Muslin backdrop kits or just the stand?

[c2thew]

Looking into portable backdrop kits. I have some questions for you guys
1. is it a must have to have both a black and white separate 10ft x 12 (or 20?) foot kit? I can't spatially see 20 feet in a light stand setup, but i can assume that it is pretty long.
2. Would it be better to buy the stand by itself and then order say a custom muslin say: (http://************/pwodt7)
3. or perhaps a solid background?
http://www.backdropoutlet.com/images/AB330CLRS.jpg
4. Is a green screen more useful for applying other backgrounds or is it too fake?

What do most photographers use in their shoots? I know for a fact that white is used most frequently, however for creative shots, is it best to shoot with a white or black background?
Lastly, do I really need a 10 x 20 foot sized muslin if at most i'm shooting group shots (more like banquet shots)
Also, if you buy a white muslin, and people step on it, how easy is it to clean off the dirt stains?

Any advice would be appreciated as the kits (not the ones featuring the lights) with muslins appear very attractive, and honestly i do need a backdrop kit.

[Mike Fulton]

OK first of all forget about the white muslin, if you choose to go this route get white vinyl. Several background companies produce it and it truly holds up MUCH better - is MUCH easier to get a nice highkey out of it and wipes down clean with a baby wipe or two.

On the two colors I prefer white vinyl over my SuperBlack for most of my shots since it is easier to pull out clients in portraits on white than it is on black.

To confuse you even more have you thought about a nice middle of the road gray paper roll? Its cheap (around $50 USD) you can make it a light gray with light on the backdrop or just about jet black with no light on the backdrop.

On the stand 9 feet is the smallest you want to go in width, these days I would say 10 feet if you can afford it. If your going to shoot more than 5-6 people I would suggest getting a wider drop since on the thinner ones you will need to move the clients so close to the drop to keep from shooting off of it then you will have shadows behind your subjects.

Finally I would stay away from GreenScreen if all possible. First of all you need to light it even and correctly to make the post work easy and most of the time we simply do not do that. So the time and effort into post work simply will not be cost effective for you most likely. Also as you said I feel it looks fake in the long run and that is just a look I like to stay away from.

Hope it helps and I hope I did not confuse you even more.

[c2thew]

thanks for the helpful advice. i'll look some more into it.