Shooting Green Screen

I'm doing a green screen shoot soon and am costuming it now. I know that the feet can be the most challenging part, because of the shadows there. Would you say that I'd do well to have black shoes, so that if there is a keying problem, it'll be less apparent? Reddish shoes maybe?

Thanks.

Mitchell Rose
[www.mitchellrose.com]

Huh? You mean like clown shoes?

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Sneakers that are all black. Shoes that are all black. Or, I pose the possibility... many fine shoe manufacturers also make shoes and sneakers that are reddish in hue.

Mitchell Rose
[www.mitchellrose.com]

I always end up rotoscoping feet - even when shot on a painted floor - and introducing my own shadows back in. Black shoes would be fine for this (whatever the highest contast to the floor is).

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

It's going to be thirty different shots so I'd certainly prefer to not have to rotoscope. Just trying to give myself the best possible start.

Thanks.

Mitchell Rose
[www.mitchellrose.com]

I don't think anyone "prefers" to rotoscope. I sure don't "prefer" it...I just end up doing it because it's the only way to fix a lousy key. It is what's left to do after the poorly shot key doesn't work.

Aren't you that dancing / editing Teacher guy? This may be a great opportunity to teach your students about rotoscoping

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

What format are you shooting it on?

DV or HDV will yield far less clean results due to the way the colorspace is compressed than say Digibeta or DVCproHD or better.



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Grafixjoe-- Yes, I'm the dancing/editing Teacher guy? Oy, the mind reels at the thought of teaching them rotoscoping. Besides the fact that they'd have no interest in it--they just want to choreograph and shoot it in a filmic context--I have a hard enough time teaching them FCP. If I had them for 3 years, yes. I have them for 3 months.

Ben -- HDV. That's what I got. But the elements are going to be composited over crude Photoshop sets, so I don't need the world's greatest key. I just want to avoid having amorphous black pods at the end of my legs.

Thanks, guys.

Mitchell Rose
[www.mitchellrose.com]

My thoughts on your green screen adventure.
Shoes should be matte finish. If they can reflect green, they will reflect green.
Backlight talent with a rim light with minus green gel. 1/4 to 1/2 magenta. You might also try to cross light the dancer's feet with fixtures placed nearly on the floor and flag so they don't illuminate the floor but only the feet. You might put 1/4 magenta gels on these, but avoid contaminating the green screen. Hard light with a hard edge flag or barn doors.

When shooting have a critical eye looking for green spill. Don't just think you can fix it in post.

Depending upon the focal length you choose for the shoot, make a set of hard mattes for the front of your camera to minimize green contamination on the front of your lens. I've made them out of matte black foam core and attached with black camera tape.

Do some tests to find out the sweet spot for lighting the green screen. You want it bright enough to key but not so bright that it becomes a massive green light source.

Costumes. Avoid some yellows if they squew more green than orange. Bright yellows tend to the green and can give you fits.

Invest in a good keying plug in. I use Boris'. The native chromakey filter in FCP, doesn't give one enough control. I believe you can purchase their keying filters individually.

I shoot green screen on a regular basis. Have fun. Take your time.

Best,
Chet Simmons

Excellent advice, Chet. Thanks so much for your thorough guide.

I was hoping to use the Primatte filter that comes with Motion. Satisfactory?

Cheers...

Mitchell

Mitchell Rose
[www.mitchellrose.com]

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When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.