A weblog about theatrical drapery and stage curtains for Production Managers, Set Designers, Custom Drapery Resellers, and local/school/church Productions
Looking for an economical lightweight curtain track system for use in a non-theatrical application, such as a classroom, boardroom, multi-purpose room, cafeteria, nightclub, or restaurant? Specifine Series 113 curtain track may be just what you need.
Constructed from 16 gauge extruded aluminum, this manually-operated box-shaped track channel offers a choice of either walk-along or cord-pulled operation and can be recessed, surface-mounted, or suspended from the ceiling. In the case of a cord-pulled operation, the cord is completely concealed within the track channel, helping to eliminate unsightly sagging lines.
Specifine track is available as either one-way draw or bi-parting. Model 113A, as a walk-along track, has a maximum length of 40′, with a maximum curtain weight of 4 pounds per foot of track. Models 113 and 113B, which are the rope-operated models, each have a maximum length of 20′. The primary difference between these two models is that Model 113 supports a maximum curtain weight of 4 pounds per foot of track, while Model 113B will support a slightly heavier curtain, allowing a curtain weight of up to 8 pounds per foot of track.
We recommend utilizing a light to medium weight fabric when choosing a custom drape for use with Specifine track. Depending on the style you prefer, you might choose a specialty sheer or satin or a traditional napped fabric such as 13oz Apollo Velour or 16oz Commando Cloth.
Specifine is generally used for straight applications, but Model 113A can also be used in a curved application through the use of available curved sections ranging for 45 degrees to 90 degrees or through custom factory curving.
Specifine track is not available with a motorized option. We recommend Moto-Trac Series 160 for a motorized straight track comparable to Specifine.
We here at Rent What? Inc. love helping our clients create the beautiful scenery for their events that they always dreamed of. Recently we had one of our favorite clients, Lasertech Productions, use several of our rental Stardrop LED Drapes to make a gorgeous backdrop of stars for a event they had in Las Vegas for a very special client. Since we offer sizes ranging from 30’ x 7’ to 30’ x 15’ (and these types of drapes can be “rotated” to have either dimension be the width or height), this offers our clients a lot of flexibility with how they can hang our drapes, and enables them to create the exact look they are going for.
Photo Courtesy of Linda and Michael Werner, Lasertech Productions
By easily connecting our rental Stardrop LED Drapes to one another with the attached velcro tabs along each side, and utilizing the DMX controller that comes with each drape, these clients were able to make a seamless wall of twinkly lights to create the magical illusion of a starry night. It was exactly what the client had envisioned, and we could not have been more thrilled for them!
Recently I posted about the difference between canvas and muslin, and in that post, I mentioned painters backdrops and promised a future post on the subject.
There can be confusion as to whether to choose flame retardant or non-flame retardant heavy weight theatrical muslin for a painters backdrop. The fact is, when paint is added to the surface of a flame retardant fabric, the fabric becomes non-flame retardant. Therefore, steps must be taking to make a painted backdrop flame retardant.
First, prior to painting, a special flame retardant additive should be added to the paint. A FR paint additive will not change the color or opacity of the paint, and it will help ensure that the face of the theatrical backdrop is flame retardant. Second, after the face of the backdrop is painted and the paint has dried, the back of the backdrop should be sprayed with a topical flame retardant chemical designed for natural fibers.
Since painting a backdrop nullifies the flame retardancy, you would think that you should always choose a non-flame retardant muslin for a painters backdrop. Non-flame retardant muslin is more affordable than flame retardant muslin, so why spend the extra money for flame retardant muslin when you will have to retreat it anyway?
The reason to consider utilizing flame retardant muslin for a painters backdrop is related to the issue of shrinkage. As theatrical muslin is composed of cotton fibers, it is prone to shrinkage. When a water-based flame retardant is applied at the mill, the fabric then becomes “sized” (pre-shrunken). Therefore, once the FR muslin is sewn into a backdrop at the desired finished size (height and width), and then paint and additional flame retardant is applied to the surface, there is very little (or no) additional shrinkage of the material. The painted backdrop will end up at approximately the same size as the sewn but unpainted backdrop.
