Printing for Christmas

We recently completed a 24′ h x 40′ w digitally printed project for Brian Setzer for the current “Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza” tour.  We have worked with this client before and enjoy doing their projects, and in the past have provided everything from traditional textiles to digitally printed backdrops to stage set elements.  But our most favorite time of the year is Christmas - we love to decorate and celebrate - and we always get excited about participating in Christmas shows, so this was a fun print project to tackle.

The project took one week to complete.  We did not design the artwork ourselves - instead it was build by the client’s own graphic artist as a vector file in Adobe Illustrator ®.  This was a cartoon-style graphic - lots of color and bright imagery. 

This type of graphic particularly lends itself to being digitally printed - the blues and bright tones show so well under concert stage lighting.

For this backdrop, we chose a heavy knit for two reasons.  First, in our industry, being flame retardant to national standards (at a minimum) is very important, and this material met the client’s requirements in terms of flame retardancy.  Second, knit type materials are perfect when the client needs to store the pieces folded up - when re-hung, the knit fabric relaxes and the wrinkles tend to hang out fairly well.  As you can imagine, in a stage or concert backdrop, clients don’t want to see wrinkles!

We use exclusively 3M inks with our 120″ Vutek QS3200 printer and use Colorburst for our RIP software.  I think the combination of the inks, the printer, and the software really come together for beautiful colors in the end product. 

For this project, print time took four hours, not including sewing / finishing time.  The piece was finished with webbing, grommets & ties across the top (we use a Jopevi electric grommet machine), which is a traditional backdrop finish.  The sides are durably hemmed (we prefer Consew brand commercial sewing machines) and the bottom is completed with a hidden weight pocket to help the drop hang nicely.

Offering digitally printed textiles in addition to our regular services is a benefit to our clients and allows us to keep the complete show in-house in terms of production.   I tend to post a lot about concert projects we work on - primarily because those are the projects that we can usually get photos of or find videos on YouTube.  However, as a full service sewing shop, we do produce all sorts of textile products for the theatre and stage, including traditional stage draperies, and more and more we are beginning to get request for digitally printed backdrops from schools, churches, and other non-tour customers - they really add a beautiful element to a show, and if the artwork is nice (such as a beautiful snow scene), the drop can be used at the annual holiday show for years to come.

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Swags and Digitals for the Eagles

Recently, both Sew What? and Rent What? had the opportunity to contribute custom stage drapery to The Eagles West Coast Tour, which opened on Monday in Portland, OR.

Production designer Butch Allen send us some rehearsals photos of our drapes on set - and I think they are just amazing!    Take a look at these Silver Swags from Rent What? :

Design: Butch Allen Designs; Photo Credit: Butch Allen

Also included in the rental package provided by Rent What? was a 24′ h x 50′ w backdrop, digitally printed by Sew What? to give the appearance of parchment (see the background in the photo above), as well as black masking pieces.

The tour also purchased a 24′ h x 24′ w custom digitally printed backdrop from Sew What?  Printed on clear vinyl, the clock image is dramatic while still allowing a view of the parchment backdrop behind it (as above).  Clever lighting in another scene makes the clock appear blue:

Design: Butch Allen Designs; Photo Credit: Butch Allen

More clever lighting, and somehow the drapery looks completely different:

Design: Butch Allen Designs; Photo Credit: Butch Allen

I can’t decide which of these three photos is my favorite; all three are just so beautiful.  Butch has created a wonderful set design, and I am so proud that Sew What? and Rent What? were brought on board to bring Butch’s vision to life. 

The show is in Seattle tonight, and then goes to Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles, before finishing up in San Diego on December 21st.  So, if you happen to get to one of the shows - check out the drapery and let me know what you think!

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Taking the tour to Europe? Think about flame retardancy now!

It used to be that tours would have two sets of drapes – one for the US leg of the tour and another for Europe.  These days, many tours are becoming more budget conscious and are choosing to purchase a single set of drapery and soft goods.  One thing to keep in mind when considering this option is the issue of flame retardancy.

The requirements and regulations regarding flame retardancy of hanging drapery are quite different between the US and Europe.  Just because a fabric passes US standards doesn’t mean it will pass European standards, and vice versa.  It is especially difficult because there is no single European standard – Germany, France, and the UK all have their own standards. 

Does that mean you can’t get custom stage curtains, scrims, band backdrops, stage skirting, etc., in the US and then use them in Europe as well?  Certainly not.   But what it does mean is that you need to plan ahead.  Let us know that you will be using the drapes in Europe as well as the US.  We can recommend fabrics that have previously been shown to pass both US & European standards. 

Another idea – contact the European venues for each stop on the tour and ask if there is a process you can go through in advance to get your drapes approved for that venue, such as sending burn samples to the venue or contracting with a company in that country for pre-testing and certification.

The most important thing?  Do your homework before the tour heads to Europe.  The last thing you want is to find yourself standing in a venue in London or Berlin the morning of the show, being told you can’t use your drapes!

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Cycs, Scrims, and Painters Backdrops

Because the terms “backdrop,” “cyc” and “scrim” are often used interchangeably, it can get confusing to understand what each term really refers to in the theatre.  Even I still get confused occasionally and have to stop and think for a minute (it’s been a long time since my days as a high school theatre nerd)  - and so I thought there are probably a lot of folks out there who would like a quick rundown on the differences between these pieces.

A Cyclorama (or “cyc”) refers to a white or natural seamless flat muslin panel.  It is always the piece that is hung furthest upstage (aka at the very back of the stage) and is usually used for sky effects (often through frontlit projection).

A Scrim is made from a very specific type of netting called Sharkstooth Scrim.  Depending on lighting techniques used, its appearance varies from opaque to translucent.  It is nearly always seamless and can be hung in various locations on stage.

A Painter’s Backdrop is a white or natural flat muslin panel (seamed or seamless) that is used in various locations onstage to help create the scene.  Often the scene is painted on (hence the name) – either by the stage crew or by a professional scenic painter.  Other times, the scene is projected onto the painter’s backdrop.  Alternatively, to create a similar effect, a digitally printed backdrop can be used rather than a painter’s backdrop.

And ”backdrop”?  Well, it is just a generic term for something (usually a drape of some sort) that is behind something else - such as behind the orchestra at the Philharmonic or behind the President during a press conference.  It could be muslin, it could be velour, it could be another material.  It could be flat, it could be pleated.  Pretty much, the sky’s the limit. 

Hope this helps.  And keep in mind, if you aren’t sure of what to call something - not to worry.  You can always call us and describe what you need - we can help you out.

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