Anyone using reflecmedia chromaflex or chromatte? at DVinfo.net

Ty Ford · December 4th, 2005, 06:09 PM

Your thoughts?

Ty

Adam Keen · December 4th, 2005, 09:18 PM

I'm also interested in how well this works. I was just recently considering using basicly the same setup with scotchlite. This should allow for a chroma set when you want the floor in the shot. Presumably, this should elimanate the talent's shadow.

How well does it work with a CU? Rightlights create unusual eyelights. You also don't want to key out the talents eyes...

Mikko Wilson · December 5th, 2005, 02:28 AM

I user it regularly in a studio that has a wall of Chromatte cloth and a standard Rosco (chroma) green floor.

It works great! It's pricy, but if you do a lot of keying it's hard to beat!
for CU's we either turn down the ring light (the controler has a fade knob) or we just keep a bit furthur back and zoom in some - DoF isn't so important with keying of course.

about my omly reservation is that it doens't work with a thru-the-lens teleprompter - but an over the lens prompter fixes that too.

- Mikko

December 9th, 2005, 10:59 PM

Ty,

In addition to Mikko's opinion on reflecmedia. You may find the postitive response I got on this thread where I posted a similar question helpful -

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...ht=reflecmedia

- - - -

I've been going back and forth over starting with the small kit -
Reflecmedia ChromaFlex 7' Location Background Kit with Green Medium LiteRing Kit & Bag
and seeing what I think of it and then purchasing the larger 16 x 12 or 16 x9 fabric at a later date

OR, just getting one of these kits first -
Reflecmedia Wide Studio Bundle, with Green Medium LiteRing Kit, 16' x 9' Fabric & Bag
Reflecmedia Studio Bundle, with Green Medium LiteRing Kit, 16' x 12' Fabric & Bag

I like the idea of being able to actually move around so I'm leaning towards saving a little longer and getting one of the larger kits. I'd be interested in knowing what you are considering as well if you feel like posting it.

Graham Risdon · December 10th, 2005, 05:56 AM

Met up with the guys from Reflecmedia in the UK this week and saw a demo of the system. I was seriously impressed - the keys were clean and adjustable. I even played with the background lighting and despite shadows etc, the key was still good.
Interestingly, they were using an ultimatte DV for the live keying, and recommended using the Y/C inputs rather than DV...
Looks like a great product though

Matt Davis · December 19th, 2005, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Your thoughts?

Good, but...

- Keep talent as close to bgd as possible
- Don't let it get dirty or dusty (ever)
- Avoid hi-contrast/theatrical lighting of talent in close quarters - the LEDs will spill

Other than that, it's great for chromakey in confined spaces and when you can't carry lots of lighting kit.

Paul Jefferies · January 9th, 2006, 02:49 PM

Hi,
Very useful process, but very important - don't let your make-up people anywhere near it - makeup and foundation will destroy the fabric if it gets on it - due to the very small particles of foundation getting between the microscopic optical beads that make up the material. Once you get some on the material, you may as well throw it away

April 26th, 2006, 06:12 AM

Should have my Reflecmedia kit by this weekend. Thank you to everyone who posted comments/advice on this thread. I would have got it sooner, but I had to shell out some $$$ for the HVX.

Guy Cochran · October 9th, 2006, 11:40 PM

Just shot a bit with Reflecmedia and the Ultimatte DV box. The results are fantastic! I like using the Ultimatte because you can light your scene more accurately and instantly preview live to really make it look like you are "there."

The Ultimatte DV box is around $3k - if you're doing a lot of keying it's worth it. I now do zero rendering for our show. We just record the output from the Ultimatte directly to the laptop. This is SD rez.

If we want to shoot HD we use the Ultimatte for pre viz to light correctly and to see how everything will key. Then record to tape, capture, composite and render.

Check out the "External SATA" episode at http://dvgeartalk.com to see the results. Watch the ending where the Chromaflex backdrop is torn down.

Dan Brockett · October 10th, 2006, 08:46 AM

Have been shooting with the ChromaFlex system for about a year now. Works great, use it a lot. The shadow cast by the ringlight keys fine, the seams and wrinkles in the screen key fine, it's a great system.

If the talent wears glasses, it can be a nightmare to try to get rid of the ringlight reflections.

Also, teleprompters, most of them, do not work with the ringlight, as noted above.

We have the 8'x8' screen, if you want to buy just loose material from them to travel with since the 8x8' is a PITA to fly with, the priced for the screen cloth alone are ridiculous. So if you are flying, ship the screen ahead via FedEx, it's too cumbersome to put in a shipping box and carry through airports.

Makes chroma keying viable for quickie, one man crew shoots in small rooms, a cool thing.