For experienced scenic painters who plan to utilize a paint frame, a non flame retardant muslin works fine. The tension of the paint frame helps prevent shrinkage. For less experienced scenic painters and/or those who will not be using a paint frame, we recommend purchasing a painters backdrop manufactured using flame retardant muslin. This way, shrinkage will not be a significant concern.
One of the most popular effects for Rent What? Inc.’s clients is using a Kabuki Drop. That is when you take some drapes, hang them using a solenoid system, and watch the audience go wild when the drapes are dropped in a dramatic moment of flair, usually to reveal the band or some other surprise hiding behind. Originally these systems were primarily used for bands on stage wanting to add some excitement to an opening number, or as an effective way to add some “punch” to a special song. We have been renting these systems out for years in that capacity. However, recently they have been getting requested more and more for events that we never would have imagined!
Lately we’ve been having requests for them from everything from new airplane “reveals”, schools using them to spice up talent shows, and even churches adding some fun to their weekly sermons. Case in point, recently we had one of our favorite clients, New Life Church in Renton, Washington, contact us for help with a sort of “practical joke” they wanted to play on one of the ministers giving a sermon. They ended up using the solenoid system on a rubber trash can filled with over 2000 ping pong balls.
When they wanted to have them drop (as a surprise to the minister), they used the controller to drop the edge of the trash can just like they would a drape. Down came the thousands of ping pong balls onto the minister, much to the delight of the audience (and to the genuine surprise of the minister)!
Kabuki Drops add so much fun and excitement to any event—and it seems like the sky’s the limit with how they can be used! Rent What? Inc. truly enjoys getting to help create these incredibly memorable moments for all of our clients’ special events.
We get frequent requests for custom backdrops and cycloramas, sometimes to be used in its plain fabric state, and sometimes to be hand-painted onsite for end use as a scenic backdrop. With those requests, we find that occasionally there is a confusion regarding the differences between cotton canvas and cotton theatrical muslin.
Cotton canvas is a sturdy woven fabric used for a variety of home and commercial purposes. There are two types of canvas – plain and duck cloth. Plain canvas, which has a looser weave, is used in applications needing greater flexibility, such as shoes and backpacks. The tighter-weaved duck canvas (also called duck cloth or scenery canvas) is more commonly used stretched over frames (for paintings, other art pieces, and theatre scenery pieces) and for items such as tarps and tents, and is available in both flame retardant and non-flame retardant options.
As duck cloth accepts dye very well, lighter weight versions are manufactured in a variety of colors for use in retail displays and special event décor. Canvas, whether in the plain or duck weave, is not suitable for theatrical backdrops or cycloramas.
Cotton muslin has a similar plain weave to cotton canvas, but typically has a smoother, softer hand. Lighter weight versions are used for a variety of applications, including apparel, whereas heavy-weight theatrical muslin is traditionally used for backdrops and cycloramas.
Heavy weight theatrical muslin (also known as scenic muslin) is used extensively in theatres, film and television studios, photography studios, and live music performances, primarily in the form of custom made stage backdrops and cycloramas. As it is available in a standard version in widths up to 126 inches and in an extra wide version in widths up to 39 feet, scenic muslin allows for the creation of seamless panels as large as 38’ h x 180’ wide. If seamed, there is even greater flexibility in size.
All widths of heavy weight theatrical muslin are available in a natural color (the undyed color of the fabric), and depending on the width desired may also available in additional colors, including bleached white, black, light blue, dark blue, light grey and dark grey (not all colors are available in all widths). Theatrical muslin is sold as both flame retardant and non flame retardant.
Last week, I posted on times when it might be better to buy pipe and drape. Today, I’d like to give you information on the rental side, with information on times when it’s better to rent pipe and drape rather than to purchase it outright.
