Green Screening help

[Venman711]

Hey guys, this is my first time posting, and I need some help.

I am doing a short which requires some dangerous driving to be done, and obviously, safety first, so this has been my solution to the problem. My camera is a T2i, and all I have is the standard lens for shooting. (I also have a 75mm - 300mm, but that is hardly usable in this scene) So, I ended up doing a test shoot with it and trying the key, but the problem was I shot it with an ISO of 1600, which the key worked just fine, but the grain was awful. So, I gave it another shot with an ISO of 400, and everything was visible, however I think it was just too dark to get the key to be right. The grain in the dark area's was appalling, which I am guessing is because the green wasn't bright enough, and the interior of the car is fairly dark. I used all my available lights for this shoot, to which about the only thing I can think of doing differently is hitting the green screen with out the umbrellas for a much brighter light. However, the question I want to get to is if I were to say, get a new lens (since I hardly think the standard one is really good for most shoots anyway), which one should I get? My F-Stop would only go down to 4, and I don't want to have the shutter speed to slow, since it is a key. I was looking at a 35mm F2 lens (f1.4 is... expensive). Any help would be appreciated.

 

[nothing]

Yes, lose the umbrellas - green screen light doesn't need to be soft, just even. For the interior of the car, move your chimera key light closer to the windshield, as close as you can go without being in the shot. If that isn't enough you can try to hide some small lights inside the car - LED sources are great for that use.

Lights are cheap to rent compared to most camera gear - bring in more photons if you need them. Just be sure to have someone with juicing experience if you bring in any big guns.

What focal length are you at with your zoom when you are framed up? That would determine what length prime lens you would need - if your sliding-stop kit lens is at f/4 I think you might be wider than 30mm. Are you only doing one size? If you need both 2-shots and closeups, then you might be screwed if you only get one prime. An f/2.8 zoom might be a good compromise if you need more coverage.

 

[SDesign]

I watched this green screen lighting tutorial yesterday and it was great. There is sure to be some tips that will help you out. The first two that Eve did were equally informative. I hope this is helpful. Enjoy!

Regards,
Aric Spence
DSLR Solutions
http://www.dslrsolutions.net

Hey guys, this is my first time posting, and I need some help.

I am doing a short which requires some dangerous driving to be done, and obviously, safety first, so this has been my solution to the problem. My camera is a T2i, and all I have is the standard lens for shooting. (I also have a 75mm - 300mm, but that is hardly usable in this scene) So, I ended up doing a test shoot with it and trying the key, but the problem was I shot it with an ISO of 1600, which the key worked just fine, but the grain was awful. So, I gave it another shot with an ISO of 400, and everything was visible, however I think it was just too dark to get the key to be right. The grain in the dark area's was appalling, which I am guessing is because the green wasn't bright enough, and the interior of the car is fairly dark. I used all my available lights for this shoot, to which about the only thing I can think of doing differently is hitting the green screen with out the umbrellas for a much brighter light. However, the question I want to get to is if I were to say, get a new lens (since I hardly think the standard one is really good for most shoots anyway), which one should I get? My F-Stop would only go down to 4, and I don't want to have the shutter speed to slow, since it is a key. I was looking at a 35mm F2 lens (f1.4 is... expensive). Any help would be appreciated.


View attachment 45569View attachment 45570View attachment 45571View attachment 45572

 

[Venman711]

Yes, lose the umbrellas - green screen light doesn't need to be soft, just even. For the interior of the car, move your chimera key light closer to the windshield, as close as you can go without being in the shot. If that isn't enough you can try to hide some small lights inside the car - LED sources are great for that use.

Lights are cheap to rent compared to most camera gear - bring in more photons if you need them. Just be sure to have someone with juicing experience if you bring in any big guns.

What focal length are you at with your zoom when you are framed up? That would determine what length prime lens you would need - if your sliding-stop kit lens is at f/4 I think you might be wider than 30mm. Are you only doing one size? If you need both 2-shots and closeups, then you might be screwed if you only get one prime. An f/2.8 zoom might be a good compromise if you need more coverage.

Thank you very much for responding! That shot in particular only lasts, maybe, 5 seconds, so the need for multiple shots is not necessary. I would like to get a faster telephoto lens, but I also would like to get a few primes over time. I still need to rig up my camera as well. So much to do to my poor underused T2i.

Again, thank you for your response! It was most helpful.

 

[ErikTande]

Shoot it outside on a cloudy day, it will give you amazing lighting for free. All my best greenscreen stuff is shot that way. You end up with a FLAWLESSLY evenly lit greenscreen, it will key like a dream.

 

[Michael Carter]

For faster primes for the T2i, look into Nikon glass with an adapter as well. I use an older AIS 28mm 2.8 as my "normal" lens for most shots. Going wide on a small sensor cam may mean you're shooting with something like an F4 lens, unless you can afford a really nice wide prime. I often use an 18-35 Nikkor AF on my Canon, but at the tele end it's 4.5, 3.5 on the wide. It's a great, sharp lens, and under $400 because of the slower aperture.

I'd get more lights vs. trying to shoot wide open. Keying DSLR footage can be tough, and shooting around 5.6 can really help clean up a DSLR key. Try to shoot without going past 400 ASA, too.