ItsMyNaturalColour Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Hey everyone.We're organizing a gig in college. It's normally in the drama hall that has all the facilities that we need, but this year we're forced to hold it in the canteen because of other arrangements. It's been a pain to organize, but we're pretty much getting there. We're still faced with a massive problem though. Both ends of the room are glass, floor to celling. This lets absolutely tons of light in. There are no blinds or curtains because they never need to be closed. This is the first time.Does anyone have any bright ideas? We'll be using a fairly small portable rig as far as lighting is concerned, so eliminating as much natural light as possible is the goal. There'll be a lot of DJ's performing and people are after a club effect. Just to clarify the situation a little more, the windows are made up of 3 large panes of glass each side. I believe the frames are steel. It's a hard floor and a suspended celling. Thanks, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJones Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 This and a pack of this That's fairly cheap, I'm sure there are cheaper sources aswell- I simply picked the top item on Google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seano Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Some old threads for you to check out: http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=19467http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=48016http://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=46843 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Black sugar paper is the usual way schools and colleges do it - mainly because very often the art dept have stacks of it! Usual snags are concerns because it is paper and can catch light - but that's probably sortable - but the buggy is access to actually do it. Other alternatives are (if you are very keen on hard work) - black emulsion paint which can be removed with Stanley knives, but takes forever to do. Other than that, hire in black drapes and rig some scaff bars to hang them from. All perfectly workable solutions - but a lot of work. I've done it quite a few times - but you need the caretakers on your side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lite_lad Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 foil! get a realy cheap roll and either stick up the top with some gaffer or wet the windows and it sticks! doesnt look amazing from the inside (unless your going for a metalic look) but even the cheapest stuff blocks light out amazingly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Aluminium cooking foil works quite well - it cuts out all the light, is easy to remove, and isn't a fire hazard. The internal reflective finish may or may not work for you :) Spray the windows with a water mist from a plant sprayer, then apply the tinfoil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordontech Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Bin liners, gaffa tape and elbow grease is what I normally end up with. If you think about it a bit it normally looks ok. You can split the bin bags down 2 sices so you can cover a reasonable surface area with one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 If you are where your profile states then all around you are landscape gardeners and yards like Norton's in Tick-Tock that have rolls of that black plastic ground cover they plant things through. They had miles and miles of it lying around when they did the tree planting at Walters' Arena. If you have large areas to cover that is a useful one-piece fix as it comes in 3m and 4m widths. If you have a tame marquee company you can usually raid their skips for 4m wide carpet which may work for you dependent on fixing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsMyNaturalColour Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Hey everyone, I really appreciate the replies!Sorry I haven't posted sooner. It's been a hectic week for organization. I think the tin foil idea is absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately I'm in the minority among the event organizers. It's that frustrating situation where they expect you to put on a fantastic light show that's really impressive without listening to my explanations.On a happier note, the paper idea seems to have gone down fairly well. I think this is the road we'll be taking.Thanks again for your help. I know where to come! :) Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 If using paper, make sure the college health & safety people are happy that it's not a fire risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutwo Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Tin foil can also trap air bubbles that expand and leave the window looking like a Planetarium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsMyNaturalColour Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 Just updating after the gig... (Well, several months after the gig.) We went for black sugar paper. Pros:It didn't let ANY light in.It was super cheap. Cons:It made the room very hot.It looked very messy towards the last hour or 2 of the day, because it was peeling and dropping off.It took 2 or 3 people an entire day to cover both sides of the room. In summary, it was fantastic at blocking out light which is what I wanted, so thumbs up! Here's how it looked:http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/292523_150190845112710_637959532_n.jpg Unfortunately, you can't really see the effect of the lighting because of the camera flash. Thanks again for the awesome suggestions! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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