My Favorite Color is Green

Green can mean many things nowadays. It could mean money as in “greenbacks”, or energy as in “green energy”, but in this article I’m referring to “green screen.” What is green screen and what is it used for? We’ve all been exposed to the effects of green screen in action across film, TV and the web even though you really don’t see it. It’s the technology used for shooting film or video of actors and placing them into any environment. With this technology, the possibilities are endless and best of all, it’s really fun!

Arguably, the most famous green screen footage is the “bullet time” scene in action movie “The Matrix”, where Neo dodges bullets. However, even without a Hollywood blockbuster budget, you can still create some amazing effects with green screen. Here are some quick ideas:

• Make interviews more interesting by filming the subject against the green screen in a physical room or by placing a custom background with a gradient, or pattern.

• Shoot a host against a green screen to place them inside of an interactive environment such as a website.

• Bring presentations to life by filming a speaker against a green screen and have them interact with their slide deck.

• Place subjects in outdoor environments possibly including other effects to create a surreal impact.

• Place a variety of physical or fake objects for the subject to interact with during post-production.

• Step up your online banner ads with green screen footage. Rich media with green screen video is powerful.

In shooting green screen footage, I recommend a number of things to keep in mind in order to keep the experience fun all the way through post-production. First, utilize a good studio room that will meet all your requirements. If you need full body shots with lots of movement, your room needs to be much larger than if you are just filming a talking head. Next, make sure your room is lit properly and you have all the necessary equipment for the job (i.e. TelePrompTer, boom mic, etc.). And most importantly, use professionals that know what they are doing. Once you finish shooting, that’s the footage you have to work with. If you have poor footage it will increase the amount of post-production time significantly or result in having to reshoot everything, which will kill your project budget.

Green screen video is exciting and fun to work with. It helps bring projects to another level of quality when done right. Whether you are trying to inform, educate, persuade, or sell it, green screen video can help deliver the necessary impact that will fully engage your audience. Get the right team together for your next project and remember to have fun.