Green screen background help

[rob norton]

I'm pretty sure this is green screen. For the background, I'd be surprised if it's an off the shelf moving image. Rather than the traditional set or green screen selling a different location, this is somewhere in the middle. This itself isn't that new in that it's trendy to show behind the scenes elements and admit the shoot happened in a studio. IMO however, a green screen with a fake set as the background is pretty unique and extremely creative/resourceful. They get to ride the coat tails of perception in terms of increased production values of having an entire set built minus the expense of actually doing it. Maybe the digital artist creating the background made up the difference but I doubt it. It's pretty clever how the talent is in a studio, walking to set, but we never see the actual set, since they don't want to reveal the green screen, because while (proper) green screen used to mean big business, I understand a creative department having concerns that it'd take value away. It'd be funny if the walking to set shots in the studio were also green screen, I might have to try that.

Question - what type of artist made the background? If searching, should I be looking for strengths in a particular program like Cinema 4d vs. a generic graphic designer search? Otherwise, is there a high end stock library that has abstract backgrounds that aren't too obnoxious?

Side comment, what the hell is going on in the bottom left corner (overlapping the chair)? I'm impressed with the results but pretty inexcusable cover up at this level.

 

[CharlesPapert]

A virtual set of this type has been pretty standard for high end corporate and broadcast news/magazine shows for a number of years now. This one is pretty simplistic since there's no motion and only two angles in the whole piece. Unless I'm missing something, I'm not seeing much that is creative or new here?

As far as that shoddy element, it's there in the early wide shots, looks like a crappy Photoshop plug layered in there to clean up something (maybe the floor dropped off too much to key cleanly). And then the camera or shot got adjusted for the section you grabbed above and they forget to adjust the position of that element with it. Definitely sloppy all the way around.

The opening shot is actually sort of baffling. It's the only moving shot, it doesn't tell any kind of relevant story or set the tone for what follows. It sort of feels like the director or DP wanted a shot on a gimbal and/or with flares in it for their reel and stuffed it into this project.

 

[ahalpert]

I wonder if you could use AI to build a decent background like this. This one is funny, almost German Expressionist. Doesn't bother me though

I don't really have a problem with the opening shot either. It's a hero intro shot. Could the setting be more relevant? Absolutely. But I think it serves its purpose

 

[Tim Sewell]

set.a.light 3D is pretty good for building small virtual sets.

 

[ahalpert]

just for fun, I ran this prompt through runwayml to see what it could come up with: "stage set as seen from audience point of view, with tiers of stage prop steps and platforms, pink and blue palette. photorealistic"

a couple examples:







not quite right, but I think you could get where you wanted to go with the right prompting + defocus it

 

[CharlesPapert]

I don't really have a problem with the opening shot either. It's a hero intro shot. Could the setting be more relevant? Absolutely. But I think it serves its purpose

I forgot this was a sizzle promo for a longer piece, not the piece itself. There may be other shots in the long term piece that dovetails with this. In this clip I just felt like it set up dynamism with the talent portion that it didn't deliver on subsequently. I did a version on one of my first projects (like--40 years ago!) where I shot the subject on Steadicam. At the beginning we led him out of an elevator and into the room where he began speaking. In the edit all of that was cut out (correctly) as "shoe leather". I was of course saddened (probably more like crushed) but it was indeed irrelevant to the final piece, I just wanted to do a legit Steadicam shot!

 

[ahalpert]

I forgot this was a sizzle promo for a longer piece, not the piece itself. There may be other shots in the long term piece that dovetails with this. In this clip I just felt like it set up dynamism with the talent portion that it didn't deliver on subsequently. I did a version on one of my first projects (like--40 years ago!) where I shot the subject on Steadicam. At the beginning we led him out of an elevator and into the room where he began speaking. In the edit all of that was cut out (correctly) as "shoe leather". I was of course saddened (probably more like crushed) but it was indeed irrelevant to the final piece, I just wanted to do a legit Steadicam shot!

