Patched

Adam Neal from Seven Marks Church in Raleigh, NC brings us another great take on Third World Shelter.

Stage materials included:

1. Corrugated sheets of tin – Home Depot and Lowes, about $12/sheet. The tin was too shiny, so they used watered down gray primer and a cheap mop to paint the tin and remove the shine.
2. Bamboo blinds – ordered from Home Depot. Heavy and kind of expensive. These were 4′ wide x 8′ long.
3. Bamboo poles – ordered from Home Depot. 50 poles for about $80. These were 6′ long.
4. Crates – He found those locally for $5 each.
5. Wood/fence – They had a lot of wood left over from previous designs. Tip: The lighter the better, especially when hanging wood. They also used a pre-made fence from Home Depot for the smaller sections.

They also made four cut-outs for their screen. Throughout the series they put moving backgrounds or still images in the spots.

Lessons learned:

1. Working with tin is dangerous. Use caution!
2. Doing construction around a very expensive screen is scary. Be careful.
3. A design like this doesn’t call for much lighting, which is good for people with minimal lighting options.

Total cost was around $1300.

Planning a Layered Tin and Bamboo Church Stage

Patched combines corrugated metal, bamboo, crates, and wood without making every surface match. The variation is the point: different textures suggest a collection of improvised walls, while the repeated vertical lines help the scene feel connected. The following ideas are adaptation suggestions for your team, not additional construction details from Seven Marks Church.

Start with a measured drawing of your platform. Mark the screen, musicians, speaking position, and access paths before placing scenic panels. Sketch a few larger groupings rather than filling every available gap with another material. Leave open areas around the people leading the service so the backdrop supports them instead of becoming the main subject. Check the proposed arrangement from side seats as well as the center aisle; overlapping pieces can hide a screen or performer when viewed at an angle.

Testing Texture, Finish, and Lighting

Build a small sample that combines one metal section, a piece of wood, and a bamboo element. Light it with the fixtures you actually have before buying materials for the whole stage. Corrugated surfaces can produce bright reflections, particularly when a camera and light share a similar angle. The original team reduced the tin’s shine with watered-down gray primer. For your version, test a coating suitable for the specific metal and follow its preparation and application directions. Judge the result with normal front lighting on faces, not only with the room dark.

Use texture to create depth without assuming that every panel needs its own light. A light aimed across the corrugations or wood grain can reveal surface detail; a flatter angle may make the same material look quieter. Try both and compare wide camera shots. Keep screen backgrounds visually simple when the surrounding scenery is already busy. The four screen cut-outs in the original concept suggest another useful planning exercise: decide where motion belongs and where a still image will make the composition easier to read.

Budgeting and Volunteer Preparation

The submitted prices and roughly $1,300 total describe this particular build, not a current shopping estimate. Inventory usable wood, crates, and scenic stock first, then obtain local quotes for the remaining materials. Include fasteners, finishing supplies, suitable supports, transport, and storage in your worksheet. Bamboo blinds can be heavy, so compare their appearance and handling requirements with a smaller sample before committing to a large order.

Separate preparation from installation. Volunteers can label panels, sort matching pieces, and prepare finishes away from the projection screen. Have experienced installers review attachments and stability, especially for suspended wood or heavy blinds. Metal edges require appropriate handling protection and an edge treatment suitable for the installation. Keep exits, cables, and fixture ventilation clear. Photograph the finished layout and label its parts so the next setup does not depend on one person’s memory.

Pro Tips for a Patched Rustic Backdrop

Choose a dominant texture: Let one material establish the overall look, then use the others as accents so the stage does not become visually cluttered.

Prototype the reflection: Test the metal under service lighting and on camera before repeating its finish across every sheet.

Protect the screen: Complete cutting and messy preparation elsewhere, and plan panel installation with enough clearance around projection equipment.

Label for reuse: Record panel positions and attachment details, and store metal where its edges cannot damage softer scenic pieces.

Related Designs

• The Titanic Rises – Compare a recently featured layered scenic approach that creates depth with overlapping construction.
• Christmas Bits – Explore a recent rustic stage featuring barn wood, grouped trees, and restrained lighting.
• I Beams – See another recently featured industrial backdrop that combines constructed shapes and textured surfaces.
• Third World Shelter – Explore the inspiration cited in Patched, with corrugated material, weathered wood, and bamboo.
• Zen and the Art… – Compare layered wood and bamboo in a calmer, more ordered stage composition.