Best,

Dan

October 10th, 2006, 08:56 AM

I've been happy with my ReflecMedia setup as well. I use Mattenee currently but am not sure how long that will be viable with the new Mac Intels. It's too bad because Mattenee works well and is installed right inside FCP so you just drag and drop the filter to your clip and everything is done just like that.

I recently purchased Shake after the price dropped down to $499 and plan on trying to key in that, although so far, it does not seem as simple.

December 7th, 2006, 03:31 PM

It's now available for 5.1.2 -

http://www.reflecmedia.com/

or here to try it out ~

http://www.reflecmedia.com/products/evaluate.aspx

Guy Cochran · May 11th, 2007, 10:55 AM

Just finished a few Reflecmedia examples to put up online. They came out pretty awesome! The cleanest version is to watch it in iTunes H.264 http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...st?id=80616768

Or here a lower rez .FLV in Brightcove

http://link.brightcove.com/services/...bctid878819693

The examples were shot with the Sony FX1 in HDV format. Captured through FireWire as HDV into FCP. The Mattenee plug-in was used to key - with no tweaking of the parameters, just drag and drop.

DVeStore just became a Reflecmedia "Key Dealer" and can offer 5% off to DVinfo.net members, use coupon code "dvinfo" to save a few bucks.

The 7'x7' bundle is $2700 + $200 for Mattenee.

Josh Hayes · February 28th, 2008, 02:06 PM

I'm doing tests for a greenscreen shoot in a tight space (office). I'm using the Chromaflex setup and I'm getting an effect with moderate motion (hand waving) that is quite nasty. I added a picture below.

The yellow is bad enough, but the information is actually disappearing. Any idea on what I'm doing wrong here?

Guy Cochran · February 28th, 2008, 02:50 PM

What camera are you using?
Use Progressive Scan if your camera has the ability
Make sure the Litering is 10' - 12' from the background.
White Balance
Turn the level with the controller down a bit, looks too high.
Use 1/60th sec if 30p or 1/48th sec if 24p
Properly expose your subject so they're not too bright
Use a softbox/soft light if possible

December 4th, 2005, 06:09 PM	#1
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Anyone using reflecmedia chromaflex or chromatte? Your thoughts? Ty __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

December 5th, 2005, 02:28 AM	#3
Mikko Wilson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Juneau, Alaska, USA Posts: 624	I user it regularly in a studio that has a wall of Chromatte cloth and a standard Rosco (chroma) green floor. It works great! It's pricy, but if you do a lot of keying it's hard to beat! for CU's we either turn down the ring light (the controler has a fade knob) or we just keep a bit furthur back and zoom in some - DoF isn't so important with keying of course. about my omly reservation is that it doens't work with a thru-the-lens teleprompter - but an over the lens prompter fixes that too. - Mikko __________________ Mikko Wilson - Steadicam Owner / Operator - Juneau, Alaska, USA +1 (907) 321-8387 - mikkowilson@hotmail.com - www.mikkowilson.com

December 9th, 2005, 10:59 PM	#4
Guest Posts: n/a	Ty, In addition to Mikko's opinion on reflecmedia. You may find the postitive response I got on this thread where I posted a similar question helpful - http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...ht=reflecmedia - - - - I've been going back and forth over starting with the small kit - Reflecmedia ChromaFlex 7' Location Background Kit with Green Medium LiteRing Kit & Bag and seeing what I think of it and then purchasing the larger 16 x 12 or 16 x9 fabric at a later date OR, just getting one of these kits first - Reflecmedia Wide Studio Bundle, with Green Medium LiteRing Kit, 16' x 9' Fabric & Bag Reflecmedia Studio Bundle, with Green Medium LiteRing Kit, 16' x 12' Fabric & Bag I like the idea of being able to actually move around so I'm leaning towards saving a little longer and getting one of the larger kits. I'd be interested in knowing what you are considering as well if you feel like posting it. Last edited by Guest; December 9th, 2005 at 11:33 PM.

January 9th, 2006, 02:49 PM	#7
Paul Jefferies Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Croydon, England Posts: 277	re:chromatte Hi, Very useful process, but very important - don't let your make-up people anywhere near it - makeup and foundation will destroy the fabric if it gets on it - due to the very small particles of foundation getting between the microscopic optical beads that make up the material. Once you get some on the material, you may as well throw it away

October 9th, 2006, 11:40 PM	#9
Guy Cochran DVCreators.Net Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 892	Just shot a bit with Reflecmedia and the Ultimatte DV box. The results are fantastic! I like using the Ultimatte because you can light your scene more accurately and instantly preview live to really make it look like you are "there." The Ultimatte DV box is around $3k - if you're doing a lot of keying it's worth it. I now do zero rendering for our show. We just record the output from the Ultimatte directly to the laptop. This is SD rez. If we want to shoot HD we use the Ultimatte for pre viz to light correctly and to see how everything will key. Then record to tape, capture, composite and render. Check out the "External SATA" episode at http://dvgeartalk.com to see the results. Watch the ending where the Chromaflex backdrop is torn down. __________________ Guy Cochran DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!

