# Scene setters



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Recently I've been on the lookout for a realistic stacked rock/castle wall scene setter and i realized that most of what I'm finding are just stock photos and I'm having difficulty in visioning them in my space. Some just seem so juvenile I can't picture it in a scary scene. So i figured it might be nice to have a thread for everyone to see how these guys actually look in your haunt, all themes, with varying applications and in varying lighting too. And please, if you can remember reference the brand and maybe the retailer so it might make it easier to relocate. 

Lastly, if you have any tips for dewrinkling (like using a hair dryer) or tips for hanging them so they stay taunt, in place and don't wreck the wall that would be very helpful. 

Thanks everyone, I know it will b a huge benefit to me and anyone new to scene setters.


----------



## Zoemorgan2 (Aug 4, 2011)

Go to the "Halloween Props" section. Look for the thread " Wallpaper/corrugated paper for "castle" walls?", you should be able to find the answers to your questions there.


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Thanks Zoemorgan2, yeah sadly I have my eye out for a specific scene setter (which someone used here on HF to make a closet dungeon/jail but the only info they were able to remember is it was from walmart many years ago). The imagery was perfectly in tune with the stone walls of Hogwarts which im trying desperately to reproduce. I fear this particular scene setter may sadly b discontinued  However the pic in the link looks great and may be a good contender if i can't find the other version.


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Here's the pic of their dungeon that I've been holding onto for forever....they did a fabulous job!!!! And check out that scene setter....I know the stones are smaller than at hogwarts but I like the more rustic/randomness of it


----------



## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Hi, PP. I've looked for stone scene setters over the years and can say I don't recall ever coming across that brick one. You can tell it's a horizontal repeat pattern by the darker bands it creates at probably 4 feet high. That one's nice. I have an alley way scene that I want to do and would love to have a brick wall like that to use. I'll let you know if I can find the one you posted. Nice that you have a photo to share for what you are looking for. Helps at this end!

For anyone looking for a brick or stone backdrop, Shindigz has a few different versions. Some on plastic like Scene Setters, others in paper or corregated cardboard. Here's a brick plastic sheet one, newer though than the one in PP's photo. A possibility for my alleyway if i can spray paint some graffiti on it. 

http://www.shindigz.com/party/brick-wall-backdrop/pgp/13szsnsbwb

Shindigz has some different colored brick backdrops that aren't plastic like Scene Setters, but paper or corregated cardboard--fine if using indoors.


----------



## doto (Nov 20, 2009)

Do consider photography backdrops as well. They are typically thicker vinyl and I would consider them more realistic than many of the scene setters.

Try a google image search for stone photography backdrops and you may find exactly what you are looking for.


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Definitely going to have to check out the backdrops too...

While I was continuing to look I came upon this setter...it's cheesy and yet I can't believe how great it looks in this setting. I think showing the possibilities these setters can look like will definetly help others who are on the fence. I'll post more as I find them...


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Okay that was tiny...it's called Horror Library


----------



## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

I have some in my pirate album, but its no where near as nice as your stacked bricks there PP - that looks so real. I got mine at 50% off day after halloween at Spirit's. What I cant stand about the scene setter is the shine.....


----------



## Stinkerbell n Frog Prince (Sep 4, 2009)

When we would do up this improv theater for their various shows we used scene setters a LOT... I never came across the one in the picture it's a great stone wall. 

Amscan's Scene Setter is the big brand name in plastic scenes, they have become like Jello is to gelatin or Kleenx is to facial tissue, but there is a secondary company that makes scene setters, Insta-theme. There may even be more by now we don't work at the theater anymore so I'm no longer on the search for new "scenes". I will say when I use to do searches for specific kinds of scenes they were not always available in the US. There was one I would love to have had for a Hollywood movie night only available in Europe and another I wanted that was only found in Australia. Shipping always made them out of budget. I will also throw out there that places like Shindigz has long rolls of patterned paper and something they call gossamer (kinda like interfacing fabric) with patterns printed on it. When we needed a pretty stone wall I found a nice white stone wall pattern with ivy "growing" on it there. 

As for hanging them at first we used that sticky gum like stuff... it mostly worked for a weekend run but was not the easiest thing to use, would sometimes take the paint off with it, sometimes wouldn't come off the scene, (we reused the scene year to year) and sometimes just plain would NOT keep the scene setter on the wall. After a couple of years fighting that dang gummy stuff we got turned onto office clips by a friend and viola they were great if you didn't mind a few small cup hooks in the wall near the ceiling. Place the office clip at the top edge of the scene setter then hook one of the metal handles over the cup hook. At the end of the run unhook the clip from the wall hook, remove the clip from the scene and toss it into a box, fold up the scene for it's when it's needed next... so dang easy. As for wrinkles, gravity usually was enough to get most of the wrinkles out alas I never found an answer to the slight sheen of the plastic.


