# mirrors of unusual size for a chorus line set



## RWilson (Mar 25, 2011)

Hi there, 

I am designing set for A Chorus Line......and would like to know if anyone here has any budget-minded ideas for the large (4x8) mirrors that I would like to have. I have thought of industrial mylar but I'm not sure if that will be as precisely reflective and mirrorlike as needed.....also it is a touring production so there should be some level of durability....

Any ideas would be extremely helpful!

Thank you so much, Rob


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## DGeggatt (Mar 25, 2011)

We had the same problem when we did A Chorus Line at our high school last year. We actually implemented the idea of using mylar as a substitute. Moral of the story: it was a great idea, but it was poorly executed. The people who built the set made six 4' W X 14' H mirrors to cover the entire back wall of the space. However they made two fatal mistakes.

1) The frames that the mylar was attached to were not sheeted with any kind of luan on the front to create a flat surface for the mylar to mimic, which made them have awkward stretch marks/look like funhouse mirrors.

2) We did not purchase mylar that had an adhesive backing. 

I believe that if we had built the frames correctly and spent the small difference in $ to get mylar with an adhesive back the mirrors would have looked very good.


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## derekleffew (Mar 25, 2011)

How it's usually done: Rosco US : Prop and Scenic Products : Mirrors .



See the threads
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/scenery-props-rigging/7265-mirrors.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/scenery-props-rigging/5113-rosco-shrinking-mirror.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...0225-rosco-shrink-mirror-chameleon-scrim.html


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## RWilson (Mar 27, 2011)

Thanks very much! Much appreciated about the hands-on experience.....I need to be able to disassemble the mirror panels so hopefully this will be a good option if I use the rosco mirror material- what is your personal experience with this material.....anyone? Cost, margin for error when applying, etc?


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## SHARYNF (Mar 27, 2011)

once you shrink it that size becomes permanent. The way I have made them is how it is described on mirrorsheeting.com The Nielsons are very helpful so you could give them a call

Basically the method is to get a heavier mylar, and build a frame that you can then use a tensioner on. You would need to be very careful with the mylar that it does not fold and crease, or get scratched

it will not be easy, if you could swing the budget then mirror acrylic sheeting would be much better

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23752

Sharyn


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## rsmentele (Mar 28, 2011)

I just closed a production of Chorus Line, and we used the rosco shrink mirror. My advice with that is to build the frame for the material as listed in their spec sheet, almost like a canvase frame, staple and gaff tape around the edges exc. Also, to shrink the 4x8 size will take time and patience. But once its done, it looks very good.


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## TheatrePros (Apr 9, 2011)

Shrink mirror can become extremely frustrating if you arent good with a heat gun, I would spend my money (and I do) with Glassless mirror from BMI or Rosebrand, much more expensive, but a superior product.
Glassless Mirror from Rose Brand


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## seansbar (Apr 9, 2011)

I've seen it done both with real glass mirrors, and the mylar and frame method. My opinion, the real glass mirror was better, but it is harder to implement. 

This theatre is a proscenium, but could not screw into the back wall due to a mural painted on it. The TD rigged a wooden frame with 3 pick points. This guy did amazing accuracy, there were 5 or 6 4X8 glass panels and they fit perfect. Took 4 guys to get them mounted, but it was worth the effort, it looked amazing!

The theatre that did the mylar, it was theatre in the round so the mirrors had to move on wheels. They created a frame and shrunk the mylar properly, but in moving, the mylar moved like a sail in the wind. It was distracting to me. 

Hope this helps.

Patrick


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## Benjod82 (Apr 24, 2011)

I worked on a production years ago with the Rosco Mirror and with enough patience and a heat gun can look fantastic. I would worry about how easy it punctures if it is getting moved a lot.

I have also used mirrored plexi for other applications on stage and would suggest looking at it, but be careful of going thinner than 1/4" or it gets wavy. (Chorus Line in a Fun House?) It is definitely more durable then the stretch mirror.


RWilson said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I am designing set for A Chorus Line......and would like to know if anyone here has any budget-minded ideas for the large (4x8) mirrors that I would like to have. I have thought of industrial mylar but I'm not sure if that will be as precisely reflective and mirrorlike as needed.....also it is a touring production so there should be some level of durability....
> 
> ...


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## Deleted member 17322 (Mar 14, 2013)

*Shrinking Rosco Mirror*

Hi, the high school I work at is currently putting on the show A Chorus Line. We made the mirrors by building our own frames and then by using Rosco shrinking mirror (we applied the mirror exactly how Rosco says to). Unfortunately, we open in 24 hours and we don't have every mirror completed. Is there any way to speed up the process of shrinking the mirrors? Or is the only way to shrink the mirrors with a heat gun and patience? Also, does anyone know how to get rid of the blemishes that are created right before a hole is made? Finally, is there a way to cover up the holes? Does putting extra mylar behind the holes work well? Thank you for whoever replies!


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## Robert (Mar 14, 2013)

*Re: Shrinking Rosco Mirror*

I saw a picture of a rig made up of Fresnels mounted on a pipe and the frame was slid under it shrinking the mylar. Not sure of any other details. I made 9 mirrors 4 x 12 using the heat gun method. Most of the crew found other jobs to do and left me alone doing the task. Felt like I had heat exhaustion form doing all the mirrors.


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## AYT93 (Mar 15, 2013)

*Re: Shrinking Rosco Mirror*

Last year i worked on a production of A Chorus Line that had 8 roughly 6' x 14' mirrors with a heat shrunk Mylar covering on it.
Looking back on it there are manly lessons that i have learned:

1- Build the frame to hold a lot of tension, after all you have a small amount of shrink in the mirror. After the mylar has been shrunk once you have no more room to tighten it up anymore. We built ours our of wood in a hollywood style, but now i wonder if a metal frame would have been less problematic.

2- If you do choose to use wood do not put a sheet good on its face. When we began the build we had the frames all faced with luan, and a trim going around it to hold the mylar off of it my about 1/4" (to help the initial pre-heat stretch process). What we found is that the heat needs a place to escape on the backside of the mylar with airflow. We ended up cutting huge holes in the luan to allow for this airflow.

3- Heat guns are great but take FOREVER. We rented a set of parbanks and rigged them to a batton about 4 feet in the air. Then we built a rolling table for the flats to lay on as we slowly rolled them underneath. This allowed for an even slow heating with no burn through. (The heatguns were used after for small touchups in the corners which take longer than the middle of the mylar)

4- The final, possibly most living saving lesson that i learned was, after all of the heating is done and you are finished with your build the materials that you use might begin to settle more and you can lose the tight mirror look that you achieved. What works really well is to CAREFULLY insert new cross braces into the flat, but this time cut them about 1/8" to 1/4" long and hammer them into the places in the flat where the mylar has lost its tight hold. This stretching of the flat will re-tighten the face.

Good luck with your build!


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