large muslin or other fabric backdrop....

[kezia.photography]

I am looking to find a very large, at least 12' x 24', solid black backdrop to do some studio work with dancers. I need the 12' width so that

they have the freedom to move as they please. I am having a hard time finding one. EOS lighting llc has one, however the company and

its previous aliases has gotten some horrible complaints from customers. Does anyone know where I can find a backdrop and not pay a

fortune for the extra 2' of width?

[josh_baker]

Have you considered a black roll of paper? You can get it a B&H for ~190. I like the 10' for group work myself. And with 35 yrds to work with I can get rid of it if anything happens.

[craig_shearman1]

Never heard of EOS lighting but virtually everything in photography is avaiilable from either www.bhphotovideo.com or www.adorama.com. 10x24 is a standard muslin size, not sure about 12x24. Adorama in particular has a low cost line of muslins, especially for solid colors.

[mark_allen6]

Dazian Fabrics in LA (www.dazian.com) has a ton of options and they have been very helpful to me, although they are probably not the cheapest source in town.

[silverdae]

A little late posting, but we've had very good luck with backdrop outlet, despite some negative remaks about them her eon PN. We can pick up a muslin that siza for $99 at a trade show, or ~130 normally. We like them, but you do have to let the backgrounds air out (preferably outside with a fresh can of febreeze sprayed on them) for a bit before you use them or they will smell up the place if you use them directly upon receipt.

[senseidad]

I just bought a set of backdrops form this ebay store:

http://stores.ebay.com/STEVE-KAESER-BACKGROUNDS-SINCE-1989

He has very high marks and resoanble prices. Can't talk about the quality yet, but I will post once I get them.

 

regards

[albert_richardson1]

12' x 24' is a big size to find. You do mean 12' high and 24' wide, don't you? Do you have any experience with theater stagecraft? I think four 6' x 12' flats would do the trick, but you will have to build them yourself. Make narrower ones if necessary to get something easier to handle. It's easier to handle flats made in one piece top to bottom than to try to tie them together horizontally.

 

A flat is made with a simple pine frame of 1" x 3" lumber all around with one brace across the middle. Make triangular plywood keystones to reinforce the joints on the back side. Drywall screws are probably sufficient to hold the frame together. (We used to use flat nails and a "clot plate" to nail the joints, but 1" screws should hold just as well and be simpler to install.) Use ordinary unbleached muslin to cover the frame. Staple it all around the outside edges. It is not necessary to make it "tight as a drum" because the next step will make it shrink a little. Size the muslin and then paint it with flat black interior latex paint. Tie the flats together to make up the whole backdrop you want. Brace them as necessary to keep them stable and upright. I think the joints will be invisible from the camera position provided you have enough working room. If not, paint and secure drywall tape over the joints to hide them.

[eos_lighting__llc._sucks]

<p >I ordered a 12 x 24 chroma key green screen from EOS Lighting (part of a larger order totaling $1,700) and they said it was not in stock and would take two weeks to ship. I was not in a hurry so said the wait would be okay. It ended up taking MONTHS for the screen to arrive. By the time I received it I no longer needed it so put it on a shelf in my office. <br /><br />Being the forgiving type, a few months later I placed another order for some grey, black and white 12 x 24 cloth backdrops some lighting and other items totaling more than $1,200. I placed this order AFTER calling to confirm what was in stock, which (they said) was everything except the white 12 x 24 backdrop. I told them I didn't mind waiting for the white backdrop, and placed the order. That was Nov. 12, 2009. I was supposed to receive an email containing shipping information within a day or so of placing the order. On Nov. 16, when I had not received any shipping info I sent an email asking the status and was told to be patient. <br /><br />On Nov. 20 I sent another email asking about the shipping status of my order. They just ignored that email. By Nov. 30 I had decided that if the order had not yet shipped I would cancel it and order the items elsewhere. I had my assistant call and she was transferred to a man who was supposed to be in charge of shipping. She asked why items that were supposed to be in stock on Nov. 12 had not yet shipped, and he tried to place the blame on us, as if we controlled their shipping. Then he said it was shipping that day and would arrive by Thursday, Dec. 3. I ordered the items for an event occurring at 9:00 am on Dec. 4, so this would BARELY be acceptable so she took him at his word on the arrival date. <br /><br />After FINALLY receiving some shipping information, I checked the shipping details on Dec. 1 and discovered that the items were not scheduled to arrive until DEC. 4TH. I tried calling EOS Lighting, LLC. but no one answered the phone, so I sent an email detailing my frustration. I explained that the LEAST that they could have done was provide expedited shipping for an order that was neglected for such a long time, despite the two status check emails sent. I also said that lying about the arrival date merely to keep me from cancelling the order was underhanded at best. <br /><br />I received a call from the same girl that I talked to the day of the order. She was no help, simply suggesting that I use the green screen from the previous order. <br /><br />I decided later that evening that my only prospect was to use the chroma key backdrop, so I opened the package and unfolded the 12 x 24 green screen. The chroma key screen looked like a bad pair of panty hose, with thread pulls throughout the face of the fabric, and some strange black dots that I suspect are mold. <br /><br />EOS Lighting, LLC. SUCKS. Their operation is unprofessional and their products are substandard. There are FAR too many companies that sell photography and video lighting equipment to risk dealing with EOS Lighting. My advice would be to buy from ANYONE ELSE than EOS Lighting. <br /><br />I have since discovered that the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau has 16 (SIXTEEN) complaints about EOS Lighting, LLC. for similar reasons, AND that they changed names from Pacific Coast Lighting Systems which has 11 complaints on the Wisconsin BBB website.</p>