VIP, interview and gala dressing

VIP, interview and gala dressing

VIP, interview and gala dressing is the material that dresses the areas where people are photographed, interviewed and welcomed: photocalls and press walls, backdrops behind a stage or a lectern, carpet, guidance posts with rope, and the finishing of a reception or lounge area. It involves a small number of square metres that count for far more than the rest of your site, because this is precisely the image that ends up in the press and on social media.

This dressing is intended for organisers of galas, award ceremonies and press moments, for sports events with an interview area and a prize-giving, for companies with a product launch or an anniversary, and for municipalities at an official ceremony. We look at it through the camera: where does the photographer stand, what appears behind the interviewee, and how do you stop your logo falling just outside the frame.

Elements of a good set-up

• Photocall or press wall with a repeating logo pattern as a background
• Backdrop behind the stage, the lectern or the interview position
• Carpet or runner that fixes the walking route and the photo position
• Guidance posts with rope to keep the public and the press apart
• Poseur tables, plinths and dressed furniture in the reception area

Versions

A photocall is usually a flat tension frame with a textile fabric, built up from modules so you choose the width according to how many people have to fit in the picture together. Backdrops also exist as a fabric tensioned between two masts, a roll-up banner set-up or a dressed truss frame. For galas we often work with a combination: a wide press wall at the entrance and a narrower interview background by the stage.

Material and technique

For anything that is photographed we prefer textile over glossy PVC. Textile barely reflects, so flash does not leave a white patch on your logo. Fabrics are tensioned into the frame with a keder, which gives a taut surface without creases. Avoid dark backgrounds with a small white logo: that burns out under flash. A mid-tone with enough contrast works best.

Set-up and practice

Do not put the photocall flat against a wall, but leave at least half a metre of space so the lighting and the photographer can work. Make sure there is enough distance between the photo line and the wall, otherwise the photographers shoot at an angle and the image distorts. Lay carpet so the seams do not run across the walking line, and fix the edges with tape that leaves no adhesive residue.

If the set-up is outdoors, wind immediately becomes the decisive factor. A press wall is a completely closed surface and acts like a sail. Weighting at every foot is then mandatory rather than a recommendation, and when wind is forecast the wall has to be able to come down. As the organiser you are liable for a wall that comes down on guests or press.

When this is not the right choice

For an internal staff occasion without press, a full press wall is overkill: a well-finished back wall or a dressed plinth is enough. And where the venue already has a strong architectural background, a photocall can actually make the picture duller. The classic mistake is making the logo too large, so that no photograph contains a complete logo.

What determines the price?

The price depends on the width and height of the wall, the type of frame, the fabric chosen, the number of designs and the run, the carpet area and quality, the number of guidance posts and ropes, the weighting needed, and whether we only deliver or also build up and collect afterwards. Replacement fabrics for a following edition are charged separately. Give us the area and the number of photo moments you expect and we will put a proposal together.

Working out your press area

Send us a plan or a photograph of the space and tell us who has to be in shot. We propose a set-up that looks in photographs the way you intend it. Get in touch for a quotation.