I've read some tips from Clay Cook regarding the use of gatorboards, sadly those break my budget entirely so that's out of the question for at least another 2-3 years.
I was wondering if anyone else tried an alternative? I was looking around Home Depot online and thought, why not use what everyone else uses for their walls... Drywall!? They seem like $15 a piece, make a custom wall with wallpaper even, just the hard part is keeping them up from falling... thoughts?
Hey Chris,
I often use fake walls in my studio. There are a number of materials you can use.
Drywall is an option, but there is a MAJOR problem with it. It is effing heavy. If you are going to leave it in one spot, it is a durable solution, but if you need mobility forget it.
If you use drywall, also be aware that due to the weight it will bow significantly. So much in fact, that you will need a support system built around it. You can make a frame out of 2x4's or out of PVC piping. All that of course adds to the cost.
If you want a super light option that is easy to move, look into insulating foam boards. Yeah. Seriously. It is those big 4x8 white foam boards you get at home depot that go behind the drywall. They will have a smooth finish and are easily painted or wallpapered. The nice thing is you can double sided tape it to a wall because it is so light.
If you go with the foam option, get the thickest piece. Trust me. Just like the drywall, the thinner varieties wont support their own weight, or any paint/wallpaper you add. Mind you, the foam option is not very durable so you need to be careful with it as it will easily dent and chip.
Now the absolute BEST option is to build a frame out of wood and stretch canvas over it. This is how the theater folk do it. It is light, sturdy, and easily repaintable. It is also quite costly though as getting a 4x8 sized frame made with enough canvas will run you a pretty penny.
Hope that helps a bit!
Thanks Peter! I'm not sure heavy as that is subjective to the specific person and their abiltities lol, as I found one for a little over 30lbs - http://www.homedepot.com/p/SHEETROCK-UltraLight-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Gyp...
which doesn't sound too bad, but I agree I'd need a support system for that. I just don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for a few panels of walls (maybe 3-4, 6 panels at most for certain stuff).
Don't know what your budget looks like but I use lightweight panels made out of luan wood and 1x4s. They are not the thoughest thing in the world but the are easy to paint / wallpaper and also store flat when not in use.
Interesting idea, is that 1'x4' ? I tried looking on home depot but didn't find any outside of 4"x3" specifically for luan wood but I did find wooded panels for bigger size 1/8 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft
- http://www.homedepot.com/p/Project-Panels-Tempered-Hardboard-Common-1-8-...
that size is ok, I could make a 2 pieces of them to make a taller one and slap it on support wood... don't you think? (I'm not super handyman type person as you can tell here lol)
This is the panel I use:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Utility-Panel-Common-1-8-In-x-4-Ft-...
It's 4'x8' so it's tall enough for a lot of applications. Width wise you might need to double up if you want a full body shot at a fair distance from the background.
This is the 1"x4" I use for framing the panels:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-1-in-x-4-in-x-8-ft-Furring-Strip-Bo...
Hey Alvin, how do you go about framing the panels with the 1x4s?
I've seen people use those insulating foam boards that Peter mentioned earlier. They also make great reflectors and flags. You could also do what I do, and buy a roll of seamless paper. Just roll out enough, shoot, and roll it back up. Unless you have the model stepping on the paper then it should last a while, and you can move it around to different areas.
That's a great idea on the background with seamless which I do have 1 background setup, just need another background setup bars, dont really need the lightstands as background setups for seamless is pretty much 2 lightstands with a metal or aluminum bar and 2 metal extenders to be added onto the top of the lightstands for the bar to be placed on.
We have a permanent CYC wall in our Fstoppers studio but recently I was on the hunt for some fabric backgrounds to take down to the FS Workshop (paper rolls are a pain to order overseas).
I have never been a big fan of the wrinkly Muslin backdrops although I guess if you had a nice and subtle pattern on them they could look nice. What we just bought are 2 pieces of fabric from Dazian called Trapeze Plus. Basically it is polyester fabric with 10% elastic spandex in it. This fabric is awesome because it allows you to stretch it tight and all of the wrinkles remove from the fabric even after being folded up in a suitcase. We went with Bone and Titanium since our cycwall is bright white. Here is a link to what we ordered and I think it cost about $160 per piece at 12' by 20'. Obviously you could use a lot less if you just need it for headshots or floor to ceiling.
http://www.dazian.com/product-details/?sku=Trapeze%C2%AE+Plus&variantSku...
I've usually used clamps on my background stands but recently I found this product which works way better: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M0CEGB0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=17...
Now if you don't need or want a fabric background I totally agree with Peter, buy the 1 or 2" thick insulation panels from lowes. You can tape them together to form V flats, pain one side white, the other black and use them for fill cards and backgrounds. I'm actually about to buy some rolls of wallpaper to clamp onto our boards so we can easily have new backgrounds for our shoots and videos. Another protip is to use gaffers tape around the edges so they last longer and don't produce pieces of Styrofoam everywhere which is inevitable.
Great insight! I'm going to look into that fabric Patrick. Thanks for linking.
Also, a side note to folks, in place of gaffers tape you can use hockey tape. Virtually the same thing at a fraction of the cost. #canadiansolutions