TV Grey, TV Black & White

[swhite228]

If you take photos of your models the different shades of the panels may wash out under bright lights or your cameras flash.
The studio fix for this is to mix silver paint with the base color to get the darker panels or highlights.

When looked at under normal light the color looks like a darker base color, under bright studio lights the metal particles cause the panels to stand out instead of being washed out.

For the darkest flat black you can find check out theater supply stores for TV Black which only reflects 3% of the light that hits it. Same for TV White it reflects 97% of the light .

[Scott Graham]

Thanks for the tips. I should be able find the black and white colors here in NYC. Are those sprays?

[dbhs]

I'm assuming that clear coats over the top of these specialty paints will change their effectiveness. Is that right?

Seems like a gloss coat, or even a dull coat, over TV black would prevent it from working.

[swhite228]

(12-01-2009, 01:07 PM)Scott Graham Wrote: Thanks for the tips. I should be able find the black and white colors here in NYC. Are those sprays?

No sprays but you can thin with water to spray.

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(12-01-2009, 01:16 PM)dbhs Wrote: I'm assuming that clear coats over the top of these specialty paints will change their effectiveness. Is that right?

Seems like a gloss coat, or even a dull coat, over TV black would prevent it from working.

You are correct! When you add a top coat you are dealing with it's reflect ability.

Most of the matte spray I've seen used in studios and local theater is cheap( really cheap) hairspray like Aqua Net or White Rain here in the U.S.

The first time I saw it I was told if it cost more than $1.00 a can it's wrong.

When I ask why hairspray I was told :
1. It doesn't add any color to the object and the coating is thin.
2. If the item is borrowed the hairspray can be removed with a damp cloth with out damaging the item .

I found out from my girlfriend at the time she and other teachers also used hairspray to keep the janitors from erasing things they wrote on the black board. When they were done a wet towel washed the hairspray and the chalk off the board.

[427 Cobra]

Shouldn't this be in the DISPLAY catagory instead of the weathering catagory? This isn't so much weathering a model to look aged,or reliced,but a type of method to achieve a certain look for photos.

[dbhs]

I think it's ok here. It's about the paint you put on model, whatever the color/effect.


In my mind when I think about 'display' it's about what happens outside of the finished model: stands, cases, mounts, etc. Just my 2 cents.

In the display secton it would be good to get some info on doing the final photography for models.

[erospawn]

(12-21-2009, 04:42 AM)dbhs Wrote: I think it's ok here. It's about the paint you put on model, whatever the color/effect.


In my mind when I think about 'display' it's about what happens outside of the finished model: stands, cases, mounts, etc. Just my 2 cents.

In the display secton it would be good to get some info on doing the final photography for models.

To my knowledge, Sciford was the guy for photography.. He could tell ya exactly what you needed and where.. However, I haven't heard from him lately though...

[DarthDuck]

Not to argue either way but I do see this as good info on how to enhance a model while still in the 'finishing stage' (like weathering), prior to actual display.

A couple of bits of trivia also come to mind since as a painter I find such things interesting:

Back when steam locomotives rode the rails it was customary for the builder (Baldwin, Lima, Alco etc) to stage a "shop photo" for their records. This was in the days of B&W photography though. Many might know that the "traditional color" for a steam locomotive is shiny black when new but the builders soon found out that with then current processes none of the details of the loco appeared on film. So they painted them with waterbased gray, took the picture and then rinsed them off and returned them to "factory black".

Watched a movie about the life and death of the original TV Superman. While we all know his 'costume' to be blue and red, again for B&W television he wore blue and brown before color TV took over.

So yes, it's always been a case of manipulating the subject to suit the intended impression.

[ruby1058]

I heard about the TV back and white but did not about the grey TV. And today there was colour TV but I also like the back and white TV. It will give and unexpected experience which was very different form the other experience in black and white TV you did not know which colour was wearing by actor.