Where to find a backgorund…

[Todd Terry]

To get a large practical mural like that of such a specific shot you are likely going to have to have it custom made.

The first step would be to get the source image… with either an existing photograph that you know of that you purchase the rights to, or have a custom photograph taken, or have a photorealistic illustration created by an artist.

Then you’ll need to get it printed on either a solid surface (for front lighting), or a translucent surface such as Duratrans if you want to backlight it. You probably have a local sign company that can help you with this.

One thing to remember, a very sharp background (you see this on cityscapes behind local newscasters all the time) can flatten the shot unplesantly. Two ways to deal with this are 1) actually have your background printed that is a bit blurry, a bit “out of focus.” That will simulate a shallower depth of field and make the set look deeper. Or you can hang a very thin translucent scrim in front of it (see Conan O’Brien’s set for this trick).

I don’t know if you are on any kind of budget, but keep in mind that these are not inexpensive solutions (I just didn’t want you to get sticker shock later)… the last similar background I did for a set we designed came in at several thousand dollars, and that one was significantly smaller than the FOX/NFL background. But I don’t know a less expensive solution for a real practical background when you need such a very specific look/image.

T2

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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Joseph W. bourke]

Hi Sam –

Here’s where you can find some pricing on Duratrans (bear in mind that the maximum width you can get on a true Duratrans is about six feet). This means you have to build a seam break into your design if you want it really big. The alternative that most set companies use (and then tell you it’s a Duratrans – this seems to have become a generic term) is inkjet printout. It’s cheaper than a Duratrans, but it doesn’t have the color range and depth you can get with a Duratrans. Also bear in mind that you have to do a matte laminate pass on the graphic, which will add a fair amount to your cost – otherwise you’ll have lots of glare to deal with. We re-did our News and Weather sets recently with huge inkjet prints (which were done by a set company who told us they were Duratrans) and, while they look good on camera, they don’t come close to the color saturation I was able to get on a political set I recently designed and used a Duratrans lightbox for. Mixing backlit elements with lightboxes works quite well, too. Duratrans link:

https://www.dpi-sf.com/duratrans.htm

As far as the image goes, you can mock up a pretty good looking stadium in Photoshop or a 3D package using lens flares as the lights. Since you want to throw the focus out a little for the final output (I call it “fake depth of field”), no one will be the wiser. You could also rent a good digital still camera (if you’re a good shooter – we own a Nikon D70, and I regularly shoot photography for big lightboxes with it), and shoot your own local stadium at dusk, and then touch it up in Photoshop. That way you would own the image and not have to pay a licensing fee. This would also give you control of the composition, and allow you to create exactly what you want. Good luck!

Joe Bourke
Art Director / WMUR-TV