Rosco SoftDrops are large‑scale backdrops that enable film and television professionals to recreate any location on stage. Featuring Rosco’s Academy Award® and Emmy® Award-winning Day/Night technology, SoftDrops are printed on cotton, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional scenic backings. Read on to learn how sustainability is embedded at every stage of the SoftDrop lifecycle—from design and material selection to production, transportation, and reuse.
In addition to bespoke photography services, Rosco offers an extensive library of still and motion plates captured across more than 40 countries. The Rosco Digital Imaging team can resize and manipulate this imagery to produce a Custom SoftDrop tailored to production needs. By selecting imagery from Rosco’s Image Bank, plate development results in a minimal carbon burden.
Backdrop development workflows are often conducted remotely, with the Rosco Digital Imaging team collaborating with production and creative teams across time zones and continents. Concept discussions, image selection, design revisions, and soft proofs are shared digitally throughout the process. Only minimal paper proofs are required for final colour approval. This workflow enables efficient collaboration while eliminating travel-related emissions.
Rosco SoftDrops are printed on sustainably farmed cotton, reducing reliance on synthetic materials and non‑renewable resources. The water‑based inks used in printing help lower environmental impact, offering a safer alternative to the solvent‑heavy colourants commonly found in traditional backdrop materials. Once a SoftDrop has reached the end of its lifecycle, it can decompose in a landfill in as little as 3–4 months, leaving no harmful residue. In contrast, traditional vinyl backdrops can take between 500 and 1,000 years to break down, shedding microplastics and other chemicals throughout that time.
SoftDrops produce an image with an ultra-matte finish that is inherently semi-translucent. These features help spread and diffuse the light much more effectively and efficiently. This means that SoftDrops require less light to illuminate properly, allowing cinematographers to use lower‑output lighting fixtures when backlighting for night effects. As a result, power usage can be reduced by up to 50% compared to other backdrop technologies.
SoftDrops are lightweight and fold easily, eliminating the need for oversized protective tubes and the extra‑long freight trucks typically required to transport traditional backdrops. By packing into standard shipping boxes, SoftDrops reduce shipping volume and fuel consumption associated with transport and handling.
Our rental program enables filmmakers to rent backdrops for their productions and return them to us for inspection and reuse. This circular economy keeps backdrops in active use within the industry, extending their lifespan for years and allowing future productions to benefit from the same materials, imagery, and reduced environmental impact. We have hundreds of SoftDrops available to rent from our facilities in Madrid, Spain, as well as on the East and West Coasts of the United States.
Phil Greenstreet, Rosco’s Head of RDI Technical Development, said:
“Rosco Digital Imaging is dedicated to developing eco‑friendly solutions that meet the needs of our clients and contribute to a more sustainable future. The cotton used for SoftDrop is a natural, biodegradable material which has reduced our reliance on non‑renewable resources and minimised our environmental footprint. Most significantly, our rental program is designed to maximise the lifespan of our backdrops and minimise waste. It extends the useful life of a backing far beyond the needs of the original production, and in fact, Rosco still has the first SoftDrop ever printed for a production in rental inventory 12 years later. This circular approach allows filmmakers to rent custom backdrops for their productions, prior to returning them to us for continued reuse on future projects."
For more information about eco-friendly Rosco SoftDrops, visit roscodigitalimaging.com.