Greenscreen Lightning question

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi Robert,

I'm surprised you got the results you did with the uneven lighting and wrinkles - just think what will happen with some tweaking of the setup. You're well on your way! Please make sure the talent knows to not have ANY green in their wardrobe, and maybe bring an extra shirt in case - your T-shirt at the v-neck tried to key out a few times. Avoid pinstripes/patterns/busy clothing.

Do you have any kind of capture card in your edit system? Since HDV and most other camcorders today record with 4:2:0 color, there is a lack of color info to get clean edges on the key. I prefer to run cables direct from the "live" camera into my capture device, which is the Matrox MXO2 Mini. I can take the HDMI or Component HD video signal straight from camera head, prior to compression, and record that signal to an I-frame codec at 100mbps using 4:2:2 color, providing much better key results than capturing the compressed footage via Firewire later on. Also capturing the full 1920x1080 that way rather than 1440x1080 (if HDV camera). I'm partial to Matrox, but even a Black Magic Intensity will do the same thing at less than $200.

Good luck on the project!

[Robert Lee]

Hi Jeff:

I had used the Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Editing software on the video you just saw, and was equally surprised as well at the results too.

I think I understand your question, I'm shooting with the NX5U, so the video will go directly to the SDHC card. Generally I'll upload the video on my desktop and stich the video together with a Sony software called Play memories that works really well.

I've just been told by the client they use Adobe Premiere for their editing work, and save their clips on MP4, So I plan to give them a copy of the original file along with the video formatted to MP4 for them to make their editing job easier to deal with.

[Al Gardner]

Hi Robert,
The best advice I could give you is to light separately and forget about 3 point lighting. Keep the talent away from the background and use your backlight wisely. This was a shot done on Tues and Wed for Microsoft. The talent was sitting in a chair about 5 to 6 feet from the screen. The talent is lit with 2 bi-color LED lights. The background was originally lit with 2 Arri 650's. We pulled them out and lit the entire screen with one tota light. There is one reflector to the left of the talent for warmth. We decided not to use the prompter and had the questions fed from the chair to the left of the camera. We preferred not to have the talent look directly into the camera. What you want is even light on the background and no spill. And as mentioned earlier light the talent separately. The background used here is a 7x9 Wescott. Sorry the pictures are poor but the lens was too long for the room.

[Robert Lee]

Thanks Al:

Luckily we're not using the teleprompter. I'll do my best not to have the talent look at the camera, but based on the samples footage they forward over I may have too.

It's a relief to hear you and Doug say the same thing about lighting the subject and green screen separately. I just picked up an extra light kit set. There may not be enough room to use the Kino's so as a space saving room, had rented extra totas to light the green screen, and then use the rifa to light the subject.

As a precaution, had picked up a ton of constructor garbage bag and gaffer tape to block any light coming through the window. My hope is we can use another room without windows, but that's my contingency plan if we can't secure another window.

But the key I just have to remember in addition to get some practice time Is deep breaths, be calm, and stay in control of the shoot Sunday
so that the client does not get nervous of the shoot.

[Jeff Pulera]

Hi Robert,

Confused by the client request for mp4 files - Adobe edits most anything natively. If you transcode to another format, this will further degrade the file making it harder to get the best key. Why would they not simply edit using the original source clips?

Jeff

Originally Posted by Robert Lee

Hi Jeff:

I had used the Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Editing software on the video you just saw, and was equally surprised as well at the results too.

I think I understand your question, I'm shooting with the NX5U, so the video will go directly to the SDHC card. Generally I'll upload the video on my desktop and stich the video together with a Sony software called Play memories that works really well.

I've just been told by the client they use Adobe Premiere for their editing work, and save their clips on MP4, So I plan to give them a copy of the original file along with the video formatted to MP4 for them to make their editing job easier to deal with.

[Robert Lee]

Hi Jeff:

If I had to hazard a guess, It's In case they can't work with the mts footage from the NX5U, they'll at least be able to work with it in mp4.
In providing the footage in both form ( original footage, and mp4) so they have some options. And worse comes to worse
if they want to stick with mp4, I'd save them the step to format it on their own.

Robert

[Robert Lee]

Quick question, anybody have advice on the best way to smooth out wrinkles on a green screen cloth.
I've been pulling the cloth tight using the clamps to hold them down, but I've got a ways to go. hahaha.

