Material to use for a black backdrop

[afaloth]

I'm looking for an inexpensive, non-reflective black material to use as a backdrop for a scene in my short, I've heard good things about muslin, velcro and velour, but material is the most opaque and of course the cheapest?

 

[ItDonnedOnMe]

I've had good results with muslin, it's not entirely opaque though - if you hang a single layer in front of a window you'll see light through it. As long as you put it against a wall, or otherwise avoid having light behind it it should be fine. The key to getting a true black looking background has more to do with the lighting and exposure settings on the camera than how opaque the material is.

 

[directorik]

Velcro is not what you're looking for - it's a fastener. Muslin is cheapest but standard grade
isn't the best choice for a backdrop. Depending on your needs you may need photo grade
muslin which is more expensive. Velour is used mostly for clothing and upholstery and is
thick and expensive. You may have to use standard grade muslin and make do.

Duvateen is what you're looking for. It's not cheap but is the best fabric to use for backdrops.

 

[afaloth]

cheers guys, just found this on ebay, quite nice and cheap, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Backgroun...I&otn=4&po=LVI&ps=63&clkid=118731315000751137

what do you reckon?

 

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

it the local fabric store and see what you can find. I go there about once a month and just stockpile stuff when it's on sale. Duvateen is very nice, but expensive. You can find cheaper substitutes.

 

[Ernest Worthing]

You said you're looking for something that is inexpensive.

The question is whether you want to be able to see the blackdrop in your image or do you just want to see complete black/darkness behind your subject.

If it is the former, then it is hard to get away with cheaper materials without them looking cheap. If it is the latter, then you can get pretty much anything, manipulate distance to background, light your subject a couple of stops or so over the bg, flag off the bg and so on to get the result you want.

 

[knightly]

If you can't physically touch and look at what you're buying for fabric, you may not get what you want, be careful buying this one online... photos can lie! "black" is a very wide range of colors.

 

[afaloth]

im more looking for darkness behind the subject, so would it be better to pop into a few fabric shops and have a browse?

 

[Morris]

Might even find some in a thrift store.

 

[knightly]

Yes, fabric stores are awesome, go! Revel, you may even find some nice wide green fabric that you can turn into a large 'screen with a few french seams

 

[Cracker Funk]

You said you're looking for something that is inexpensive.

The question is whether you want to be able to see the blackdrop in your image or do you just want to see complete black/darkness behind your subject.

If it is the former, then it is hard to get away with cheaper materials without them looking cheap. If it is the latter, then you can get pretty much anything, manipulate distance to background, light your subject a couple of stops or so over the bg, flag off the bg and so on to get the result you want.

Exactly. From the OP's post, I can't tell exactly what they intend to do, but I'm not entirely convinced they need any background material at all.

 

[PaulGriffith]

Background paper. Should be about $40 for a 9' x 36' roll at your local pro camera store, smaller rolls are even less. It can be a wee bit shiny, but you'd have to have a light right on it. Normal lighting situations you'll be golden, it's what it's made for.