Backdrops - what are the pro's and con's..

oldestswinger

oldestswinger

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...what are the pro's and con's of each type ie, why would you choose paper over vinyl over muslin or indeed when is one type more suitable than another and when not??? :shrug:

Thanks :thumbs:
 
oldestswinger said:
...what are the pro's and con's of each type ie, why would you choose paper over vinyl over muslin or indeed when is one type more suitable than another and when not??? :shrug:

Thanks :thumbs:
Click to expand...

There's a fair amount of previous threads on this- post2 might be useful here as just one such example.

Not much I can add that hasn't already been said.
 
Thanks Dr O, appreciate that :thumbs:

In terms of transportation, I'm thinking trying to move a 3M length of vinyl or paper is a real problem - which is kinda pointing me in the direction of cotton/muslin - would this be correct?? :shrug:
 
oldestswinger said:
Thanks Dr O, appreciate that :thumbs:

In terms of transportation, I'm thinking trying to move a 3M length of vinyl or paper is a real problem - which is kinda pointing me in the direction of cotton/muslin - would this be correct?? :shrug:
Click to expand...

Aye, 3M rolls do not transport easily- a pick up truck would be handy:lol:. I think paper and vinyl in 3m widths are more suited to fixed location stuff. You could also run with 2 different widths with a smaller one for ease of transport but that adds more cost.

I find muslin is a reasonable compromise- you can run 3m at full width through the support bar or fold it to size and clamp it. It needs clamped to help with creases anyway.
If I had a proper studio with hard floor I'd use wall mounted supports and run paper.
 
Muslin sheets are certainly easier to transport but they have a number of drawbacks - creases, can be very thin (so light doesn't spread easily on the surface) and if you only want a small backdrop you're left with a lot of spare.

Personally I'd rather use paper (cheaper than vinyl and I personally prefer how it handles light) but obviously you have real issues with storage and transportation.

If I had the room I'd go for a load of paper backdrops, but as it is the space taken up by a white, black and grey cotton backdrop is less than a 3m roll you have to make the sacrifice!

I've found a good way of storing cotton backdrops is to get the vacuum luggage bags to pack them down.
 
We use vinyl for event stuff now. We started off with paper but with heels going through it all the time when it was on carpet made it expensive after a while on hard floors not too bad. Issues we did have were drunk people falling back and ripping the background half way up resulting in the roll being wasted a few times. The advantage of it was relplacing it every 2 or 3 events you get plenty of chances to try the different colours out.

The vinyl has its downsides the weight being one so you need the stronger supports and if it does unroll while up there it goes with a crack when it reaches the end and due to the weight it is a little more prone to un rolling. And the side designed for use is too shiney so we use the back side.

We also have a few muslin backgrounds but never used them.

As for transport I can get the vynal out of its tube in my vectra just with all the other kit as well.
 
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In my experience of doing fashion shoots muslin is an absolute nightmare, it needs to be permanently hung, but still looks terrible.

The best i've found was Lastolite paper from Warehouse Express around £40, I'm exploring trying to find a wider range of colours including subtle pastel colours like that found on ASOS shoots. Word of advice though, make sure you have some 6 x 4 foot plexi glass for subjects to stand on, heels etc start appearing rather quickly!
 
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