Shiny & Special Surfaces

[drawstuf99]

I am currently designing scenery and lighting for a production of The Wizard of Oz. One question I'm facing now when its coming down to building materials is how and which various surfaces can be painted in the multitude of ways that the show is calling for.

My question involves the current layout of The Emerald City: One of the show decks will be a dark green checkerboard which will be visible for the entire second act of the production. Embedded in it are a few lines of small chaser lights. So, my primary question is how to make it as glossy and shiny as seen in the image below. I was thinking polyurethane because it can be cheap and fairly easily applied over the checkerboard pattern. The only concern I had was time of drying and ventilation in the process.

On a similar note, the facing of the palace wall/bridge is a corrugated material (plastic preferably for weight). I also want this to have a shine to it; however, not as strong as the floor. My concern was of course painting and applying something to plastic...I'm kind of at a loss for ideas here. Perhaps I'm just overlooking something simple.

Below is a rough rendering with most of the major scenic pieces. Hopefully you can get an idea of what I'm looking for. Thanks for help in advance!

[avkid]

To be quite honest, I would make the whole thing out of Lexan with green film.

[icewolf08]

First off, what is your time frame? I would paint up a few small floor swatches in the checker-board pattern (don't have to be bigger than 2'x2') and test out different finishes. Try the polyurethane, try some of the high gloss acrylics. Also, it may help to start with a high gloss paint. You can test things like dry times and such at the same time, and figure out what works best.

For the wall, I would build it like a flat, out of wood, then wallpaper it with green mylar. That will give you the smooth shiny surface and will probably cost less than plastic.

[drawstuf99]

Yes-I was hoping to go and buy some various types of paints and polyurethanes this weekend and get some samples made but was curious if any other products I wasn't aware of might work. Mylar! How did that slip my mind--excellent, thanks for that advice! It can look wonderful but also be fairly cheap.

The Lexan would be nice; however, the pricing is quite steep. Still, though, there are some pieces I am looking into using plastics for accents...etc. Plastic, plexi-glass, lexan...etc. and other materials are something I'm hardly familiar with at all but would love to learn more about; just, not sure if this is the caliber of show to spend that time on. Who knows? Maybe it is.

Thanks again guys

[DarSax]

Well since your signature lists you as a lighting designer, I'm probably preaching to the choir, but I hope you know what you're getting into by making a reflective floor with stage lighting That sort of thing would scare me a bit without a lot of time for trial and error

[Charc]

Haha, even slight reflectiveness kills.

[gafftaper]

Don't forget good old Rosco High Gloss Glaze. We did a set in college using three coats of the stuff and it was amazing.

As for the wall material Coroplast... Corrugated Plastic Sheeting. Comes in 4'x8' sheets and Green is a stock color. It can be back lit to glow a little depending on the color of the material. Isn't too expensive either.

[avkid]

Originally Posted by gafftaper

As for the wall material Coroplast... Corrugated Plastic Sheeting. Comes in 4'x8' sheets and Green is a stock color.

That's some pretty cool stuff, how much of a dent in the wallet?

[Grog12]

Originally Posted by DarSax

Well since your signature lists you as a lighting designer, I'm probably preaching to the choir, but I hope you know what you're getting into by making a reflective floor with stage lighting That sort of thing would scare me a bit without a lot of time for trial and error

Never be afraid of glossy floors, white surfaces and neon costumes, instead embrace the opportunites they give you for lighting. Some of the best lighting has been done on glossy floors. The trick is not to only front light it....and since you never want to do that anyway (unless its a recital) you should be fine.

[gafftaper]

Originally Posted by avkid

That's some pretty cool stuff, how much of a dent in the wallet?

Most of it's normal applications are for products that sell really cheap. I haven't used it myself so I can't tell you the price but I'm sure the shipping is almost as much as the material. A designer I know did a college show with a bunch of the clear stuff. It was supposed to be a modern take on a traditional Japanese home with the paper wall panels. He set it up with multiple lights on each panel so he could mix colors of the walls. The clear stuff is sort of like a frosted bathroom window. It takes color really well but you can't quite see through it. You do see all the lines of the internal ribs. That idea would be really sweet with a few LED's instruments. I've got it stored in the back of my head for just the right show.