Realize Your Vision In Green Screen Studios
By now everyone knows about green screen technology, but many folks aren’t aware just how prevalent this technological breakthrough has become. Some applications are obvious with flashy graphics streaming behind a performing band or presenter. Other uses are much more subtle, so that actors seem completely integrated into a landscape that doesn’t actually exist. Thanks to full integration in the industry, this ingredient in movie magic is more affordable and easy to use than ever.
Green Screen Stage
Most folks in the business keep at least one number for a production studio nyc at the ready in their speed dial. They know that with hourly and daily rates, it can be highly cost effective to call in the experts to achieve a certain effect with a minimum of fuss. The technology has reached a point where visuals are seamlessly integrated into the visual fabric of the piece and there is no continuity break. On the contrary, viewers will often be unaware that there is a special effect taking place. Long gone are the days when actors in a car scene were superimposed over some random jolting street scene. Fully equipped professionals at green screen studios have all of the technology necessary to create flawless visuals that look completely real and immerse the audience into an imaginary world.
In the big apple, green screen studios are constantly booked for collaborations with TV producers, film sets, documentary makers, and instructional video directors. While big time players will often bring in their own crew, most NYC Green Screen Rental studios can handle all of the technical details for you. With loads of experience, they know what needs to be done in order to capture takes fast and efficiently. They will be able to advise clients on technical requirements as well as the amount of space required. These studios are also set up for rapid turnover in post production. They can work with you or by following your guidelines to create exactly the effect you are looking for.
Because there are several companies currently competing for market share, the client has more power than ever to get good rates and great service. One thing to watch out for are companies that pile on extra expenses at the end of shooting. It’s best to look for a studio that offers an all-inclusive hourly or daily rate, or at least a clear description of what you can expect to pay. Besides a large, comfortable studio with clean lighting and a professional stage manager, you will want to find green screen studios that are set up for full production filming. At the very least they must have the proper equipment including high res cameras, monitors, a full sound package, lighting and grip. They should also have a full library of background images that you can use royalty-free. Because you want filming to go smoothly, it also makes sense to choose a studio that has wardrobe and makeup facilities and a green room with phones and internet where actors and producers can relax.
Thanks to cutting edge technology and a competitive market, this is a great time to be a producer or director using green screen technology. In New York City there are many great studio options that can get you the effects you want on time, hassle-free, and without hidden costs. Whether you are working in TV, movies, dance productions, or any other sector, fully equipped studios are currently available to magically make your vision a reality.
GREEN SCREEN AT THE DANCE MEDIA LAB
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY USES GREEN SCREEN IN NEW MEDIA LAB
At Arizona State's Dance Media Lab, staff build the green screen stage!
Here at the studio, it’s easy to forget that green screen isn’t just for television or film mediums. I always appreciate when I’m reminded to “think outside the box” when it comes to what we specialize in here at American Movie Company. Yesterday I came across an interesting and exciting use of green screen being used at Arizona State University’s dance students as part of the Institute for Studies in the Art
The Institute has created a residency program combining research into arts and technology. This fall the University will unveil a fully interactive green screen stage programmed to trigger lights, sound and video by movement! The “dance media lab” is equipped with computers, a green screen stage, video projection, animation and motion-tracking software, sound and light
The lab is a result of Utah dance professor Ellen Bromberg’s passion for integrating technology and imagination. Bromberg spent over a decade developing and building the dance media lab
“Once the technology entered my awareness, I understood that as a choreographer, I was no longer restricted by time and space in the ways I was accustomed to,” Bromberg said. “By liberating the physical body from this anchor, a whole new language of possibilities emerged. Causality, linearity and even gravity was called into question, through the body’s representation in a digital world.
Thanks to the passion of innovators like Bromberg, dance, green screen, sound and digital media are primed to intersect in a complex discourse of ideas about the body on screen. It’s refreshing to see that green screen is making a place for itself as a tool of intellectual discourse as well as shoot-em’ up action films these days. It’s in these creative roads less traveled that boutique green screen companies like American Movie Co. can help innovators take their ideas from thought to reality – and that’s work I’m proud to be a part of as a producer!
Best Lighting For Green Screen Video
How to Properly Light For Chroma Green Screen Compositing
By Adrianne Arno
Adrianne Arno: Producer
Even Lighting on the Green Screen
Adrianne Arno: Producer
Using separate lights for the background and the models gives more control . The background should be lit evenly and not too brightly. Position the model as far from the background as possible to avoid spill light from the background on the model and shadows from the model on the background. Use barn doors or black screens to further protect the model from spill light from the background. A hair- or separation light hitting the model from the back also helps reduce green spill light.
