Reflections in a house full of etchings. . . what to do?

[Stephen Pruitt]

Hi there. . .

We are planning for pre-production for our next feature, "Terminal," and were currently looking at a particular location. We love this grand old house, and it has remarkable etchings all over the walls. Only trouble? The plexiglas from the etchings reflect a lot of light and make it difficult to hide cameras, crew, etc. We want to include the etchings in the shots. The question is what can one do to shoot such masterpieces and yet not ruin the plexiglas glazing (which would cost literally thousands to replace).

Will an antireflection spray work on plexi and not kill the glass? Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Stephen

 

[Michael McVicar]

You could try linear polarizer sheets over your lights and lens. It will cut out at least a couple stops of light though. You'll have to play with angles. Lens by itself might help some. Lights by themselves nothing. It's also why cameras and crew tend to wear black.

 

[Eren Ozkural]

anti glare. It's a spray that dulls reflections.

 

[Stephen Pruitt]

Hi there, Eren. . .

Will anti-glare come off of plexi without harming it?

Stephen

 

[Leo Ticheli]

You'll be wise to test on a small area of the plexi, but in my experience Plexiglas and chemicals do not play well together; it's easily damaged.

I would think large areas of black Duvetyne to reflect in the glass along with lighting disguised as practicals might be helpful.

Good shooting and best regards,

Leo

 

[Scott Crawley]

From glarebusters.com:

What if I need to remove it, how do I do it?
You can easily remove Glare Buster by using a razor blade scraper. Follow the instructions on this website for detailed information.

That might mean No in your case. I can't imagine scraping a plastic surface with a razor without damaging it, but I'm kinda dorky so I wouldn't try it even with good insurance coverage. ;-)

Eren, is this the stuff you were referring to or is there one out there that is easier to get off?

 

[Erik Bien]

in my experience Plexiglas and chemicals do not play well together; it's easily damaged.

+1. Even rubbing with a soft, lint-free cloth you might use for cleaning lenses can leave fine scratches in acrylic (I worked fabricating acrylic sign faces for a few years). I wouldn't risk it.

Not that either of these is likely to help the OP, but:

1 — most frame shops also offer special "non-glare" glass and acrylic which will greatly reduce (if not completely eliminate) the problem,

and

2 — for less-delicate reflective surfaces, if dulling spray is not available, in a pinch cheap hairspray like AquaNet or FinalNet works just about as well as the real thing.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

I would try something like frisket film (matte), it is a clear film with a light adhesive backing that will cause no damage. The film should reduce glare without looking strange over the etchings. You can order the stuff in rolls online pretty cheap.

 

[Stephen Pruitt]

Andrew, I really like this suggestion! Where do you get it????

Thanks!

Stephen

 

[Harry Lipnick]

I've never used the stuff Andrew is talking about to reduce reflections (or anything else for that matter) but a quick Google found it at my favorite online art supply, Dick Blick. Can't vouch for the Frisket Film, but I can vouch for Dick Blick, and that's coming from an art school kid!
Here you go: http://www.dickblick.com/products/badger-matte-fotofrisket-film/
Peace,

-Harry

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Andrew, I really like this suggestion! Where do you get it????

Thanks!

Stephen

As the last post stated, Dick Blick is a great source and should have the best prices. I have no idea if it would work in your situation. Basically, frisket is a clear masking film that is used by airbrush artists to cut out sections of a design while masking others. Since I have not airbrushed in a couple years, I am a little fuzzy on its physical characteristics but from what i remember, it comes in both glossy and matte and is fairly transparent although it may obscure the etchings a little more tan you would like. Try it out, it will cause no damage at all since it's tak is about half that of scotch tape (unless you leave it on for a long long time, we are talking months).

This link will tell you more about the film and its uses: http://www.howtoairbrush.com/content/airbrushing-use-frisket-film-257/

Again, I must stress that you try it out before you commit to using it. After looking at more pictures online, the film itself is not all that transparent in matte and will be just as reflective as your original surface in glossy. You will need to experiment with both versions to see if either will work.

 

[jimhare]

Andrew, do you know if you can seamlessly butt it up if you have wider areas than 24"?

 

[Michael McVicar]

Could the plexi be taken out just for the shoot?

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Andrew, do you know if you can seamlessly butt it up if you have wider areas than 24"?

I'm sure you can get wider than 24" but it may be a custom order and I have no idea who could make custom sizes. You can butt up the edges seamlessly if you take your time with the application. I have done it before with some airbrush projects.

 

[Erik Bien]

On a smooth, non-porous surface like Plexi, you can "float" most adhesive-backed films into position: using a spritzer bottle filled with water and a drop or two of cheap dishwashing liquid as a surfactant, mist the glass as well as the sticky side of the film, slide it into place, and work the water and air bubbles from the center outwards with a vinyl squeegee and a chamois.

 

[Michael McVicar]

On a smooth, non-porous surface like Plexi, you can "float" most adhesive-backed films into position: using a spritzer bottle filled with water and a drop or two of cheap dishwashing liquid as a surfactant, mist the glass as well as the sticky side of the film, slide it into place, and work the water and air bubbles from the center outwards with a vinyl squeegee and a chamois.

I assume that these are prints of some value mounted under mat and glass in wooden frames. The float trick works great on glass out of the frame but but working moisture to the edges in the frame could cause damage. Plexi scratches easily and fogs with chemicals.

What is the lighting? Framed in camera right, a large black cloth with a hole for your lens, pola, and/or diffuse lighting, might be all you need. I would try to be as noninvasive with the art as possible.​

Also don't forget you can USE reflections in a scene. To show another character or action not directly in view.