[Don Bloom]

Depends on the material but try using a steamer and keep it moving. If need be go over it 3 or 4 times. Don't let the steamer sit in one place too long.

[Al Gardner]

I do the best I could depending on the type of background. When you have a pop up it is what it is. If you have cloth you can pull it tight with clamps. I never iron or steam. It usually does not make that big of a difference if your lighting is right. And more often than not the talent will block the wrinkled area.
AL

[Robert Lee]

Thanks Don and Al, If I can't get my hands on a good steamer, I'll stick with tightening the cloth with the clamps like I did earlier, and block much of the wrinkles I can either with the subject or how I place the camera.

I did learn a neat trick from a colleague that since I don't have a light meter, the next best thing is to use
the auto iris setting of the camera to check for level lighting. If I don't hear it moving, adjusting then you have even lighting, if it moves, then just check the figures, and adjust the lighting accordingly. :)

[Robert Lee]

Hey everyone, just practicing my set up back home and lighting the green screen.
My question had to do with F-Stop

What's a good F-Stop range you've set in achieving even lighting on the green screen?

So far I've gone as low as 2.8 and as high as 3.6, depending on where I set my Totas.

As you can see in the photos my place is not too big I've hit often hit between 2.6 to 2.8, but
far as I know the room I'm shooting will be bigger.

Thanks!


(PS yes I know, I've got the green screen pulled tight to rid those wrinkles. :) )

[Pete Bauer]

You can also use a minus green backlight to counter the effects of any residual green spill. The gel (dyed polyester sheet) costs just a few bucks and easy to find at any photography shop or online.

[Robert Lee]

Thanks Pete for the info.

Knocking on wood, and keeping my fingers crossed for a smooth shoot.
Thank you all for all your help.

I had tried to put together a demo for everyone to show how the testing went, but some trouble with the upload, so all I could manage was this little fun video for your amusement. :)

Signs that spring is coming - YouTube

[Robert Lee]

Hi everyone.

I thought I give a recap with how the shoot went.

The room was actually smaller than the room I had practice in, so it barely fit all my equipment. I was dreading the fact that if I had gone with the kinos I couldn't fit it in the room, luckily the tota's fit.

The window was actually pretty big, roughly a 4ft by 17 ft. Luckily the blinds blocked about 95% of the light, and brought construction black trash bags to block any light leaking through.

The max distance I could set the the tota's on the green screen was 4ft but it was evenly lit. Phew!

The subject/client stood 6ft in front of the green screen. It took a while to light him properly. If I had him stood 5ft, I'd get the shot from the waist, but there were some spots/freckles that leaked out from the totas, or if I had him 6ft, there would be some shadowing issues on his face, I'd lose the waist shot, but
no spots/freckles, and a good tight shot.

I couldn't pull the camera back, because there was a big desk unit behind me, it's all bolted as one big furniture piece so we couldn't dismantle and set it aside, so I literally had to stand on top of the desk with the camera to maintain the shot/distant.

The funny thing is, after I had made all the adjustments... the client couldn't remember his lines.. so we'll have to re-shoot again. The only challenge is I'd have to shoot with the teleprompter. Since the teleprompter unit is one, where the camera would mount behind it I'd have to shoot it level. I took some measurements, before I left, knowing we would use the same room, but I may have to have him either slightly in-front or even with the total, just to fit everything in the room, now that we can't set the camera up on the desk. At least it's a relief to know I can rely on the Sunday shoot, and everyone's feedback to make additional adjustments, once we re-schedule the re-shoot. But just a heads up that I may have follow-up questions, I'll promise to have the aspirin for anyone who needs it.

Thanks everyone.

Sincerely,

Robert

[Al Gardner]

Way to go Robert,
Sounds like a typical shoot. I remember shooting at a library at a boarding school in D.C. The scene was awful so I decided to do the old book case in the background scene. It was a little dark and I didn't have lighting. But there were these Tiffany lamps on very table. I was in luck. Until I found out the tables and the lamps were all bolted down.

Anyway, maybe you can create some kind of angle for your shoot rather then straight ahead. In the picture I posted, even though we had the prompter on the camera we had another monitor to the side that the talent could look at for cue.

I think you should do just fine. Although you should post some pictures of you on that table.LOL
AL