December 4th, 2005, 09:18 PM	#2
Adam Keen Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 49	I'm also interested in how well this works. I was just recently considering using basicly the same setup with scotchlite. This should allow for a chroma set when you want the floor in the shot. Presumably, this should elimanate the talent's shadow. How well does it work with a CU? Rightlights create unusual eyelights. You also don't want to key out the talents eyes...

December 10th, 2005, 05:56 AM	#5
Graham Risdon Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Wiltshire, UK Posts: 192	Met up with the guys from Reflecmedia in the UK this week and saw a demo of the system. I was seriously impressed - the keys were clean and adjustable. I even played with the background lighting and despite shadows etc, the key was still good. Interestingly, they were using an ultimatte DV for the live keying, and recommended using the Y/C inputs rather than DV... Looks like a great product though

April 26th, 2006, 06:12 AM	#8
Guest Posts: n/a	Should have my Reflecmedia kit by this weekend. Thank you to everyone who posted comments/advice on this thread. I would have got it sooner, but I had to shell out some $$$ for the HVX.

October 10th, 2006, 08:46 AM	#10
Dan Brockett Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 2,109	Reply Have been shooting with the ChromaFlex system for about a year now. Works great, use it a lot. The shadow cast by the ringlight keys fine, the seams and wrinkles in the screen key fine, it's a great system. If the talent wears glasses, it can be a nightmare to try to get rid of the ringlight reflections. Also, teleprompters, most of them, do not work with the ringlight, as noted above. We have the 8'x8' screen, if you want to buy just loose material from them to travel with since the 8x8' is a PITA to fly with, the priced for the screen cloth alone are ridiculous. So if you are flying, ship the screen ahead via FedEx, it's too cumbersome to put in a shipping box and carry through airports. Makes chroma keying viable for quickie, one man crew shoots in small rooms, a cool thing. Best, Dan

October 10th, 2006, 08:56 AM	#11
Guest Posts: n/a	I've been happy with my ReflecMedia setup as well. I use Mattenee currently but am not sure how long that will be viable with the new Mac Intels. It's too bad because Mattenee works well and is installed right inside FCP so you just drag and drop the filter to your clip and everything is done just like that. I recently purchased Shake after the price dropped down to $499 and plan on trying to key in that, although so far, it does not seem as simple.

December 7th, 2006, 03:31 PM	#12
Guest Posts: n/a	Good News for Mattenee User's - It's now available for 5.1.2 - http://www.reflecmedia.com/ or here to try it out ~ http://www.reflecmedia.com/products/evaluate.aspx

May 11th, 2007, 10:55 AM	#13
Guy Cochran DVCreators.Net Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 892	Just finished a few Reflecmedia examples to put up online. They came out pretty awesome! The cleanest version is to watch it in iTunes H.264 http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...st?id=80616768 Or here a lower rez .FLV in Brightcove http://link.brightcove.com/services/...bctid878819693 The examples were shot with the Sony FX1 in HDV format. Captured through FireWire as HDV into FCP. The Mattenee plug-in was used to key - with no tweaking of the parameters, just drag and drop. DVeStore just became a Reflecmedia "Key Dealer" and can offer 5% off to DVinfo.net members, use coupon code "dvinfo" to save a few bucks. The 7'x7' bundle is $2700 + $200 for Mattenee. __________________ Guy Cochran DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!

February 28th, 2008, 02:06 PM	#14
Josh Hayes Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: San Francisco, Ca Posts: 264	First time with Chroma Flex I'm doing tests for a greenscreen shoot in a tight space (office). I'm using the Chromaflex setup and I'm getting an effect with moderate motion (hand waving) that is quite nasty. I added a picture below. The yellow is bad enough, but the information is actually disappearing. Any idea on what I'm doing wrong here? Attached Thumbnails

February 28th, 2008, 02:50 PM	#15
Guy Cochran DVCreators.Net Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 892	What camera are you using? Use Progressive Scan if your camera has the ability Make sure the Litering is 10' - 12' from the background. White Balance Turn the level with the controller down a bit, looks too high. Use 1/60th sec if 30p or 1/48th sec if 24p Properly expose your subject so they're not too bright Use a softbox/soft light if possible __________________ Guy Cochran DVinfo Sponsor, Cool Gear - DVeStore!