Michelle Branch backdrop

I recently designed the new backdrop for Michelle Branch for her 2011/2012 tour. I was approached by her creative team with the idea of putting together an eclectic stack of vintage amplifiers. The first task was to acquire images of vintage amps so that I could create a believable piece of art. As luck would have it, a music store that carries vintage amps was just ten miles away (Back Stage Music, Lake Orion) and they were willing to let me come a shoot all the pictures I needed.

The backdrop turned out fantastic.  Michelle liked it so much she invited me to her show, when they came through town, just to meet me and thank me for my work. No higher praise in my book. 

Thinking Design?

Design of a printed backdrop starts by identifying a goal or desired end result. Depending on your needs and personal taste, this can take on many different forms. The process can start with a cocktail napkin sketch and a few key words that describe look and feel or, it can be a taken from existing brand pieces such as printed collateral, new CD artwork, your web site or whatever brings you inspiration. The key is in translating that vision into a grand format that sets the tone you are looking for. 
Literal translations can work. Sometimes they don’t. That’s when its time to start thinking design.

Collaboration-

One of my favorite aspects about what I get to do is the opportunity to collaborate with a recording artist and/or their creative team.
The process usually starts out with a “wish list” of what the artist or team is looking for. I’ve been approached over the years to create all manner of designs and Illustrations for everything from backdrops to concert t-shirts. “The more off the wall the better I say. ”
I’ve found one common denominator.  That is “We all want to bring something fresh and new to the world creatively.” What Drives my passion for collaboration? “The chemistry and contribution of different artists and creative thinkers coming together for a common goal.” Lets Collaborate.

Use the “forced”

Sometimes you really want to make elements in your backdrop seem huge. At the end of the day, we all have limits to the height we can go to in most venues.

One thing that can help create the illusion of great height is to illustrate the main elements of you backdrop in forced perspective.  What this means in the clearest terms is to illustrate in a way that creates an optical illusion that an object is nearer or farther away, larger or smaller than it actually is. This may be most effective with a building, mountain etc. This creates a feeling of great space or confined quarters to help pull off the feeling you’re looking for with your stage.

I’d be happy to talk to you about how forced perspective can help you.

3D meet 2D

Something that can give a stage a great deal of depth is the planning and integration of real world objects in front of a printed backdrop. It takes some coordination and planning can help pull off the effect but the end result is worth it.
Case in point, we did an illustration of a steam punk machine complete with all the cogs, wheels, bells and whistles for Motley Crue. ( you can see it on the header of the graphic design page on sewwhatinc.com)

The stage designer used huge barrels, copper tubes, oil drums and alike placed strategically in front of the printed piece to pull off a dark, fire breathing mad science steam punk effect.

People still come up to me and tell me how much they loved that stage. Isn’t that what it’s all about. A memorable experience.

Backdrops for System of a Down

Back in mid April, we were so excited to be approached by Chris Roberts on a large project of digitally printed backdrops for System of a Down.  Chris explained that they were looking for four (yes, FOUR) backdrops, each 30′ h x 60′ w.  That is 7,200 square feet of printing alone (not considering the hours spent in sewing the backdrops).

The project sounded especially cool, because they weren’t looking for 4 identical backdrops.  Instead, they wanted to utilize four different images – one image per backdrop – and each image was unique. 

The first image was a snow-capped mountain scene – very dramatic!  We found a photo of it on Flickr – check it out!  With the blue-tinged lighting, it really evokes the feeling of ice and snow.  A gorgeous desert scene in oranges is a great contrast to the mountain scene – just as dramatic, but this time evoking heat.  The third image was a terrific rendition of the band’s logo in white on a black background.  Finally, a hand image completes the series of backdrops.

The artist for two of the images (the mountain and the desert) was – you guessed it – John Rios (frequent contributor to this blog), and he also prepped the band’s existing images (logo and hand) for printing.

The Power of the Quick Sketch

As I mentioned in my first post, I was contacted by Megan to work on the backdrops and other soft goods for Crue Fest II tour. I had the pleasure of working with a creative genius, Mr.Scott Holthaus, to help him manifest his vision for the show.

Crue Fest II celebrated a milestone anniversary for Motley Crue’s wildly successful Dr. Feelgood album. Every detail down to the CMYK value of the tiles was carefully considered. The concept was to create the insane asylum that is indicated on the Dr. Feelgood album cover as it would look if you revisited the facility twenty years later. The concept had vast possibilities so we decided to do a series of quick sketches first to narrow down a direction. Obviously these are not award winning illustrations but more so used like a storyboard would be in a movie. They indicate size, scale and perspective as well as content so that we can cut right to the chase on the computer once the direction is decided. It does take a person of vision, like Scott, but the end result is a faster development from an production art standpoint. This project was mammoth so it did take a few weeks to complete but, the quick sketches let us work out details and cut right to production worthy art within 24 hours of our first conversation. If you’re developing an involved or complex concept, I’d welcome working out the details with you in the same fashion.