Shooting Chroma Green Screen
The Videographer will always be tempted to compose the image in camera, but in this case that’s not a good idea. It’s important to allow for a little air on all sides of the model to make the pictures more flexible to work with later. You can always cut off half the head in Photoshop, but painting it in because it was cropped in camera is far trickier…
Avoid Selective Focus & Shallow Depth of Field
The videographer should avoid using selective focus. Objects that are out of focus get blended with the background, which makes it really difficult to separate them afterwards. Use an aperture small enough to ensure sufficient depth-of-field to get the entire model in focus, including contour lines. If you absolutely must have selective focus, I would recommend faking it in Photoshop afterwards instead.
Green Screen Digital Composite
Slight Overexposure is Useful on Green Screen
The image should be slightly overexposed rather than underexposed, but this goes for all digital photography. By shooting in the RAW format, you will be able to tune the white balance losslessly in your RAW editor of choice afterwards.
Avoid Harsh Shadows makes complete Green Screen removal impossible. The shadows show up as black areas in the final image. The photo on the right used an on camera flash with a diffuser to soften the shadows. Green Screen Wizard then has no problem showing even the detail in the hair.
Shadows can also come from a screen that has folds in it. So the first and most important thing to remember is: NO SHADOWS
So avoid shadows whenever possible, Sometimes shadowing can’t be avoided, For example, when doing a full body shot with the subject standing on the screen, there will be no way to avoid shadows. For this case, all areas of the screen should receive light by at least one source. A simple way to accomplish this is by using two sources at an angle to the person (one to the right and one to the left). The area that is shadowed by one light is illuminated by the other. Since some screen areas are lit by two lights and other areas are lit by one light, there will still be some shadowing. However, this should be good enough to get a good extraction.
Diffuse The Light for Best Green Screen Photography
We all know how hash the light is that comes from a lamp that does not have a shade. Harsh shadows make us look unattractive and our environment stark. Using a built in flash is like using a bare bulb. It is a point source of light. It has to cast shadows.
The first line of defense it to ask the subject to stand away from the screen. The more distant he or she is the less dense the shadow. This may solve the problem.
Green Screen Studio Lighting
Chromakey Composite
I will never forget how excited I was when I saw the quality of the image I could get from a digital camera when I used studio lights. Nothing makes better green screen photos then studio lighting because it can virtually eliminate all shadows. Still not all studio setups will work. It is best to use what they call “Butterfly” lighting.
It is called that because both light are at the same level causing the shadow on your nose to be equal on both sides looking like a butterfly. This is sometimes called flat lighting. The result is even lighting
Dramatic Lighting Many photographers what more dramatic lighting. These photographers use “Rembrandt” lighting were part of the face is dark. The problem is it can make the green screen too dark! If you do this kind of lighting then you need to add a third and maybe a fourth light to light the green screen. So it becomes a much harder lighting arrangement.
A Rembrandt lighting setup.
A second more subtle problem for advanced photographers is Rembrandt vs. flat lighting. It is often nice to have one side of a face or body shaded to give a more dramatic look to a photo. Unfortunately this can shade the green screen as well. You need to use this technique with caution or separately light your background.
If your just starting out I would stick to a flat lighting setup and try to stay with lighting that is even enough to keep the green screen illuminated.
Place Your Model at Least Six from the Green Screen.
The closer the subject is to the green screen, the more green spill that will be encountered. This is because the screen reflects green light back onto the person. Obviously, If you are doing an upper body shot, you will be able to space the person further away then if you are doing a full body shot. If you need for the person to stand or sit on the screen then try to use a screen that’s long enough to cover sufficient floor area so that you can get decent spacing between the persons upper body and the back of the screen. Easy Green Screen does a pretty good job of green spill removal. However, its best to try to minimize the spill during the photo shoot.
Outdoor Lighting for Green Screen
Make sure the subject is in the shade, not direct sunlight light. If you see shadows on the screen you are not setup correctly.
Camera Settings
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ISO: Always use 100 (or lower if your camera goes lower) – High ISO values have more noise. Higher noise can cause a speckled transparency mask on the extraction. This is because some of the pixels from the green screen are less green (or not green at all) with higher noise levels.
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Aperture – Use a wide aperture (lower number) – Similar to ISO, Using a narrow aperture leads to higher digital noise levels. Also, a wider aperture will reduce the depth of field and cause the green screen to be slightly out of focus. This also helps for a more uniform green color to remove. We usually try to shoot with the F8 or less. 6.3 is the default value that we use for most of our studio shooting.
The Right Wardrobe for Green Screen
The model should obviously not be wearing anything green, but this is less crucial for photo than for video as long as the color is not next to the background. Avoiding loose hair, curls, higly reflective or semi-transparent fabrics and furs etc. will make post production much easier.
Use a Wide Aperture (lower number)
Similar to ISO, Using a narrow aperture leads to higher digital noise levels. Also, a wider aperture will reduce the depth of field and cause the green screen to be slightly out of focus. This also helps for a more uniform green color to remove. We usually try to shoot with the F8 or less. 6.3 is the default value that we use for most of our green screen studio shooting.