Sounds like you're having a PTSD flashback

I think there's a minor distinction between a formal analysis of the style and a goal-oriented analysis. In the formal analysis, I completely agree with you. The opening shot stands apart from the rest of the interview. It serves a purpose but doesn't fit in.

In a goal-oriented analysis, I think it's small potatoes in so far as selling the viewer on the sleep expertise product. It probably adds more than it takes away.

The interview does seem a bit flat and repetitive with just those static shots. Maybe a slider telephoto 3/4 angle roving back and forth would help although I wonder how hard it would be to mesh that with the virtual backgrounds. Tracking dots on the background I suppose

 

[CharlesPapert]

I think that's a pretty reasonable analysis. I'm probably a bit cynical in terms of my hypothesis on the genesis of the shot was and for what purpose, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was accurate.

 

[rob norton]

set.a.light 3D is pretty good for building small virtual sets.

Thanks Tim, I'll check it out.

A virtual set of this type has been pretty standard for high end corporate and broadcast news/magazine shows for a number of years now. This one is pretty simplistic since there's no motion and only two angles in the whole piece. Unless I'm missing something, I'm not seeing much that is creative or new here?

As far as that shoddy element, it's there in the early wide shots, looks like a crappy Photoshop plug layered in there to clean up something (maybe the floor dropped off too much to key cleanly). And then the camera or shot got adjusted for the section you grabbed above and they forget to adjust the position of that element with it. Definitely sloppy all the way around.

The opening shot is actually sort of baffling. It's the only moving shot, it doesn't tell any kind of relevant story or set the tone for what follows. It sort of feels like the director or DP wanted a shot on a gimbal and/or with flares in it for their reel and stuffed it into this project.

Like Abe mentions and I should have cleared up, what I like vs. a commercial success on paper isn't always the same (hardly ever the same). I completely agree and love the term shoe leather. Who gives a crap how someone essentially got to work? I'd rather hear two extra minutes of an expert speaking than watch them walk down a hallway. But as a product, Masterclass' whole thing is exclusive access to the wisdom of well-known leaders in each field, as well as a casual environment which adds an element of getting to hang out with your hero. I think the transit to set shots are helping the brand emphasise that these highly sought after people have left their extremely busy schedule to give a presentation only because it's for Masterclass. Yes, still absolutely shoe leather for me but I get the inclusion. And I'm not saying you didn't understand! Just clearing up my original praise.

And my description of a set build wasn't too accurate. Obviously it's more in digital art territory than believable physical elements. The thin staircases are moving too. I guess I meant they didn't show the green screen for a reason and my guess is they felt it removed value or would've been too distracting and maybe even wanted to fake an LED volume. So nothing new at all, in terms of technique, but what about application? If you faked a believable set in a studio with a green screen, would that be somewhat unique?

Something like this, ignore the fact that there's an actual green screen involved:

Compared to this, which is so over the top, there's no wondering whether they built a large palace:

It's not so much a question of what does the viewer care, but perhaps what's providing value in the advertising world, even if it's subconsciously helping? A production showing that it spent money with BTS is all the rage, which seems to have taken over as a key theme rather than an easter egg, because it's much harder to actually come up with an original idea that stands out.

I've got something coming up and I don't want to copy my example for the actual look, but I'm exploring the idea of whether faking a set build (and now LED wall), that isn't selling yet another location, currently adds any value, since this type of look is often associated with bigger commercial projects, for better or worse. Separate to broadcast only because news is uncool vs. film sets are really cool.

It's for a start up app and despite promising to never help another start up after previously waiting 9 months to be paid, this is for a friend. Being a low to no budget shoot, I've pretty much got the all clear for anything on the creative front, which is the only reason I'm participating. Without any real brand identity, there's potential to extreme, funny, bizarre etc.

not quite right, but I think you could get where you wanted to go with the right prompting + defocus it

Thanks for the attempt Abe! Not quite right? If the person who made the original submitted any of your samples to Masterclass they'd never work again. It's worth checking to see what AI can replace but it still seems like for this, it's better to be driven by a dedicated Artist, even if they're using AI themselves. I'm sure that only took you 20 seconds though, do you think you could have got there with more prompting or would get stuck at a certain point?