Looking for inspiration? Check out our portfolios!

Whether you are staging a rock tour, designing a theatre, or planning a special event, custom stage drapes, wide format digital backdrops, and other soft goods can play an intregal part in bringing your vision to life.  But what if your vision is tenuous?  You have a general idea of the mood you’d like to create, but you are unsure of how to use drapery to help achieve that mood.  How about checking out the Sew What and Rent What portfolio pages?  We’ve got photos of many different projects that we’ve worked on in the past – I’m sure that you’ll see something that strikes a cord!

Rock ‘N’ Roll

Maybe the Katy Perry parachute inspires you towards a red, white and blue patriotic theme, or Chris Cornell’s Metal Mesh drape gets you think of a cool industrial look.  Remember, these looks aren’t just for Rock ‘N’ Roll – similar looks would work for a special event.

Theatre

Maybe the gorgeous swags used by Jennifer Hudson inspire you, or the Austrian used by John Mayer at the Nokia fits the bill.  Traditional and dramatic theatrical drapery such as swags and Austrians aren’t just for traditional theatres – they look beautiful in any venue, whether it is a concert or a special event.

Digital Printing

Whether you choose a large scale backdrop with elaborate scenes, a step and repeat banner, or a geometric pattern, digital printing can be one of the most “custom” ways to achieve your vision.  Check out the terrific images we printed for Kenny Chesney, Sheryl Crow, and many more.

Ringing in the New Year

As the clock ticks closer and closer to 2011, I thought I’d reflect a little on some of the projects that we have worked on this year.  I’d love to post a little bit about all of the projects that we worked on in 2010, but for that I would need to publish a book!  So, instead I’ll just remind you of a few particularly memorable projects.

Large-Format Digital Printing

We printed and sewed so many amazing digitally printed backdrops this year.  A few that come to mind include several gorgeous panels for Brooks & Dunn‘s “Last Rodeo” farewell tour (I love the cowgirl images!), the “Distressed Fleur de Lis” pattern for Little Big Town,  Billy Idol in black and white, and, of course, the beautiful backdrop for Kenny Chesney (third year running).  All beautiful, all unique!

Custom Stage Curtains

Of course, all of the drapery that we make is custom-made according to the client’s specifications, so all projects are interesting and unique.  But some projects really stand out.  The Silver Scrim for Yusuf Islam was so beautiful and quite unusual.  The Alice in Chains project was so cool that I posted about it twice, and of course the drapery in sheers and silvers for Celtic Woman set the perfect ethereal backdrop to their music.

Mixed Media and Specialty Pieces

These are the projects in which we really “think outside the box,” using materials and/or techniques that are just a little bit different from the usual drapery style.  I loved the Metal Mesh frame pieces that we made for James Taylor and the Korn backdrop was an amazing combination of netting, digital printing, and smoke tubes.  And just a few weeks ago – who could forget the American Parachute that we made for Katy Perry?

All of these terrific projects are just a small fraction of the projects we worked on in 2010.  I can’t wait to see what projects come our way in 2011!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Touring with Mary J. Blige

Recently, Rent What? and Sew What? were excited to work with Daunte Kenner of DK Show Production & Design to help him bring his set design to life for Mary J. Blige’s U.S. tour.

In prior posts, I have mentioned the Starlight LED backdrops.  One of the great things about the Starlight LED drapes that Rent What? offers for rental is that they are available in two sizes (15′ x 30′ and 20′ x 20′), but they can be run horizontally or vertically and can be combined to make a much larger backdrop. That was the case in Daunte’s design for the Mary J. Blige tour – a number of Starlight LED drapes were combined to make up nearly 5,000 square feet of “starry, starry night”, covering the entire rear of the stage as well as both sides.

Daunte also selected from Rent What? a gorgeous 30′ h x 60′ w Silver Satin Austrian Drape for use as an Act Curtain.  Sew What? got into the act by manufacturing a custom “City Skyline” digitally printed scenic backdrop along with additional custom stage drapes.

It really was a fun project to work on, and it is exciting to hear that many of these same pieces with be a part of Mary J. Blige’s upcoming international tour dates in 2011!

Want to learn more about this project?  Click here.