INFREQUENCY OF THE EVENTS
If you only do 1 or 2 local trade shows or other similar types of events a year, and never really know what your booth set-up or configuration will be, then it would be much smarter to rent your pipe and base hardware and draping each time you need it. Counting on the inventory you might have isn’t always dependable, and then you’re stuck at the last minute having to figure out what else you may need to supplement your own supply of goods. If you rent from us each time, we can help you figure out exactly how much pipe and drape you will need for each specific event, taking all of the guess work out of it for you.
LOCATION OF THE EVENTS
If you are based in Southern California, it’s often much less expensive to rent everything you need for those occasional special events or productions. This is especially the case if the event is also in Southern California, eliminating the need to ship the pipe and drape or worry about how the price of fuel is going to affect your overall rental price due to increasingly higher shipping costs.
SIZE OF YOUR COMPANY
Depending on the size of your company, sometimes it’s easier to rent everything when you need it, rather than having to find a place to store everything and then pull it out every time another conference, convention or special event comes around. Pipe and Drape can take up a lot of room, and the hardware is sometimes of an awkward shape and size, so it can take a lot of stress out of the occasion to not have to worry about where you will be able to safely store everything all year long.
SIZE OF THE EVENTS
Renting is perfect for larger events in which you need a lot of pipe and base hardware and drapery that you wouldn’t normally ever need again. This is especially true if you know it’s going to be a massively large one-time event, in which you don’t want to have to worry about dealing with storing everything afterwards. It also makes sense to rent pipe and base hardware if the event is very small and requires odd sizes of equipment different from those you expect to need for typical events in the future.
WHEN LABOR IS AN ISSUE
If you have a local event in Southern California, no matter how big or small, renting can be a great option for you when you want someone to come to your event site and install everything, then come back when it’s over and strike and return everything too. That eliminates the worry of possibly not having the booths set up correctly, or not knowing how to install everything yourself. If you rent from us, we can be sure that everything is exactly the way you want it, and then when it’s over we’ll take it all away from you so you won’t have to lift a finger.
So, basically, here are some rules of thumb that will help you decide if renting is the best way to go:
You only have one or two trade shows or events each year, and you never really know exactly what your configuration will be.
You or your event are located in Southern California, so that shipping isn’t required, and you can come by and pick everything up without a problem or have us deliver/pickup everything for you.
You are a smaller company and don’t have a place to safely store pipe and drape year round in between your trade shows or special events.
The event you are planning is so huge that you know you would probably never need that much pipe and drape again, or so small that you know that any future needs would require different sized equipment and drapery than needed for the current event.
The event is taking place in Southern California, and you would like us to do all of the work for you—from the delivery and install to the strike and pickup —so you don’t have to worry about how to put everything together properly and safely for your event.
If these points apply to you, then it would just make more sense to rent your pipe and drape so you can lessen your stress and worry about how to put everything together, where you will have to store it all year round, and how you would be able to make use of it again in the future for a completely different event and configuration. Renting gives you the ability to have exactly what you want, where you want it, and for how long you will need it.
A question we get a lot here at Rent What? Inc. is, “When is it better to rent, and when is it better to buy a Pipe and Drape System for my upcoming event?” Of course there are always a lot of great reasons for each, but I’d like to focus now on why it may be a better idea to purchase, and talk about when it would be a better idea to rent in a future blog.
FREQUENCIES OF THE EVENTS
If you do more than 3 or 4 local trade shows each year, and often have a similar booth set up each time, then cost-wise it just makes more sense to go ahead and purchase your hardware. Renting it over and over again, depending on the size of your booth, can add up quickly. If you purchase it from Sew What? Inc., for just a few hundred dollars more, then you would have it every time you needed it, year round. Then, if you wanted to rent different colors or styles of draping for individual events, you could then arrange that with Rent What?, and still have a unique feel to each event without the added expense of paying for the rental of hardware, too.
CUSTOM DRAPING
Rent What? cannot rent custom-made backdrops, which is a specialty of our sister company, Sew What? If you wanted to have a beautiful and unique custom backdrop made for your booth, then you would ultimately have to rent the hardware each and every time you wanted to be able to display it. If you owned your own hardware for the backdrop, then you would be able to showcase your custom backdrop anytime you would like without having to worry about availability of the rental hardware or the added expense.
