Designing step and repeat banners entails more that a simple layout of your logos. The purpose of the step and repeat backdrop is to display and preserve the event and feature its sponsors. Photos will be distributed to outlets depending on the scale of your event. These images will persist for years on the web and in print, so attention to there design and deployment are worth your effort.
The lighting of the backdrop along with the flash photography must be considered when planning your set-up. As you can see from these Palm Springs Film Festival examples flash photography is the biggest problem. It is difficult to control the lighting when many photographers are shooting away simultaneously. One device you may consider is a set-up where the step and repeat is presented at a slight angle to the head on flash. The backdrop may be either canted from bottom to top, or set at an angle to avoid a perpendicular photo shot. The examples illustrate the difference between the angled shot and the face on shot. Hot spots are less of a problem with the angled shot.
The long red carpet step and repeat backdrop presents the biggest problem. For best economy you print a continuous banner and are stuck with a lot of face on conditions. The number of photographers and the speedy passing of their subjects are less than ideal for photography. Given that the images persistence is so long where many millions of views will occur, investment in a more sophisticated step and repeat backdrop may be worth the added investment.
This photo of Maria Carey from the 2010 Palm Springs Film Festival Gala shows how well the background presents when angled to the subject.
Consider producing your long red carpet backdrops in segments where they may be set at angles to the flash sources. The added expense in your framed set-up will pay back many times over in the improved quality of the photography. You may want to set-up an example beforehand to test shoot your colors and the background lighting.
Time constraints are always at event set-up time. Just remember the results will be out there for years, along with your credits.
1 response so far ↓
1 modartgirl // Jan 21, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Regarding angles, first it wouldn’t work. The space is too limited and once you crop the shot you wouldn’t get sponsors in the picture for the head shot, full shot yes. But if you look at the photographers who know how to shoot, most of them have the actor on an angle for wide shots and over the shoulder…and the photographers who turned off their flash got the shots. But when you with 150-200 photographers in in line like PS Gala it’s tough with the best lighting.
Go back to two years ago with the lighting on the ground, those picture didn’t blow out the backing because we under lit the backing. When your dealing with such a rich color as red or green unless you have hours to spend on lighting and most shows don’t. We have a 3 day load in which is already tight to pull this event off.
Most backings I see have the same problem when using vinyl material, it’s going to give in areas. Look at the People Choice awards, the same thing and that backing wasn’t big.
The perfect solution would be overhead lighting and lights at bottom going up…and the fill would be from the photographers. But once again most backings are placed in tight spots where you can’t light from overhead/behind thus you have to use a few key lights above.
It’s also a time and a money consideration unless you doing the Golden Globes or Oscars.
See my examples of on the photographer shot actors correctly.
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