The short answer
An infinity cove (also called an infinity curve or a cyclorama) is a studio wall that curves into the floor with no visible join, so the background reads as endless. Photograph a person or a car in front of it and there is no horizon line, no corner and no edge. The background is finished in camera; there is nothing to remove in post.
Ours, in numbers
The White Space at Granary Digital is a two-wall cove: two walls meet in a curved corner, each curving into the floor, with a short return on the third wall so a wide lens does not see the end of the white. Measured, not estimated:
- Floor 5.3m wide by 7.1m deep
- Walls 4.5m high, and 4.5m from the floor to the lighting grid above it
- The sweep, where wall meets floor, has a 70cm radius
- The return on the third wall is 60cm
- A curtain track runs the full perimeter, so the same room becomes a 360-degree black box in about twenty minutes
That 70cm radius matters more than it sounds. A tight sweep shows as a shadow line in a long lens; a lazy one eats floor. At 70cm the curve disappears at normal portrait and product focal lengths and the flat white floor in front of it is still roughly 6.4m by 4.6m, which is what a car, a panel of six or a fashion group stand on.
Why two walls and a return
A one-wall cove gives you a single clean direction. Turn the camera and the edge appears. Two walls with a curved corner give a clean background across about a quarter turn of the camera, which is the difference between one setup all day and moving the subject to change the shot. The 60cm return on the third wall closes the last gap for wide lenses.
Repainting, and what it costs a hirer
This is the bit studio websites leave out. A white cove is a floor people walk on, drive on and drag stands across. Ours is repainted every three months as standard, and that is included in the hire. Two rules follow from it:
- Shoes and tyres mark it. Floor protection goes down for vehicles and we ask for clean-soled footwear or overshoes on the sweep itself. Gaffer tape on the floor is fine on the flat, not on the curve.
- You can have it any colour. Painting the cove to a colour of your choice and bringing it back to white afterwards is £900+VAT, excluding the coloured paint itself. The white to restore it is included in that figure. Allow a day for it to cure before a shoot, so book the colour change ahead.
What sits above it
The grid is eight bars at 4.5m with 42 channels of dimming and two DMX universes (1,024 control channels). The house rig that lights the cove itself is sixteen 500W floods along the sweep; key, fill and back light for people come from 1.2kW fresnels, and colour from six Arri L3-C LEDs. How those get used for a clean white and a full black is in lighting an infinity cove.
What it costs to hire
| Booking | Rate (indicative) |
|---|---|
| Half day (4 hours) | £295 +VAT |
| Full day (10 hours) | £395 +VAT |
| Rain rig add-on | Quoted per job |
Indicative, exclusive of VAT, and the house lighting, grip and repainting are included. Crew is booked on top.
Related guides
- The White Space: hire the cove
- Lighting a cove to white, and to black
- What fits on a 5.3 by 7.1 metre cove
- Cove versus green screen, and versus a backdrop
- Case study: a cottage interior for Channel 4
Ready when you are
Availability and a firm quote, usually same day. No pressure, no hard sell.
Questions we get asked
What is the difference between an infinity cove and a cyclorama?
Nothing in practice. Cyclorama, cyc, infinity cove and infinity curve all describe a wall curving into the floor with no join. Film crews tend to say cyc, photographers say cove or curve.
How big is the infinity cove at Granary Digital?
5.3m wide by 7.1m deep with 4.5m to the lighting grid. The sweep has a 70cm radius and the return on the third wall is 60cm.
Can the cove be painted a colour?
Yes. A colour change and the repaint back to white is £900+VAT, excluding the coloured paint you choose. Book it ahead so it has a day to cure.
Is repainting included in the hire?
Routine white repainting, every three months, is included. You only pay if you want a colour or cause damage beyond normal wear.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · All prices exclude VAT