SHIPPING
People don’t always realize how extremely heavy the pipe and base hardware can be, especially the bases, which can run anywhere between 13lbs and 62lbs, EACH, depending on your set-up. Shipping pipe and base hardware across the country over and over again can end up costing a lot more than the rental itself, which can really add up in the long run.
DEALS
Right now Sew What? has a few special deals on single booth set-ups, which could include draping as well, or just include the hardware. For around $250, you can buy all of the hardware needed for a typical 10×10 booth setup. Or for around $500-700, you can purchase an entire booth setup, which would also include banjo cloth drapes for it, as well as separate carrying bags for everything.
So, basically, here are some rules of thumb that will help you decide if buying is the best way to go:
You tend to do smaller trade shows, and end up having a similar set up every time.
Your trade shows happen several times a year, and often in different parts of the country that would need everything shipped to.
You never know how long you’re going to need the hardware for.
You have custom draping that you know you’re going to want to hang up at different events, and often.
You have a good location to store everything in, and can use the purchased carrying bags from Sew What? to keep everything handily together.
In years past, we have designed and printed an annual Sew What? tee shirt, and we loved getting photos from clients showing our tee shirts (and drapery bags) out on the road. This past December, we decided we wanted to do something a little different.
But what to choose? We wanted something that our customers could actually use while on site or out on the road, and something that had some connection with our business, but we couldn’t figure out what. Then, in our search for a fresh idea, we came upon the idea of a tape measure. We use heavy duty tape measures on an hourly basis in our sewing shop. Our cutting team uses them when cutting fabric. Our sewing staff uses them to measure pleats. Our quality control team uses them to ensure that the manufactured custom stage curtains are the specified height and width. What better item to symbolize Sew What? Inc. but a tape measure?
And a tape measure definitely comes in handy for our customers. They can measure a stage opening to determine the width of track or height and width of curtain needed. They can measure the height of their pipe and base hardware to ensure that they are ordering the proper replacement pieces. And they can even use it at home on DIY projects.
Guess what? We were right – our customers loved it, and we have received several photos of the tape measures in use. Here’s one…
Of course, we do still get asked whether we might do another tee shirt in the future – and who knows, we might get inspired at the end of this year – but from the comments we have received, the tape measure was a hit!
One of the drapes that is growing in popularity the fastest in Rent What? Inc.’s rental inventory is our Chameleon RGB Drapes. These gorgeous LED drapes are just wonderful for concert tours, theater productions, and other special events that you want to add a very unique touch to. These drapes allow you to use the supplied dmx controller and instruction manual to quickly and easily change the color palette and speed of the blinking lights, and specialize all sorts of fun color patterns for these drapes. And this can all be done ahead of time too, so that the drape would be all ready to go for the event!
You can see how beautiful these drapes look while they’re flickering between different colors. The versatility of these drapes to become unique to your special event’s theme is what makes them truly special. You can literally have as many color schemes as you’d like, and chose from hundreds of gradations on its almost infinite color palette.
If you really want something truly memorable for your special event, contact Rent What? to get more information on adding one of these amazing drapes to your stage!
Recently I was asked if I could help a band get “more mileage” out of their CD cover art. What do I mean by “more mileage?” In a nutshell, the cover art was a hand painted piece. The band name and title of the CD had been hand painted and integrated into the art as one flat piece. The challenge was, they wanted to use the CD art on a backdrop for their tour. The backdrop was 20′x 30′. As we all know, CD covers are square and, this piece had the title of the cd worked into the artwork so the text had to be extracted from the background and the elements, that you once had to imagine behind the text, had to be painted and “not” look like an afterthought. Using natural brushes and a few other tricks, I was able to extract the letters from the background, digitally hand paint the imagined graphic elements that would have been behind the text, extend the hand painted treatment to the left and right so that the art was now a rectangle and deliver a new digital piece. The band had print ready art for their backdrop within 48 hours, just in time for a video shoot.