----------



## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Try searching for Prom Theme backdrops. I know when I was teaching high school and having to help with proms and Homecoming, we found lots of backgrounds in the big prom catalogs. I can't remember the names of the companies.

Also have you thought about making these. You could use the 4X8 foot insulation foam sheets and just measure off and cut in to make your bricks. I watched several demonstrations of this during this past year and it is not that hard. I am sure you can find You Tube videos on DIY. Those panels are not expensive.


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Ohmygosh, great idea on using the office hooks!!!!

Yeah I'm thinking for myself I may do the insulation board or just paint my own drop cloth. I really like the gossamer but fear my wall color will work against me here (our living room has 3 different colors; chocolate, basil and peanut butter).

@Matrix, I remember your set up and it was amazing. If you don't mind I'm going to post your pics on here as I really think seeing these guys in all their glory can help others who are on the fence about purchasing them. I'm continuing to look for pics of examples and do hope others will post their haunts/projects too.


----------



## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

pumpkinpie said:


> Ohmygosh, great idea on using the office hooks!!!!
> 
> Yeah I'm thinking for myself I may do the insulation board or just paint my own drop cloth. I really like the gossamer but fear my wall color will work against me here (our living room has 3 different colors; chocolate, basil and peanut butter).
> 
> @Matrix, I remember your set up and it was amazing. If you don't mind I'm going to post your pics on here as I really think seeing these guys in all their glory can help others who are on the fence about purchasing them. I'm continuing to look for pics of examples and do hope others will post their haunts/projects too.


no problem post away. Another idea I used for nuclear fallout theme was using clear contact paper and painting that and apply to walls. Since it was the cheap stuff from the dollar store, it didn't rip off any paint from my walls. I also used the wood contact paper(cut in strips) to simulate planks for my pirate theme in one of my hallways. The only draw back to the contact paper is you have to put it on the day of or night before - since its cheap some might peel off before your party.
Should have made more to go around the whole house - but ugh I got tired.....they were GID too so this hallway had a blacklight


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Here's a pic of Matrix Mom's entrance to her pirate party. I think she did a beautiful job of accessorizing it!!!!


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Here's another great job by fellow member LT Scare. Although I cannot make out the background scene setter it appears he got this great look with this accessory pack along with the addition of spiders and webbing. Great job!!!!


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

1st let's see if I can get this pic bigger

2nd at closer inspection it looks like LT may have used the Spider Lair SS as his overall room back drop


----------



## pumpkinpie (Jul 9, 2011)

Color me impressed....yes that's all scene setters


----------



## Stinkerbell n Frog Prince (Sep 4, 2009)

If you're thinking of doing your own maybe this is a way to go. We did this once, we used weed block fabric and painted "stones" on it and then used a 2X2 frame to attach the fabric on with staples. The weed block is pretty cheap, comes in a few different colors - it and dark grays, black and dirt brown and different lengths and widths. It works great for outdoor projects, it doesn't care if it get wet, the wind can flow through it somewhat and holds up really well. It's disadvantage is it is a bit too see through, so if you use lighting behind it it will glow through.


----------



## Paint It Black (Sep 15, 2011)

Great ideas flowing here. I have used scene setters in small areas. Here are a couple of photos. A couple of the wanted posters from last year were scene setters I received in a Secret Reaper exchange.









Used one indoors to cover a large framed picture behind my mad scientist in the entryway. I already had it up before I thought about getting the folds out of it. 










Here are some in our French doors.


----------



## Cloe (Mar 18, 2013)

I don't know if this is what you're looking for but there is 2 different "brick" wall scene setters. I only know this because I have bought both and realized in later years when thinking I had more I realized they weren't the same. The thinner brick was labeled a stone wall and the ones I have with the thicker brick I think is sold as dungeon wall. I've also seen a round stone wall pattern. You might want to try searching the 2 and see if you might still find the brick wall one somewhere that may be more of what you are looking for. Might be one is the insta- theme brand that was mentioned above.


----------



## Gym Whourlfeld (Jan 22, 2003)

For $100 i got 5 pick-up truck loads of 160 yr old bricks. I laid them up in to a tunnel with arched ceiling, it also curves swoops and it's actual brick. 
the first time the public got to see it one young man told my Wife:"That looks like "crap!"
Well there are something like 14 different sizes of brick used,and it's supposed to look like that,it's "HAUNTED HOUSE!"
It only took me over three years to get it done! (I had other things i was doing too)
Good luck finding what you are looking for. Maybe a good picture of my tunnel could be made into a paper backdrop? Who knows?


----------



## HexMe (Jul 23, 2009)

I like using the "Wicked Wood" Scene Setters in my house. Next year I am going to use them in more rooms than just the dining room, but I need to figure out how to get the creases out because they make it really obvious that it's plastic. I really liked the purple with our green curtains, nice and Halloween-y and Haunted Mansion-y. And I don't know what they're called but the window silhouettes on the first floor are also Scene Setters.


