How do you achieve this look? at DVinfo.net

Drew Whitfield · June 13th, 2012, 11:44 AM

The look @ 0:04 is what I'm referring to. I know it's a pretty simple green screen shot, but what effects are used to get that exact look? Thanks in advance for any help provided.

Evan Bourcier · June 21st, 2012, 01:27 PM

I don't think it's a green screen, it just looks like he's shot against a black background to me. You put some distance between the subject and background, then light the subject but not the background. He's pretty evenly lit from the front judging by my quick peek. Then all you really need for that particular shot is make it B&W, maybe tweak the levels some. If you wanted to green screen it you setup the same, then chroma-key the green into black.

That's at least how I would try it, I've never done that style before though.

Jesse Pepin · June 21st, 2012, 01:36 PM

"You put some distance between the subject and background, then light the subject but not the background."

Good advice, I'd also light the talent a bit extra hot, so you could bring the brightness down in post, adjust the contrast a bit, and you'd be rocking.

Jon Fairhurst · June 21st, 2012, 02:38 PM

It also looks like the blacks are crushed. There's no detail in the jacket on my monitor - even though the jacket would have nearly as much light as the face.

BTW, when shooting for black and white with a Canon DSLR (well, a 5D2 anyway), I've found that the results are MUCH better when shooting in monochrome mode than in color and converting in post. Also, avoid the in-camera digital color filters as they don't work properly (again on the 5D2. Not sure about other models.) I bought some glass color filters and they work great at changing the relative tones.

This clip looks like it was done with an orange-yellow filter. That makes the skin very light compared to other tones, but not the super-white of a red filter. You still see some tone changes on his face and beard. One clue that color filtering was used is that his lips are also light colored. A yellow filter is more neutral. A green filter darkens skin and makes blemishes stand out. Orange and red tend to hide blemishes and make skin look smoother.

Note that you need more light when shooting through filters. However, if you output black and white from the camera, there is no color noise, so you can push the gain or ISO harder than you can with color shooting.

BTW, this video has deep focus, so it's probably not shot with a DSLR. On the shot a 0:04, you could get that with a variety of cameras. With the background blacked out, it doesn't much matter how shallow or deep the focus might be.

Robin Davies-Rollinson · June 22nd, 2012, 06:34 AM

I don't think it's a composte shot at all. Unless they've gone to the hassle of motion tracking the background, it's just an ordinary hand-held shot up on the roof...

Jacques Mersereau · June 26th, 2012, 04:58 PM

Black studio and background + single light source - head height + adjust contrast.

June 13th, 2012, 11:44 AM	#1
Drew Whitfield New Boot Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 7	How do you achieve this look? D-WHY - "Devil Horns To All" - YouTube The look @ 0:04 is what I'm referring to. I know it's a pretty simple green screen shot, but what effects are used to get that exact look? Thanks in advance for any help provided.

June 21st, 2012, 01:27 PM	#2
Evan Bourcier Major Player Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Mashpee, MA Posts: 251	Re: How do you achieve this look? I don't think it's a green screen, it just looks like he's shot against a black background to me. You put some distance between the subject and background, then light the subject but not the background. He's pretty evenly lit from the front judging by my quick peek. Then all you really need for that particular shot is make it B&W, maybe tweak the levels some. If you wanted to green screen it you setup the same, then chroma-key the green into black. That's at least how I would try it, I've never done that style before though. __________________ DSLR Photographer/Videographer from Massachusetts Portfolio at http://ebourcier.com

June 21st, 2012, 01:36 PM	#3
Jesse Pepin New Boot Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Marysville, WA Posts: 23	Re: How do you achieve this look? "You put some distance between the subject and background, then light the subject but not the background." Good advice, I'd also light the talent a bit extra hot, so you could bring the brightness down in post, adjust the contrast a bit, and you'd be rocking.

June 21st, 2012, 02:38 PM	#4
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Re: How do you achieve this look? It also looks like the blacks are crushed. There's no detail in the jacket on my monitor - even though the jacket would have nearly as much light as the face. BTW, when shooting for black and white with a Canon DSLR (well, a 5D2 anyway), I've found that the results are MUCH better when shooting in monochrome mode than in color and converting in post. Also, avoid the in-camera digital color filters as they don't work properly (again on the 5D2. Not sure about other models.) I bought some glass color filters and they work great at changing the relative tones. This clip looks like it was done with an orange-yellow filter. That makes the skin very light compared to other tones, but not the super-white of a red filter. You still see some tone changes on his face and beard. One clue that color filtering was used is that his lips are also light colored. A yellow filter is more neutral. A green filter darkens skin and makes blemishes stand out. Orange and red tend to hide blemishes and make skin look smoother. Note that you need more light when shooting through filters. However, if you output black and white from the camera, there is no color noise, so you can push the gain or ISO harder than you can with color shooting. BTW, this video has deep focus, so it's probably not shot with a DSLR. On the shot a 0:04, you could get that with a variety of cameras. With the background blacked out, it doesn't much matter how shallow or deep the focus might be. __________________ Jon Fairhurst

June 22nd, 2012, 06:34 AM	#5
Robin Davies-Rollinson Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Gwaelod-y-garth, Cardiff, CYMRU/WALES Posts: 1,215	Re: How do you achieve this look? I don't think it's a composte shot at all. Unless they've gone to the hassle of motion tracking the background, it's just an ordinary hand-held shot up on the roof... __________________ TV Director / Cameraman

June 26th, 2012, 04:58 PM	#6
Jacques Mersereau Trustee Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 1,334	Re: How do you achieve this look? Black studio and background + single light source - head height + adjust contrast. __________________ Jacques Mersereau University of Michigan-Video Studio Manager