Originally developed for theater and dating back to the 1700s, a studio cyclorama makes product shots, commercials and broadcast sets look and feel more professional, and they can create a seamless, expansive experience that some call the “endless void.” Broadcasting cycloramas are also great to help maximize lighting options as they’re more forgiving than regular walls as there are no seams or shadows to deal with when it comes to your background.

Often used to create the illusion that the floor continues on forever, so-called infinity cycloramas are typically a neutral white, but sometimes grey or black, and different colored lighting can make it look like you’re in the sky or underground in a huge cavern, or anything in between. When you want to increase the perceived size of your shoots, a cyc is what you need.

Commonly, a broadcasting cyclorama is painted green so you can chroma key in any virtual space in the digital realm. Either built into the wall of a large hall or warehouse or as part of a free-standing system that can be erected and torn down depending on need, a green cyc wall means you’re not limited by your physical space,  and you’ll be able to create whatever environment you need without the complicated process of building out a set, which helps you save substantial time and money.

From television and film to broadcast media, photography, virtual reality sets, and now ai generated backgrounds, a broadcast cyclorama is one of the main ways to produce a quality, professional shot, and it’s one of the most noticeable deficits in amateur shoots. Funny enough, the objective of a cyc wall is not to be noticed, but the void it creates is unmistakable, and Apple, Gap and countless other brands have used a cyc wall to great effect in their commercials and shoots. 

On the broadcast side of things, a studio cyclorama is either green or blue, which allows it to be easily removed in post-production, and they come in three main shapes. The first is called the flat wall shape, and like its name suggests it’s a broadcast cyclorama that has one rear flat wall connected to a floor. The important bit is the transition, which creates the illusion of space. The second type is called an L-shape cyclorama, which has two vertical walls set at a 90 degree angle on top of a floor. If it helps, think of a cube with the ceiling and two adjacent sides removed. The last cyclorama shape is the U-shape, which contains a rear wall as well as two side walls and a floor for an immersive space that can be shot at just about any angle.

For more about how a Uniset broadcast cyclorama can help you on your next shoot, please contact us.