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blooming scrims
Trying to do something new with the standard interview set-up, I’ve been testing semi-sheer scrims, stretched on a frame that is placed between the interviewee and the background.
I’ve discovered that highlights (e.g. specular reflections, and objects hit by sunlight) behind the scrim will bloom. Very cool, though sort of subtle.
Do you know of specific types of fabrics which will enhance the bloom effect?
Bob C
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5 Replies
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We commonly use a fabric called “fantasy cloth” which is available in many colors (including gray) from a company called Studio Dynamics. Here’s a link to an example I did last week with California Governortorial candidate Jerry Brown:
https://abcnews.go.com/WN/jerry-brown-uncowed-billionaire-contender/story?id=10870107
JS
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John,
Great use of fantasy cloth, and thanks for the tip. For years I’ve used a clean 8×8 single or double behind a speaker to fuzz the background. Sometimes backlighting the scrim works well too. But often a clean 8-by is hard to find. These look like a relatively cheap alternative.
Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com -
Yes, a great find. Thanks John. The wide shot on the Brown interview was also interesting as far as hinting at the lighting sketch.
Do you find you have to keep the “Fantasy” fabric rolled up to avoid folds, or do minor folds pull out enough not to be noticeable?
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Yeah, that’s the difficulty with this particular material. It comes on a 9′ (I think) roll and is somewhat fragile. I end up using it a few times and then throwing it away, but it’s pretty cheap. I think about $50/roll plus shipping, so there’s still some room to make a few bucks by selling it as an expendible.
JS
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John,
I posted on the Lighting forum about the fact that the company you directed us to for fantasy cloth is closing it out and already is out of the gray. I have not found any replacement that is wrinkle-free. Any suggestions?
Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
part-time instructor lighting/camera
Academy of Art University/Film and Video (grad school)
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
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