Building a cyclorama...Any suggestions?

[randy saville]

I have recently aquired a pretty good sized studio space and I want to build a cyclorama approx. 16' or so wide. I have 18' high ceilings and about 25' X 40' area for the studio. I have never built one before, but I am a builder, so I don't see any problem there. If any one has done this or has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate any help at all. I want to do this right.
THanks,
Randy
--
Lotsa STUFF.

 

[C.A.S.]

I remember a web site that gave detailed instructions on how to build one...

Google it and I am sure you will find it...just so you know it was buried pretty deep so you may have to look a few pages in...

Carlos

I have recently aquired a pretty good sized studio space and I want
to build a cyclorama approx. 16' or so wide. I have 18' high
ceilings and about 25' X 40' area for the studio. I have never
built one before, but I am a builder, so I don't see any problem
there. If any one has done this or has any suggestions, I would
greatly appreciate any help at all. I want to do this right.
THanks,
Randy
--
Lotsa STUFF.

 

[Brian Harness]

I want to build a cyclorama approx. 16' or so wide. I have 18' high
ceilings and about 25' X 40' area for the studio. I have never
built one before, but I am a builder, so I don't see any problem
there.

Randy,

If I remember correctly Sinar Bron or Calumet have cyc kits that make it really easy to install one. They also have the option to extend the cyc to a corner which is something you may want to consider. Extending to the ceiling is also possible but not as useful.

You could build your own. Start by framing the area where the floor and wall meet with 2x4's that are about 2-3 feet long. These studs will make a 45 degree slope. Use the thinnest sheetrock you can find and then bend it starting at the floor and screw to the studs. Later you can float the transition area with same things you might use to level a floor for tile installation. I forgot the name of the product but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Paint are you're ready to shoot.

Hope this helps.

Brian

--
Brian Harness Photographer
Dallas Texas
http://www.brianharness.com/

 

[fasteddy47]

I have recently aquired a pretty good sized studio space and I want
to build a cyclorama approx. 16' or so wide. I have 18' high
ceilings and about 25' X 40' area for the studio. I have never
built one before, but I am a builder, so I don't see any problem
there. If any one has done this or has any suggestions, I would
greatly appreciate any help at all. I want to do this right.
THanks,
Randy
--
Lotsa STUFF.

Here Ya Go

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrwizard/wkshps/photo/cyc/cyc.html

Peace
Eddy

 

[John Webb]

Randy,

I've shot in one studio where the photographer had used the back of some linoleum flooring material to creat the curved portion of the cyc wall. Once taped, mudded, sanded and painted you were not able to tell where the drywall ended and where the linoleum started.

The surface was run out from the wall about 20ft, and contact cemented to the concrete. He would use an inexpensive whitewash product to cover footprints and other marks on the standing/working surface. Normally it would take less than 30 minutes to dry.

The only problem I could see is if you had someone trying to walk or place something on the curved portion.

This was a fairly inexpensive project since he really wasn't very particular about the the front side surface sivnce it was not to be seen. Only requirement was that the backside was not textured.

I have recently aquired a pretty good sized studio space and I want
to build a cyclorama approx. 16' or so wide. I have 18' high
ceilings and about 25' X 40' area for the studio. I have never
built one before, but I am a builder, so I don't see any problem
there. If any one has done this or has any suggestions, I would
greatly appreciate any help at all. I want to do this right.
THanks,
Randy
--
Lotsa STUFF.

 

[randy saville]

Thanks, FastEddie! I had actually recently found the article and had just printed it out. It will be quite the project, but well worth it, I'm sure! Thanks everyone for all the input. I really appreciate it.

If anyone is using a cyc, please tell me your experiences with it and suggestions. Thanks,
Randy

I have recently aquired a pretty good sized studio space and I want
to build a cyclorama approx. 16' or so wide. I have 18' high
ceilings and about 25' X 40' area for the studio. I have never
built one before, but I am a builder, so I don't see any problem
there. If any one has done this or has any suggestions, I would
greatly appreciate any help at all. I want to do this right.
THanks,
Randy
--
Lotsa STUFF.

