Green screened client interviews?

[Frimley111R]

We need to do some client interviews and it would be great to have them done in a green screen environment. Would clients need to go to a studio for this or could this be set up in out offices?

[justinio]

Sit someone in front of an evenly lit green screen backdrop. Bit of jiggery pokery in editing software and job jobbed.

[coach]

Hi there
We’ve done this before at client site. Relatively easy to do with a well ironed backdrop in a strong key colour and fixed up using pipe and drapes type system.

Good camera, good lighting for both background (even) and subject (front light, key light, back light). Rmeber use a tie clip for good audio otherwise it can sound like a Victorian bog!

Chroma key done in edit software. We are a Final Cut Pro house but most pro edit packages will be fine.

Last thing to remember is the client mustn’t wear anything that will be close in colour to the backdrop (green shirt on green background).

Care is needed with choices of the keyed in new background. Get it wrong and it looks cheesy a hell.

PM if you want a chat and more advice

JB

[Frimley111R]

Cool, ok thanks. It won't be a DIY job but its the first time I have considered green screening

[singlecoil]

It's best if you can site the subject some distance from the screen so that none of the green is picked up by their clothing. You may need to do this anyway in order to be able to light the screen without getting shadows from the subject within the area the camera can see.

[Mr Pointy]

There was an interesting sysem shown at IBC that used a grey retroreflective material & an LED ring light around the lens but I can't remember the name of the manufacturer. It did away with the need for lighting the backcloth & the cloth didn't even need to be smooth or tight so was very quick to set up. I'm not sure it was this company but it might have been:

http://www.reflecmedia.com/broadcast/products/chro...

[Frimley111R]

Thanks, I hope their tech is more up to date than their website design! Haven't seen a website that old in a long time

[Fordo]

Mr Pointy said:

There was an interesting sysem shown at IBC that used a grey retroreflective material & an LED ring light around the lens but I can't remember the name of the manufacturer. It did away with the need for lighting the backcloth & the cloth didn't even need to be smooth or tight so was very quick to set up. I'm not sure it was this company but it might have been:

http://www.reflecmedia.com/broadcast/products/chro...

I've used that kind of system ages ago - It works ok. It does have its own issues;

- if you're close to the subject, you do get a green tint on skin tones

- You can get a dark halo effect behind your subject (due to the source having to be a ring around the lens- the dark halo is essentially the subjects shadow), halo gets more extreme the closer to the background the subject is.

- Doesn't work for multicam setups

To me - the setup is supposed to be ideal for small spaces, as you don't need additional lighting for the background. But it doesnt work that well in small spaces as you get a halo.

Keying software is so good these days, that personally I can't see a scenario that I'd want to faff around with a retroreflective setup. Just a good decent chroma key backdrop (the proper strong chroma green colour, not the awful dark green ebay knock offs), and light it reasonably evenly, and you're away. Shooting with a decent camera helps too - DSLRs for example, mostly record with an 8-bit heavily compressed codec. - so you're actually missing a lot of colour info, which you start to notice when you do things like keying, as you get jagged edges.

[Yorkchimp]

Where are you based? If it’s London or another big city you’ll find a really good studio with quality lighting kit and enough space for separation between subject and screen for not much difference in price for allowing for a firm to come to your office, setup, bring kit and do it there.

Use a decent camera, hire a good DoP and bobs your fathers brother.

[Bacardi]

Frimley111R said:

We need to do some client interviews and it would be great to have them done in a green screen environment.

Why?