Green Screen recorded on tape with A1 at DVinfo.net

Steven Fisher · September 22nd, 2007, 07:33 PM

I will be doing some interviews for a documentary and thinking of using a green screen for the bg shot with my xh a1. As long as the lighting is setup properly will the end result look good if it's recorded on tape..? Or is using the component out a fair bit better, or even the firewire? I'm only asking cause I haven't tried capturing straight to my laptop as it's getting pretty old (2Ghz pentium and 1gb of ram) and didn't think it would be able to handle a smooth capture in the first place, so if I could just use tape that would make it easier. In saying that I don't want to end up with a bunch of budget looking interviews... So if it's not going to work properly I'd rather just go with a black backdrop. Just thought I'd ask here, as due work commitments I won't have too many spare moments to be testing this out before the big day. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

Bill Pryor · September 22nd, 2007, 09:46 PM

Two factors--good chroma key starts with lighting, and then it depends on what chroma keying software you're using. If you're editing with FCP, I've found this is the best thing for the money:

http://www.dvgarage.com/prod/prod.php?prod=dvmattefcp

You can get a decent key with FCP, but only if it's a fairly tight shot. The third party stuff is much better. Ultimatte is good too, but not really any better than the cheaper DVGarage.

If you're using Avid, it's native keying is better than FCP, and Ultimatte is even better. That's the only NLE and keying software I'm familiar with. Oh yeah, Boris can work well too for some things.

September 22nd, 2007, 07:33 PM	#1
Steven Fisher New Boot Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Gold Coast, Australia Posts: 5	Green Screen recorded on tape with A1 I will be doing some interviews for a documentary and thinking of using a green screen for the bg shot with my xh a1. As long as the lighting is setup properly will the end result look good if it's recorded on tape..? Or is using the component out a fair bit better, or even the firewire? I'm only asking cause I haven't tried capturing straight to my laptop as it's getting pretty old (2Ghz pentium and 1gb of ram) and didn't think it would be able to handle a smooth capture in the first place, so if I could just use tape that would make it easier. In saying that I don't want to end up with a bunch of budget looking interviews... So if it's not going to work properly I'd rather just go with a black backdrop. Just thought I'd ask here, as due work commitments I won't have too many spare moments to be testing this out before the big day. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

September 22nd, 2007, 09:46 PM	#2
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Two factors--good chroma key starts with lighting, and then it depends on what chroma keying software you're using. If you're editing with FCP, I've found this is the best thing for the money: http://www.dvgarage.com/prod/prod.php?prod=dvmattefcp You can get a decent key with FCP, but only if it's a fairly tight shot. The third party stuff is much better. Ultimatte is good too, but not really any better than the cheaper DVGarage. If you're using Avid, it's native keying is better than FCP, and Ultimatte is even better. That's the only NLE and keying software I'm familiar with. Oh yeah, Boris can work well too for some things.