Lighting & Chroma Key

Why Lighting?

• Our eyes can pick up very finite details and lighting contrasts that cameras cannot.

• Lighting is necessary to make the video comparable quality to what the human eye sees naturally.

• Lighting also allows you to set the mood for the video.

• Bright and colorful lighting brings a cheerful mood

• Dark and shadowy images invoke feelings of mystery and foreboding

Chroma Key (Green Screen)

Chroma key is a visual-effects and post-production technique for compositing (layering) two images or video streams together based on color hues (chroma range). The most common colors are green or blue.

Why Green or Blue?

• Green and blue are the furthest colors from skin tone. This prevents your skin from being canceled out in the final video.

• Switch from a blue screen to a green screen if you have blue or green in the scene.

• Green has the highest level of luminosity and is the most easily readable and trackable, but this means there may be an increased light spill.

• Blue does not have this light spill concern to the same degree and they are also slightly easier to light cleanly but they do register darker through digital cameras.

Tips

• Wear colors on the other side of the color wheel (red/orange) - only wear green if you want to disappear

• Put distance between your subject and the green/blue screen (eliminates the possibility of casting harsh shadows onto the green screen).

• Use a low f/stop (aperture) so that there is a shallower depth of field.

• If you are filming a lot of action, increase the shutter speed to reduce the motion blur (then add motion blur back in post-production)

Industry Examples