - I already painted one of the smaller flats with a tree with no background color and I'm going to test it out today. We have several LED lights and several par cans, so I'm hoping to wash the whole scene with certain colors and just have the background pick it up. I'll repost in case it would help anyone else facing this same question. Thanks! Edited by razberryt - 3/25/10 at 9:17am
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JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 3/25/10 at 6:30pm
	G'day Amanda I gather these are french flats rather than a backdrop or backcloth? I think you will find that the unbleached calico [muslin] will shrink & the weave tighten after the paint is dried. Which is great for flats but not with revealing an image upstage. Me thinks you will be better off using a continuos sheer net plain window curtaining for the transposition reveal. { As an elcheapo effort} Check out the scrim effect on Vicki Franks site;- Edited by JoeMc - 3/25/10 at 6:34pm
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
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Topic: Painting backdrop( Topic Closed)