Whether you shoot videos for personal projects, gaming sessions, or business reasons, a home studio with green screen capability is a great investment. Building a simplified studio couldn’t be easier, though you must use the proper equipment and keep it in excellent condition.
Mostly, when creating a home studio for green screen productions, always keep in mind what you intend to do with the finished product. The results will show in your finished film and video projects!
Pick the perfect backdrop and maintain it
Let’s talk about the green screen itself. Green screens come in all varieties. You can buy a piece of green screen fabric to hang or drape in the back of your set, paint a green screen with chroma key paint, or spring for a cyclorama wall. Whatever you choose, take care of that surface. If it’s made of fabric, iron or steam out the wrinkles before every video shoot. Wrinkles can cause shadows, and shadows can interfere with acquiring a proper key, making your green screen videos look fake. The same goes with painted walls and cyclorama walls. Keep them clean and free from imperfections for the perfect background.
Light it up!
When it comes to green screen productions, lights are your best friends. Professional shoots can involve dozens of lights stationed around the studio for various effects, but a small home studio can get away with just three. Most studio lighting set-ups come in kits, consisting of a key light, a background light, and a fill light. The key light focuses on the subject to keep them distinct. You use a fill light on the other side of the subject or talent to fill in any unwanted shadows. Finally, a background light illuminates the backdrop. This is particularly important with a green screen and helps ensure you get that all-important clean key.
Choose a good camera
The third step for creating a home studio for green screen productions is to pick the right camera for the job. If you’re just starting out, you can make use of most phone cameras, but ensure they can shoot HD video and work with a green screen. As your skills improve, consider investing in a mid-range digital camera that shoots HD quality video and has a frame rate of 24 fps or above. Naturally, a tripod is necessary for keeping the camera steady and hands-free during a shoot.
Keep a sense of space
Spacing is important. Mark off the edges of the frame on the set—out of the camera’s sight, of course—and mark where the talent should stand. A good rule of thumb is to have your talent stand about eight feet or so away from the green screen, which can prevent their shadows from interfering with the shot. Finally, never, under any circumstances, should anyone on-screen wear green—unless you’re doing a remake of “The Invisible Man!”
