Unveiling the Magic of Green Screens
There is no hiding it, bad green screen is the video production equivalent of a magician who forgot to close the secret compartment in his top hat and now has rabbits running wild across his stage.
Creating ‘reality’ on screen is a fragile thing, but that isn’t to say green screen can’t be the solution when time is short and budgets are low… the trick all depends on how you execute it.
In a previous article (The Joy Of Sets) I referenced a video campaign for a new range of tech products that were to be a lunched at the 2015 CES. I spoke about how a production studio provided the perfect solution when an actual Vegas bar scene wasn’t an option due to a limited time frame. What I didn’t mention in that article was it was this project that I was able to utilise a low-cost green screen with fantastic results.
The trick I learnt during that 2015 CES project was that green screen alone won’t create the illusion. Low-cost green screen projects fall down when they rely on interaction between the talent/product and the green screen. This interaction is fine for a Hollywood production, but for those of us with less zeros in our budgets we should avoid the audience looking too closely. For the proactive marketer you can even source the backdrop prior to the shoot, which will allow the production company to set up the lighting in-line with your reference, further enhancing the authenticity of the scene.
By using physical props and clever set design to ground the action, the green screen can act as secondary element adding depth and texture to the scene that supports the performance, rather than competing with it.
Green screen offers endless possibilities for the creative marketer but before jumping in to your next project find out how green screen works with our latest insight film presented by senior producer Marie-Ann Morrell and managing director, Tom Ward.
