Is purchasing backdrops, a wise investment?

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harmonica44

Not sure, if this belongs in this forum, but I thought this was the closest. Sometimes when I write a script I am limited to locations out of microbudget. I have a script that is kind of like Assault on Precinct 13, where a police station is under attack.

I have one that is set in a courthouse, and I have another idea for one but hesitant to write it, because of budget. It's a western, and has to be set in the west cause of historical plot elements, that wouldn't work in modern times.

However, the reason why I cannot shoot these scripts is, troubles with location budget. I spoke to a man who has produced and directed his own movies and made money off of them, who was in town for a short time. He said that he almost always uses backdrops, which is what he called them. He purchased fake backgrounds for his movies, and has used them more than once, and rented them out to make money as well.

His movies have made some money cause of them and recommends I do the same, and I can easily do it in someone's house he said, like he does with his own.

Is this a good idea though? I would like other opinions. Can I make the police thriller or courtroom drama scripts? Will the backgrounds pass if I do that, and is it somewhat affordable? If so, what's a good place to purchase good ones, as oppose to ones that look kind of fake, like some you may see in small theaters? Would I only be able to do close ups only with the background out of focus to sell the effect? Or could I shoot deep focus master shots when called for, such as shots of a police station under siege? I don't want just close ups of course.

Thanks!
 
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I think it's going to be almost impossible to pull off in any kind of realistic manner, other than for an occasional close up. A 2D backdrop, no matter how good it is, is going to have a very limited range of angles from which it will look realistic, which is going to severely limit where you can place your camera. I suppose you could have multiple backdrops which covered different angles, but that's going to add significantly to the complexity and cost.

Even within a limited range of camera positions you'll run into problems with perspective - different lenses will change the foreground perspective, but the background perspective will be fixed based on whatever was used in the image. DOF will also be a challenge, as it won't fall off in the background properly since it's really a flat plane.

You'll also be limited in your lighting options, as you'll need to light to match the backdrop as well as light the backdrop itself, while avoiding light from your foreground/subject spilling onto the backdrop and ruining the illusion.

Additionally, for anything more than a straight shot with a single actor you'll probably need very large backdrops. The larger the backdrop the more expensive it will be, and the more lighting it will require to light it equally. You'll also need to use it somewhere with fairly high ceilings in order to have room for supports, lights, etc while keeping them out of the shot. If you're storing and moving these backdrops it's going to be difficult to avoid getting wrinkles in them which will break the illusion.

I just don't see any situation (at least on a small scale) where it would make sense to do this rather than something like greenscreen.
 
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That's true, there is all that to take into account. I just thought maybe it could be do-able since he says he's done it and has done it for paid gigs and made money. I couldn't rent any from him cause he lives on in a far away city, and renting would cost a lot, so I figured I might as well just by the ones I want that suit my scripts particularly.

I thought about greenscreeing before, but I was told on here to avoid greenscreening at all costs, cause you can always tell, so I did so. I haven't seen many movies I can recall that I know of that used them, and most I have seen I think used real locations or sound stages.

He says it can be done and I just have to used my imagination and that audiences do not care about background perspective and directors have cheated background perspective many times and they don't notice. I will try to get in touch with him again and ask more about how he does it.

For the police station siege, perhaps a real location should be used, but what about scenes that are more stationary like a courtroom? What if I don't show the jury box, the judge's box, or the witness box, but just show closer ups of the judge, jury and witnesses, without showing what surrounds them? Or will this come off to the audience like more needs to be shown, rather than just close ups only?
 
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Okay thanks. Where can I rent these that are a good place? I will try to contact him again, but I assume he may not have a courtroom one.

However, it was said that I would have to light the scene to match the lighting that the backdrop was shot at. I was under the impression that the backdrops were not pictures that were taken, with light. I thought that they were actual walls that would look like the wall of the set you want. Not a picture of one. So therefore, you could light the wall to whatever you want, no? Or are these backdrops photographs most likely?
 
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....Well a picture/wall is not 3D, so if it's meant to simulate a 3D space, it's going to have shadows and lighting effects. If the lighting on your subject doesn't match the backdrop, it'll just emphasise that you're using a backdrop... Your question doesn't make a lot of sense
 
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Okay thanks, but I assumed that the wall was suppose to be flat. Like for example, some of the walls in a building are flat, but that doesn't make them 'picture walls'. They are still real walls, and I thought that the backdrops would represent real flat walls. If that makes sense.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Okay thanks, but I assumed that the wall was suppose to be flat. Like for example, some of the walls in a building are flat, but that doesn't make them 'picture walls'. They are still real walls, and I thought that the backdrops would represent real flat walls. If that makes sense.
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I think you're talking about wall paper.

Wall paper is not a backdrop
 
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Okay here's my point. What's the difference between the lighting looking any more fake, on one wall compared to another wall? A wall is a wall and as long as you light it, won't it look like a lit wall, even if it's just standing up as a backdrop? I don't want wallpaper, but a backdrop that is a wall. Just a wall that you can pick up off the ground and move around. I realize it will be short, in order to fit through doorways, but I can always shoot the mastershots at low angles, so the top of the backdrop does not show, and the camera is just above the actors' heads.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Okay here's my point. What's the difference between the lighting looking any more fake, on one wall compared to another wall? A wall is a wall and as long as you light it, won't it look like a lit wall, even if it's just standing up as a backdrop? I don't want wallpaper, but a backdrop that is a wall. Just a wall that you can pick up off the ground and move around. I realize it will be short, in order to fit through doorways, but I can always shoot the mastershots at low angles, so the top of the backdrop does not show, and the camera is just above the actors' heads.
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So you want to tell the audience the actors are i.e. low on self esteem to hide a inadequate set?
Don't forget your angles also tell something.

Aren't you referring to building a set, even if it's just 1 fake wall?

And yes: stay away from greenscreen: it will look terribly fake.
In Hollywood and big series is does work, but they work with large or even huge experienced teams to make it work. (And as far as I can tell you lack the team and the experience.)

FWIW:
When I think of backdrops I think of huge paintings of a landscape or city where the lighting and shadows are painted. And I see I'm not the only one reading it like this.
 
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