How to Fold Black Masking
How to Fold Black Masking
Different masking (Legs, Borders, Tabs) are folded in slightly different ways but all share the same basic two "rules".
1. Sweep the area that the cloth will be landed and laid out onto fully to avoid the cloth getting dirty
2. The audience facing side should always be kept face up onstage and be folded inward to keep it clean as possible
3. The ties and identifying tag should be left out so that the cloth may be tied to the bar without unrolling the material unnecessarily.
Before rigging or de-rigging any of the black masking the stage must be swept thoroughly to keep the material as clean as possible.
Borders
1. Lay the border out fully open on it's back onstage
2. Take the bottom edge to the top edge, folding the border in half lengthways
3. Repeat again taking the newly folded edge up to the top ties edge. (16x5m borers will need to be folded in 3rds for the last 2 folds in order to fit on the shelf)
4. Once you have a long, wide strip, fold each edge into the middle (normally marked by a red tie)
5. Repeat again taking each newly folded edge to meet in the middle until 1m or less is on each side.
6. Roll from one end to the other.
7. Check the border is correctly and obviously marked with it's correct dimensions and store in the border section on the correct shelf. Diagrams are next to the shelf.
By using this method you can take a border from the shelf and lay it onstage on the centre line. It can then be unfolded along it's length and tied to the bar without moving it again or unfolding it unnecessarily.
We are always trying to protect the audience facing side of masking and avoid damage normally caused by dragging it around the stage
Legs
1. Lay the border out fully open on it's back onstage
2. Take the bottom edge to the top edge, folding the tab in half longways
3. Repeat again taking the newly folded edge up to the top ties edge until the folded leg is 1m or less in length.
4. Once you have a long, wide strip, fold each edge into the middle (normally marked by a red tie)
5. Repeat again taking each newly folded edge to meet in the middle until 1m or less is on each side.
6. Roll from one end to the other.
7. Check the leg is correctly and obviously marked with it's correct dimensions and store in the leg section on the correct shelf. Diagrams are next to the shelf.
Tabs
1. Lay the tab out fully open, on it's back onstage.
2. Take the bottom edge to the top edge, folding the tab in half lengthways
3. Repeat again taking the newly folded edge up to the top ties edge until the folded tab is 1m or less in length.
4. Once you have a long, wide strip, fold each edge into the middle (normally marked by a red tie)
5. Repeat again taking each newly folded edge to meet in the middle until 1m or less is on each side.
6. Roll from one end to the other.
7. Check the tab is correctly and obviously marked with it's correct dimensions and store in the tab section on the correct shelf. Diagrams are next to the shelf.
Final Bit
Make sure that the borders, legs and tabs are tied nice and tight along the bar with no saggy bits. The best way to ensure this is to tie from the centre out taking up the slack as you go.
Ties are simply passed up either side of the bar and tied with a shoelace bow on the top. This is very quick and easy and makes it simple to untie at the de-rig.
