Background
material
Superior
Specialties produces a unique material called "Tuf-Flock/Velour."
The black is very black, far superior to black paper. The surface
has some of the same properties as the Nenil
from Teufel in Germany. The blue is a very handsome blue as well,
as it does not reflect too much blue up on the base of objects set
upon it.
So
I used Tuf-Flock for several years (this was after I had grown tired
of the fuzzy disadvantages of felt, and before I found out about
Nenil). Velvet is a wonderful black as well, but it is hard for
me to carry it around in a truck full of equipment without getting
it creased.
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Superior
Specialties Backdroppaper featuring different roll colors.
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Eventually
the Tuf-Flock turned up with too many defects (about 1990-1993)
so I ceased using it. Another disadvantage is that it "remembered"
the round shape of its roll, which results in wear marks or ridges
every two inches or so. You can even see this in the company's printed
catalog. In the black this problem is not so serious, but in the
other colors these parallel areas show up in the photograph. Nenil
is great because it holds out against these natural problems longer.
Nonetheless,
if you work in a studio (and thus do not have to transport the material)
you might want to give Tuf-Flock a try.
In
Japan I found a white material that seems to have some of the properties
of plastic and some of the properties of paper, but is superior
to both. It was labeled as Superior Seamless, but the well known
Superior Seamless company in the USA said they knew nothing of this
product even when I sent them a sample and the original wrapping
with the name on it.
Same
in Europe, no one in Germany had heard of this kind of material.
So I will have to wait until I return to Japan and get a life's
supply to bring back, or at least get the full name and address
of the manufacturer and distributor so I can promulgate this wonder
background material.
http://www.superspec.com
will bring you to their home page. Their fax is 800 666-5069.
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