Duvetyne
Encyclopedia
Duvetyne is a twill
fabric with a velvet
-like nap on one side. It may be woven from cotton, wool, or—in rare cases, mainly in the early 20th century—silk. Duvetyne has a matte finish and its high opacity makes it ideal for blocking light.
Although it is most commonly used in the motion picture industry, early sources list duvetyne as a common fabric for dresses, suits, and coats. By the 1930s, however, it was widely noted for its use in constructing theatrical cycloramas
and theater curtains.
In modern times, fire-retardant black duvetyne is commonly used for curtains, for scenery, and to control light spill. Many commercial lighting flags
are made from duvetyne. When used in film applications, especially in the eastern United States, duvetyne is also known as "commando cloth".
In the first season of the original Star Trek
television series, the exterior shots of "space" were created by gluing glitter
onto black duvetyne.
Twill
Twill is a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs . This is done by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads and then under two or more warp threads and so on, with a "step" or offset between rows to create the characteristic diagonal pattern. Because of this...
fabric with a velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
-like nap on one side. It may be woven from cotton, wool, or—in rare cases, mainly in the early 20th century—silk. Duvetyne has a matte finish and its high opacity makes it ideal for blocking light.
Although it is most commonly used in the motion picture industry, early sources list duvetyne as a common fabric for dresses, suits, and coats. By the 1930s, however, it was widely noted for its use in constructing theatrical cycloramas
Cyclorama (theater)
A cyclorama is a large curtain or wall, often concave, positioned at the back of the stage area. It was popularized in the German theater of the 19th century and continues in common usage today in theaters throughout the world...
and theater curtains.
In modern times, fire-retardant black duvetyne is commonly used for curtains, for scenery, and to control light spill. Many commercial lighting flags
Flag (lighting)
A flag is a device used in lighting for films and photography. It is an object used in a shot to block light, provide negative fill, or avoid light flare from light sources just outside of the film frame...
are made from duvetyne. When used in film applications, especially in the eastern United States, duvetyne is also known as "commando cloth".
In the first season of the original Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
television series, the exterior shots of "space" were created by gluing glitter
Glitter
Glitter describes an assortment of very small pieces of copolymer plastics, aluminum foil, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride or other materials painted in metallic, neon and iridescent colors to reflect light in a sparkling spectrum...
onto black duvetyne.