Posted by Catie Foertsch on Thu, Jun 04, 2009 @ 07:17 AM
Green screens aren't just for Hollywood special effects. They're fairly common for corporate video production because they provide options.
Here are three reasons why you might want to use a green screen for your next business video:
- If you can't find a location with a good background. You can shoot against a green screen and drop in the perfect background during post-production
- If you don't want your interview subject in a real location but prefer a virtual, abstract background, or all white or all black
- If you're planning to shoot several interviews at once but don't want them all to have the same background
The bottom line? Using a green screen for your business video projects gives you options, and just might give you a better product.
FYI, I've been shooting my video blog posts against a green screen because I like the look of a clean white background for my video blog (personal preference). But getting a clean white background in the real world can be complicated. You need to have good distance between you and your white background so you don't cast shadows, and so any imperfections in that white wall or drape are less noticeable. And then you need to light that background separately, so it's white and not gray.
I'd advise caution if you're going for a white background for your vlog and you plan to hang a white sheet behind you. You'll see lots of videos on YouTube with 'white backgrounds' that use a wrinkled bed sheet hung on a wall, and guess what? It looks like... wrinkled bed sheets nailed to a wall. Finding a flat white wall to shoot against will probably give you better results.