Can anyone recommend a background support system for a 12ft wide space?

Bring large L shaped brackets off the wall and hang the backdrop cross pole from them.

You could also find the ceiling joists and screw in 2 large eye screws or 2 large J shape screws and hang the backdrop support thru them.

At one time back in Michigan when I lived there I acquired a few spring loaded curtains, you know, the kind ya just pull down and give em a tug and they roll back up them selves.. Anyhow, I made a hanger to hold a few of these out from the wall using large L shaped brackets fastened to the wall and cross pieces for each curtain, now custom backdrops.

Back then I had black, white and a nice ivory, however, I took other white ones and spray painted my own colors and patterns. I looked for the heaver canvas / cloth ones but used the newer vinyl ones as well.

In a small area sticking out from the wall, just over head high I had 6 different backdrops and the way I hung them I choud change them out easy. I then discovered, heck, why keep the factory original material on the spring loaded spools and I added my own cloth to them. Some mighty nice patterns on reams of cloth at some stores, I tell ya...

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Try thinking of your needs in the most basic of ways. A backdrop "holder" hanging from the ceiling and run with the idea. In which way, the most easiest, can it be done, and will it work.

Good luck. Life. Live it. But, remember, no one gets out alive.

Bob - Tucson

To support things from above?

Look at trusses. You need only mount the ends leaving everything in between open. Depending on what type of truss you get, beware of the load rating or you could have a collapse

I use autopoles, put two up, clamp a cross bar to them or run a tight line (depends on the weight of your BG's), autopoles are great you can put them up against any ceiling or beams and they are portable