Here Ya Go

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrwizard/wkshps/photo/cyc/cyc.html

Peace
Eddy

--
Lotsa STUFF.

 

[Chuck Gardner]

I have never built a cyclorama, but have built a curved wall using drywall. The trick is to use two layers of 3/8" rather than one 1/2" sheet. Soak the drywall with water and you can carefully bend it around a curved form.

Chuck Gardner

I have recently aquired a pretty good sized studio space and I want
to build a cyclorama approx. 16' or so wide. I have 18' high
ceilings and about 25' X 40' area for the studio. I have never
built one before, but I am a builder, so I don't see any problem
there. If any one has done this or has any suggestions, I would
greatly appreciate any help at all. I want to do this right.
THanks,
Randy
--
Lotsa STUFF.

 

[Gary B]

I've built a couple using 3/4" particle board formers and 1/4" Masonite hardboard for the surface. You can get 4 formers from a 4x8 sheet. On a 4' x 4' piece of particle board lay out a 4' radius curve, offset it by about 2" to give you a surface to screw to the stud and feather it off to nothing at the bottom, like this:



Cut a couple of notches for 1x4 furring strips along the bottom and one for the bottom plate in the corner. Hang your drywall 4' up from the floor and attach a former to each stud so the curve cutout is flush with the face of the stud. Screw and glue 2 layers of 1/4" masonite to form the cove, stagger the joints. The first layer will be cut to end just as the edge hits the floor, bring the top layer edge down on to the floor to blend the curve into the floor. Feather the edge of the masonite to the floor with thinset mortar, like this:



I chamfered and filled the joints with drywall compound, the harder the better for durability.

This will produce a pretty rugged cove, I've had kids trying to climb the walls with no damage (to the cove at least).
Hope this helps.
--
Gary B
http://www.bplus.ca

 

[Kel Toookay]

If you have curve at the top, you will be able to shoot from a low angle without running out
of background.

You'd be surprised how much diffrence just 2 or 3 feet makes at the top.

Kel 2K

 

[Brian Bannister]

We are in the process of finishing our 7,000 sq.ft studio in Phoenix, and I had the same question about the best way to build a cyc. Most of the photographers here in town had a set builder just make it for them, and theirs are made out of 2X4's, a 45 degree support beam underneath, a piece of sheet metal that is curved, and drywall. However, this is not the most durable way to make it, and is also very permanent.

We wanted a solution that was lightweight, strong, expandable, and portable if we ever decided to move. I called Pier 59 Studios in New York and the guy that built all of the cycs there was very helpful. They bought all of the pieces from Calumet (Infinity Walls) and they had been very happy with its ease of installation and durability.

I called Calumet and talked with a sales rep, and he said that quite a few of the biggest studio complexes in the country use their product, and that convinced me to purchase the product. When we received it, I was amazed at its flexibility and strength. It comes in flat sheets four feet wide, and is a fiberglass/PVC blend. As you bend it, it actually becomes stronger because it resists against you, and is a wonderful material.

Our studio is a tilt-up concrete building, and the cyc needed to be formed between a concrete wall and a concrete floor, not a 2X4 wall like most studios. We put up two rows of furring strips (one on the wall and one on the floor) as a guide to hold the strips in place while we drilled them into the walls. Once they were in place, we removed the furring strips and filled the seams with drywall mud. We also began to feather the curve into the floor and wall with drywall mud. It takes about 3-5 coats of mud to get a perfect curve from the lip of the material to the floor and wall. One day of work, and then two more days of feathering the mud and letting it dry and our work was done.

The cyc looks amazing, has no imperfections, and is as simple as it gets. I even tried stepping on it, and all that happened was the drywall mud separated from fiberglass slightly, but was unnoticeable once I took my foot off. I would highly recommend this material, and if we want to we can unscrew it and take it anywhere.

For comparison, we also looked at Pro Cyc and Sinar Bron, and I'm sure they would have been just as good but their quotes were double that of Calumet. Hope this helps,

Brian
Loft 19 Studios
http://www.loft19.com

 

[bmcent1]

Great drawings!

 

[Bimthecat]

Only a 24" radius cyc, but it works well.