 

[ahalpert]

It's for a start up app and despite promising to never help another start up after previously waiting 9 months to be paid, this is for a friend. Being a low to no budget shoot, I've pretty much got the all clear for anything on the creative front, which is the only reason I'm participating. Without any real brand identity, there's potential to extreme, funny, bizarre etc.

Thanks for the attempt Abe! Not quite right? If the person who made the original submitted any of your samples to Masterclass they'd never work again. It's worth checking to see what AI can replace but it still seems like for this, it's better to be driven by a dedicated Artist, even if they're using AI themselves. I'm sure that only took you 20 seconds though, do you think you could have got there with more prompting or would get stuck at a certain point?

To be clear, I was recommending AI as a cost-saving measure, not because I thought it would be preferable to hiring an animator.

That being said, I'm not sure that the example you showed us is really going to fool anyone into thinking that it's an actual set back there? Except that some of the choices are so odd and minimalist that you might think they were forced by limitations of prop availability.

I'm not saying that it's a terrible look. I just see it more as an abstract background that nicely fits the mood and tone of the piece.

I'm not an expert at crafting prompts for the AI, so I really couldn't say how far you could take that process. Also, I think that Midjourney (or possibly Dalle 3) is the tool of choice for people generating AI images. I just use Runway because it has an emphasis on video tools and I use it for various other things, although I"m not sure I'm going to keep the subscription.

Ran it through again with a different prompt and put it behind the guy in the video

 

[rob norton]

To be clear, I was recommending AI as a cost-saving measure, not because I thought it would be preferable to hiring an animator.

That being said, I'm not sure that the example you showed us is really going to fool anyone into thinking that it's an actual set back there? Except that some of the choices are so odd and minimalist that you might think they were forced by limitations of prop availability.

I'm not saying that it's a terrible look. I just see it more as an abstract background that nicely fits the mood and tone of the piece.

I'm not an expert at crafting prompts for the AI, so I really couldn't say how far you could take that process. Also, I think that Midjourney (or possibly Dalle 3) is the tool of choice for people generating AI images. I just use Runway because it has an emphasis on video tools and I use it for various other things, although I"m not sure I'm going to keep the subscription.

Ran it through again with a different prompt and put it behind the guy in the video

Haha nice, that one is pretty funny. Yeah, it's definitely worth considering what the penalty is for saving money.

I agree about not fooling anyone, I mentioned that in the second paragraph above.

Do you do any due diligence in terms of staying away from image generators which are likely to be involved with court cases vs. services that push (so far), that the program learned everything with consent? It would be unfortunate if work had to be removed after the fact if court rulings ban a certain type of AI.

 

[ahalpert]

Do you do any due diligence in terms of staying away from image generators which are likely to be involved with court cases vs. services that push (so far), that the program learned everything with consent? It would be unfortunate if work had to be removed after the fact if court rulings ban a certain type of AI.

Let's assume that our primary concern is copyright enforcement and legal action

Even if the law came down on a specific AI-generating platform or even a specific type of material, I really doubt that anyone is going to come after your video or my video with a cease and desist. They would probably just set guidelines for what the AI company could offer its customers going forward. If you're really concerned, you could try to finish the project in a way that would be easy to replace AI material later.

But to answer your question, no. I don't do any due diligence regarding image generators. I'm also not using a ton of image generating. Probably like an average of one shot per edit, mostly expanding a background or erasing something. I'm using audio stuff more. But I'm trying to stay attuned to the possibilities and make sure I take advantage of what's available.

Just had another voice clone moment today. Tight edit turnaround. Subject said "1977" instead of "1979." Boom, fixed.

 

[Andy9]

But to answer your question, no. Just had another voice clone moment today. Tight edit turnaround. Subject said "1977" instead of "1979." Boom, fixed.

Sorry if you said upthread but what software / service are you using for this?

 

[ahalpert]

Sorry if you said upthread but what software / service are you using for this?

Speechify