----------



## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Those look really good, HexMe


----------



## HexMe (Jul 23, 2009)

Thanks, PD. They really do transform a room, and darken it up nicely. I hope to add more next year.


----------



## ZombieRaider (May 18, 2008)

Scenesetters, camo nets, jute, burlap, etc.... All make wonderful backdrops....Beats the heck out of plain walls.....ZR


----------



## Icepick (Nov 24, 2013)

I don't have a completed picture (with side walls to cover the opening in garage) of a scene setter jail cell for my pirates. Needed to cut into strips to make it look framed in at the iron bar section.


----------



## Danny-Girl (Aug 29, 2012)

I used this one year


----------



## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

I have a big roll of that large stone wall covering somewhere. I need to find it. That is cool looking.


----------



## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Wow really nice use of it guys! 

I will make the suggestion that for storage once you've gotten most of the wrinkles out, to roll it up around a larger diameter PVC pipe for example (so it goes on the outside not stored on the inside). PVC will be heavier than a cardboard tube for example but either would work. Might even be cheaper not sure. Shipping tubes probably won't give you the length you need but I bet that there are tubes that architects use for their drawings that might be that big. Otherwise PVC can be cut to any length. I'd go longer than the sheeting so the ends don't get smooshed when you store it and if you wanted you could store the PVC in an upright position on it's end without damaging the plastic edges.


----------



## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Stinkerbell n Frog Prince said:


> When we would do up this improv theater for their various shows we used scene setters a LOT... I never came across the one in the picture it's a great stone wall.
> 
> Amscan's Scene Setter is the big brand name in plastic scenes, they have become like Jello is to gelatin or Kleenx is to facial tissue, but there is a secondary company that makes scene setters, Insta-theme. There may even be more by now we don't work at the theater anymore so I'm no longer on the search for new "scenes". I will say when I use to do searches for specific kinds of scenes they were not always available in the US. There was one I would love to have had for a Hollywood movie night only available in Europe and another I wanted that was only found in Australia. Shipping always made them out of budget. I will also throw out there that places like Shindigz has long rolls of patterned paper and something they call gossamer (kinda like interfacing fabric) with patterns printed on it. When we needed a pretty stone wall I found a nice white stone wall pattern with ivy "growing" on it there.
> 
> As for hanging them at first we used that sticky gum like stuff... it mostly worked for a weekend run but was not the easiest thing to use, would sometimes take the paint off with it, sometimes wouldn't come off the scene, (we reused the scene year to year) and sometimes just plain would NOT keep the scene setter on the wall. After a couple of years fighting that dang gummy stuff we got turned onto office clips by a friend and viola they were great if you didn't mind a few small cup hooks in the wall near the ceiling. Place the office clip at the top edge of the scene setter then hook one of the metal handles over the cup hook. At the end of the run unhook the clip from the wall hook, remove the clip from the scene and toss it into a box, fold up the scene for it's when it's needed next... so dang easy. As for wrinkles, gravity usually was enough to get most of the wrinkles out alas I never found an answer to the slight sheen of the plastic.



I have both Scene Setters and Insta-theme panels. Picked up some stuff from 99 Cent Only Stores but assume they are made for them by one of those two companies. The photo backgrounds are pricier. Some places do sell them on plastic. and I've seen some advertise matte finish. Wonder if you couldn't just take a can of matte clear spray and spray your kind of glossy plastic ones though. I use to use a Matte spray by 3M decades ago when I was doing some mock up work.

I've seen people use clips but never heard of suspending them from cup hooks. The office clips were clipped onto a thin flat surface like cardboard for example. The hooks are an interesting idea...thinking of those clear 3M version of hooks at ceiling edge. 

I know some of the photo scenery places make the scenery with a channel at the top. You can slip them over a rod. I did something like this a while back with a forest scene (Scene Setters) that I ran along my outdoor fence line creating a 50 foot forest in place of the fence. I took black duct tape and folded over the top edge of the Scene Setter and taped it to the backside. It allowed me to run a cord through the sleeved top edge for suspending sort of like the pole. Along my fence I used these plastic gray hooks I got from Big Lots for hanging strands of christmas lights. Nailed them along the top of the fence area (think I left them up for use later as they were pretty inconspicuous on the fence) and then made a little slit in the banded top so I could hang the cord onto the hooks. Wish I took a photo to show, probably hard to imagine by my description. I'll see if I can locate one of the photo scene sources that shows the pole tab though and come back and post the link.

The photo backgrounds because they are pricier might be worth looking into if you are doing a photo shoot area for example (which is what they are actually made for). Sometimes it might make sense if you need a just a door, or wrap something small. The nice thing is you can sometimes specify portrait or landscape or with or without pole pockets.


----------

