Ideas for Grunge Photo Backdrop?

[WORDpictures]

I'd like a black or dark neutral grunge backdrop for video & photography. Frequently use black velvet but have a project coming up that I'd like to have some subtle, grunge texture. Cheap, do-it-yourself is good. Thinking about spray painting on a black or really dark sheet then crumpling it. Has anyone tried spray paint? Black on dark grey is kinda what I have in mind. Tried crumpled black paper before but didn't work with bit of a sheen. Any tips or other suggestions?

[[Admin] danroth]

A thought experiment:
Rather than spray paint, I'd take a dark grey sheet and paint it black with regular house paint using a roller. After letting it dry, then crumple it. The paint will crack and the cracks will show grey.

NB: I haven't actually done this, I'm just picturing it after having seen paint crack after drying on drop cloths and clothes. Unfortunately, I'm afraid more and more paint will chip off as time goes by unless some kind of sealant is applied... which brings back your sheen problem.

[[Director] Joseph B]

I'd suggest going to (I think it was home depot but it might have been lowes) your local building supply and buy a painters canvas (real canvas, not that plastic stuff).
You can paint that and then crumble it up nice (as dan suggested).
I use a raw canvas for my backgrounds but I'm thinking about painting one myself.

You can also buy canvas here http://www.us-canvas.com/
and http://www.tarpsplus.com/ and http://www.mauritzononline.com/catalog/index.php to name a few.

[Sysmom]

Or you could get yourself a green screen and shoot it, then drop in whatever you'd like for any occasion afterwards in Photoshop for as many backdrops as you would ever want.

deb

[[Admin] osborn4]

Maybe, if you went canvas, you could do a real streaky dye job with dark gray to black.

I've heard it's hard to get a good even black, anyway. Perhaps you could use some tye dye type techniques, but not the standard patterns, to get a splotchy look.

[kbob]

I kind of like sysmom's idea myself...once you get used to doing "greenscreen" shoots, it makes the backgrounds a variable instead of a constant. Later on, you might need that shot with a light or bright backdrop-with the grunged backdrop you'd likely have to reshoot, whereas if you do a greenscreen shoot, you can get anything behind the shot that you want.

[WORDpictures]

Lots of ideas, thanks! Hadn't thought about a painter's canvas. I've done a fair amount of green screen but wanted to bypass it for this shoot. This footage could have some higher than usual visibility - and work into a good portfolio piece. Pulling a key from HDV/DV, sometimes those edge jags/grey rimming are unavoidable at least to a film professional's eye (a.k.a the person a freelancer like me needs to impress). Don't want to risk hearing questionable compliments such as,"nice job with the key considering you had video footage to work with."

Trying to find some pix of techniques to feel comfortable that I'll like the look - maybe I need to think more in terms of Lowe's, home decor and craft store resources.

[kbob]

well, with those parameters, I'd go with a two color cross hatch patter painting on canvas-say one slate gray, another off white, with a final layer of black crackle paint. Make sure you follow the instructions for applying the crackle-allow plenty of drying time for the fist two layers, and have some lamps nearby to help heat up the drying on the final coat.

When it works, there's nothing quite like it.

[WORDpictures]

Hmmm. . . maybe I could even hang this across my living room wall when it's not in use - for a different look!

[teledork]

If I tried hanging that in MY living room, I'd get the added textural benefit of cat fur or something.

[WORDpictures]

Originally Posted by teledork

. . . added textural benefit of cat fur. . .

LOL. . . how could I have missed that option?!! With a white Jack Russell, that grunge look is a regular for me.

[WORDpictures]

Here's what I've ended up with - looks as traditional as it does grunge... but should be versatile. Flat black latex paint on a sheet with a mid-grey colorwash applied over that. Has a subtle look on the frontside, and more contrast on the reverse. Started to try a painter's dropcloth but that had heavy seams through the center. This has a nice weight - not too heavy but behaves like canvas. Thanks again for your help.