Using green screen for interview background?

[Ralph Keyser]

I'm in agreement with Bill on this. Green screen for interviews is, for me, a technique of last resort. It just moves the problem down the road and introduces a whole new set of problems. I believe that it is absolutely needed in some circumstances, but I want to make sure that folks understand that it doesn't really make your life easier in an overall sense.

[Cleveland Brown]

Originally Posted by Johnson McKnight

I really wanted to key our head of operations into the video so that he would have less explaining to do at the conference and give people a better idea of what they are looking at.

You could always try it but in you really don't like what it looks like, you can put him in a little box on the side.

Adding to this question, can anyone tell me a bit about shooting bluescreen with and XL2. Keying in FCP. Pros, Cons??? Thanks.

[Dan Brockett]

Hi guys:

So far, out of couple of hundred interviews with the ChromaFlex system, no major issues with composites. The system works better overall than traditional green screens, at least for me. I still occasionally shoot regular green screens when I have to use a prompter and it's such a pain in comparison, I usually need at least 2,000 extra watts of lights to do traditional green screen, plus a huge space. The beauty of the Chroma Flex system is that I can be crammed into a tiny office and still pull a great green screen key easily with no spill.

For all of you guys quaking in your boots about green screen, I can't see why. I am no great AE or compositing guy and with my green screens from the Chroma Flex, it's usually a one shot deal in post, just invoke the chroma key and tweak to taste on the edges. Y'all are living in the past when green screen was hard to do well.


Best,

Dan

[Greg Quinn]

Dan;
I agree with you that for an on-location interview, chromaflex is hard to argue against. My problem with it is the cost (~$3k for the mobile setup). An added problem for me is that I'll be shooting with HDV, which I'm becoming convinced is probably impossible to use without seeing edge effects.
Greg

[Ronald Wilk]

Hi:

I noticed your posts vis-a-vis green screening and the Chromaflex system and wonder how you go about lighting your sets?

The Chromaflex web site describes the use of a single 650W Arri Key and a possible hair light in conjunction with the ChromaF. system but that limited array might not be appropriate for the desired effect, therefore, how much lighting can one safely employ without negating the efficiency of the LED Ringlight system?

Thank you in advance,
Ron

[Bill Davis]

SNIP

For all of you guys quaking in your boots about green screen, I can't see why. I am no great AE or compositing guy and with my green screens from the Chroma Flex, it's usually a one shot deal in post, just invoke the chroma key and tweak to taste on the edges. Y'all are living in the past when green screen was hard to do well.


Best,

Dan[/QUOTE]


Dan, (first and foremost, hi!)

Secondly, I don't think we're particularly "quaking" - just relfecting the fact that if you use ANY kind of key behind an interview, you MUST figure out what to fill that key with in post - unless you're willing to run the interview over the ugly keygreen background.

The point is, that unless there's a specific purpose in pulling a key - setting up ANY kind of a keyable background is just acknowledging that you're purposly doing an "unfinished" shot that needs more work later.

I think that's something to avoid.

Also, personally, I almost always want any talking head scene I shoot to be as SHORT as possible. I'd rather have my audience listening to the VO over b-roll than have a floating "yapper" keyed shot.

Yeah, there are exceptions and I break my own rules a lot in this - but one of the smartest things I ever saw was an old unattributed internet sig that went...

"When the tool you have is a hammer - every problem starts to look like a nail."

I bet if someone ever did a study they'd find that shelling out $3k for the chromaflex system by itself makes guys WANT to shoot keyed interviews as a STARTING POINT - rather than deciding WHY the interview should be keyed in the first place.

Probably not a huge problem, but I bet if you linked THAT to an analysis of how many hours folks spent filling those "nice but unnecessary keys" with graphics or b-roll, you'd be surprised at how much "uncompensated" time it's eating up. (And I mean "uncompensated" in the sense that the client will pay you X bucks to shoot the scene traditionally - and exactly the same X bucks to shoot the scene as greenscreen - even tho it requires more time and work to fill the key in post)

For what it's worth.



Hey, any chance I'll see you at NAB this year? I know you don't typically go, but I'd love the chance to buy you a beer for old times sake!

Take care.