Use Big screen TV for background including Greenscreen

1. domineaux
   Member

   

   I got an idea the other day from my big screen TV...

   Sony Bravia 46 inch screen.

   The whole screen turned this great greenscreen color. I was messing with it and something happened.

   Every channel I clicked on Cable(TimeWarner) was blank with this great looking green screen.

   Anyone know a way to make this happend purposefully. This would be great for creating some quicky videos without having to setup up background lighting.

   I can visualize just putting up the 3 point lights against the big screen TV background, then I could do the greenscreen thing on head shots.

   I realize I can make a video of my green screen and record it to a DVD and just play the DVD, but that kinda seems like a bit much.

   So... maybe if you know how to do what I'm talking about, let me know. All I want to do is get my TV screen to show a greenscreen. I don't care if the screen is just on one channel, just as long as I can make it just show a greenscreen.  Then I can work with it. 

   Thanks 

   Posted 3 years ago #

2. EarlC
   Moderator

   

   I have produced a DVD full of greenscreen color using my editing system. Then I project that (rear projection, of course) onto a 6x8 freestanding screen. It has worked for me the rare times I've needed such. So, actually, it isn't a "bit much" - so easy and simple. I don't even have to light the screen as it is already pretty evenly lighted by the projector, just put some lights on the talking heads or whatever, adjust the fall off to keep them off the projection screen, and shoot to your heart's content.

   Dunno how to achieve what you want using a regular set however. If it's interlaced, however, that's gonna be a problem, you think? And, why throw lights onto a lighted screen if it's even and bright.

   Posted 3 years ago #

3. domineaux
   Member

   

   EarlC - you said, "And, why throw lights onto a lighted screen if it's even and bright"

   I planned to focus my lighting on the talent and try not to have light spillage onto the TV screen.

   I've been thinking about this for several days.

   Been thinking of creating a large greenscreen rectangle in my graphics program and saving the file for use in Movie Studio as backdrop. You mentioned the same thing, might be the best way to go.

   Recently, I bought a Blue-ray player and my camera is a Sony HDR-SR12.  My Sony Movie Studio software will burn blue-ray disks.

   Not quite sure how to do this, but maybe make a bunch of copies of the greenscreen graphic made in the graphics program stacked in a Movie Studio timeline.  This way I could then burn the stacked timeline onto a Blue-ray disk.  THen have the greenscreen playing on the TV as a background.

   Then of course I could take it a step further and just create the background I want on the timeline and play it on the Blue-Ray/TV.

   I'm not sure about a best way to do this, but workarounds can be time saving. LOL

   My TV is a Sony Bravia 46 inch model XBR.  Interlace shouldn't be a problem.

   Setting up greenscreen backdrops for quickie stuff is a pain. Getting uniformity in the lighting, getting the talent/actor far enough away, etc.

   I don't have a light meter so getting the light the same at the right levels can be tedious.

   The idea of doing greenscreen type backgrounds in this with a TV instead of a cloth draped greenscreen is attractive.  No stands, no background lights...just seems like an excellent way to go about greenscreen.  Interviews and talking heads should be an excellent fit for this kinda video.

   Making a video of just the greenscreen from draped and lighted cloth backdrop is also a thought that should save time.  That is, if a greenscreen the size of a 46 inch TV fills the need. 

   Then of course... I haven't shot any video like this yet.  There could be glare and lighting issues I've not thought about using a TV for background. You see TV all the time on the news broadcasts where the TV is running while the talking heads are about their business. 

   Posted 3 years ago #

4. Don
   Member

   

    why go green? why not just project/play the images/video you want on the screen, light your subject, and skip the whole chromakey process?

   Posted 3 years ago #

5. domineaux
   Member

   

   DOn

   It's a step at a time for some of us. LOL

   It might be boring to have a Blue-Ray disk with nothing, but one continuous loop of bright green displayed on the TV.

   Anyway, DOn, have you done this kinda thing before? 

   I played around with it a bit, but the 46" screen may not be as big as I thought. When I apply 3 point lighting and the talent is very close to the TV... it might just be pie-in-the-sky.  The talent has to be pretty close to the screen since the screen ratio on HD is 1920x1080 or 16:9.  That darn screen looks pretty big until you put a person in front of it.  

   I've got some 4 bulb flourescent umbrella stand lights.  I may have to unscrew a few bulbs, but it might be possible to get good skin tone and still not be an issue with the TV screen. We'll see.... 

   Regardless, I'll share the results in this thread after I've given it a go.

   Thanks to you and EarlC for responding

   Posted 3 years ago #

6. domineaux
   Member

   

   I forgot to ask

   If I build an animation for the background and I'm Using HD recording, is there a guideline for frame rate on the animations.

   My graphics program can build some pretty tricked images with color changes, gradient fades and color rotations.

   I realize my camera is going at about 30 FPS, but I'm not sure if I should move that slow on moving backgrounds.

   Posted 3 years ago #

7. EarlC
   Moderator

   

    Sorry, this is what you first wrote, and I read it wrong, I guess: "I can visualize just putting up the 3 point lights against the big screen TV background, then I could do the greenscreen thing on head shots."

   Posted 3 years ago #

8. EarlC
   Moderator

   

    That too, Don...

   Posted 3 years ago #

9. Don
   Member

   

   I've used my projector, both with still and moving images, both with and without smoke, for background lighting patterns in still images, with my dslrs.

   haven't really tried it for video work...but will give it a try this week.... maybe a table top set up of some sort....

   Posted 3 years ago #

10. domineaux
    Member

    

    I've spent most of the morning in front of my big screen TV playing Palladia channel in the background trying different things.

    I conclude:

    If your talent is about 8 feet from the camera, with soft flourescent white umbrella lighting using the TV as background -- not so good.

    If you want strong closeups like on CNN news and such I guess it might work.  I used 3 point light arrangement. Then of course the closeups show every mole, pimple, blemish and hair on your talent's face in HD.  I didn't try in SD, but I don't think it would have improved things well enough for good success.

    A while back I made a posting inquiring about makeup kits to work with talent for good skin tone and quality faces.  Close ups of ordinary people faces are going to look like "#*@ unless you doctor them up with makeup, put silk screen over the lens or something.  HD renders beautifully, but I'm not sure it's abest go for shooting ordinary people.

    Ordinary people look better in not so good lighting and full height. Waist and upward I think "makeup" it's going to be a skill we'll have to master to some degree.  I'm talking HDTV. Maybe there is something I'd don't know that I can do in editing or something to make the talent look better.

    I was watching LeAnn Rhymes, and Joss Stone on HDTV. All those gorgeous young chicks and guys look great on HDTV.  The old birds, especially men look lousy on HDTV.  

    I'm not very pleased with the results.

    It takes twice as long to setup with cloth greenscreen with lighting, stands and adjusting everything just right. I definitely wanted it to work.

    The problem appears to be placing the talent in front of the TV, far enough away to prevent glare on the screen while properly lighting the talent.

    There is this old thing they call foreshorting.  You know the old bit about pushing the biggest fish you caught arms length from you towards the camera.

    The fish looks huge. 

    You get same effect when you move talent in front of TV at a distance needed to prevent glare on the TV, yet have good skin tones on your talent.

    By the time you allow for the foreshorting you get a big head and neck.  This is cases where you want to allow for TV screen to fill the entire background.

    Back to square one.  Maybe I'll just retreat to Standard definition... LOL

    Posted 3 years ago #

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