Greenscreen from a print shop

[Park Edwards]

Hello. I was thinking of having a print shop print out some green screens and cut them to a certain size. I think I'd spend less money this way and there wouldn't be any wrinkles and the color should be exact. Anyone else try this?

 

[clang]

Depends on what they can print onto - most printing fabrics (and inks) are designed for signage rather than photographic background use. In particular, gloss (reflections) could be a problem, and I'm not clear why you think wrinkles wouldn't be a problem.

Worth a try though.

 

[Park Edwards]

Wrinkles would be a problem, from what i've read and heard. You'd want it stretched and completely even, right? Yeah, no gloss, just regular matte was what I was thinking.

 

[Egg Born Son]

You can buy rolls of seamless background paper over 100in+ wide and 12 yards long for around $40-50 and that's just looking at the first three pages on google. Will a print shop be any cheaper? I bought my green 18ft x 9ft seamless fabric sheet for under $50 delivered and that's in Australia, I'm sure it can be had for even cheaper in the US. White cost the same.

 

[Park Edwards]

You can buy rolls of seamless background paper over 100in+ wide and 12 yards long for around $40-50 and that's just looking at the first three pages on google. Will a print shop be any cheaper? I bought my green 18ft x 9ft seamless fabric sheet for under $50 delivered and that's in Australia, I'm sure it can be had for even cheaper in the US. White cost the same.

I need them cut to an exact size. So I figured it would be cheaper. I'm covering the windows of a grocery store -- shooting at night and need to green screen the windows to appear daylight in post. I guess I'll just have to see which would be more cost friendly, but my inital question was whether anyone has tried the print shop method.

 

[Egg Born Son]

Hmm. Okay, you could cut down the large roll yourself but if the price difference is negligible you might as well save yourself the labour. How were you intending to affix them to the windows? The green screen will need to be lit evenly, requiring extra lighting. Further lighting on the inside of the store to 'shine in'. Seems like a hard way to go about it. How many shots will you be green screening? Can you not edit around them? Where are you getting your outdoor footage from? If it's from within the same store can you not get a couple of quick shots in front of the window and edit around the rest? Sorry, I'm not trying to be difficult here or have a go, I know your question was a lot simpler. I am genuinely curious in case I ever find myself in the same situation.

 

[Park Edwards]

Hmm. Okay, you could cut down the large roll yourself but if the price difference is negligible you might as well save yourself the labour. How were you intending to affix them to the windows? The green screen will need to be lit evenly, requiring extra lighting. Further lighting on the inside of the store to 'shine in'. Seems like a hard way to go about it. How many shots will you be green screening? Can you not edit around them? Where are you getting your outdoor footage from? If it's from within the same store can you not get a couple of quick shots in front of the window and edit around the rest? Sorry, I'm not trying to be difficult here or have a go, I know your question was a lot simpler. I am genuinely curious in case I ever find myself in the same situation.

Nope, all very good questions.

I intend to stick them to the windows with double-sided tape. I believe I can light it evenly with some 600s soft-boxed pointing at the green screens from either the roof or from the side out of frame. I will have some shine-in light with a few flo banks pointing at the actors and maybe from outside. I believe I will get permission to do some test lighting before the actual day of the shoot, which will be incredibly helpful.

There will be at least two shots as of now that will require green screen. I don't believe I can edit around them as I really want the visual of daylight, and my only option is shoot when the store is closed, overnight. I haven't decided where I will get my outdoor footage yet. The character speaks in front of the windows, so there's no real way to edit around it.

 

[Egg Born Son]

Double-sided tape, doh! Yeah, dumb question that one! Would it be possible to film in front of the windows of a different location? Or even just in front of a big piece of glass on the street. But you're right, having got permission to use the location unless you're paying big bucks you want to be as unintrusive as possible. That said, if it's two quick scenes and they are excited to have a film being shot in their store there might be a quiet day/time where you can get your shots if you're fast. Especially if you only need a section of the store front. Failing that, for all it seems a lot of work it sounds like you've got your bases covered. The only other issue I can forsee is that you might need to black off the outside of the windows if there is street lighting which might shine through thinner paper. Black builder's film is cheap and would do the trick.

As to your OP never done it but I suggest you call a couple of print shops for a quote. Actually it just occured to me, my workmate's son is a signwriter. They've got a paper guillotine at the workshop that can handle seriously huge widths of paper. That might be another angle to try, beats a pair of scissors!

 

[clang]

I'm dubious about sticking the green to the windows; I suspect it will be hard to light. The usual method i've seen for greenscreening outside car windows is to use a normal greenscreen a metre or so away from the car - the advantage being that the greenscreen can then be lit normally from outside the car, independently of the in-car lighting.

 

[AdrianF]

I don't if window mounting on the outside will work the way you want, but have you looked at foamex (PVC) board? In the UK, there are a few companies that print to this for exhibitions etc. I presume you can find the same in the US. It's really flexible and can be cut easily and then mounted to a lot of surfaces using velcro stickers. I'm setting up a sort of modular bank of green screen panels in my studio and have gone this route. I'm using chroma green tape for the seams.

I've tried mounting the thinner board to windows with velcro strips ( as a blackout ) and it holds well.

Found this bookmark for a company that sells green board in different sizes. Not sure how accurate the green is though.
http://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk/pvc-foamex-board/green-foamex-matt-finish.html

 

[Park Edwards]

I'm dubious about sticking the green to the windows; I suspect it will be hard to light. The usual method i've seen for greenscreening outside car windows is to use a normal greenscreen a metre or so away from the car - the advantage being that the greenscreen can then be lit normally from outside the car, independently of the in-car lighting.

The green screens will mounted on the inside of the windows. It shouldn't be too hard to light. I think somewhere down the line it has been mistaken that I'll be putting them on the outside.

 

[Park Edwards]

I don't if window mounting on the outside will work the way you want, but have you looked at foamex (PVC) board? In the UK, there are a few companies that print to this for exhibitions etc. I presume you can find the same in the US. It's really flexible and can be cut easily and then mounted to a lot of surfaces using velcro stickers. I'm setting up a sort of modular bank of green screen panels in my studio and have gone this route. I'm using chroma green tape for the seams.

I've tried mounting the thinner board to windows with velcro strips ( as a blackout ) and it holds well.

Found this bookmark for a company that sells green board in different sizes. Not sure how accurate the green is though.
http://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk/pvc-foamex-board/green-foamex-matt-finish.html

That is quite expensive, but viable option. But like I mentioned in my previous post, the screens will be inside the store.

 

[MattinSTL]

I can't imagine a print shop would make something better then green muslin fabric or the green paper option. (I have the giant roll of green paper like egg born son mentioned). Anything I've got from a print shop was shiny... and you may want to double check with them when you ask to use all the green ink they have in stock.

Rosco makes green-screen tape... I'd use that to tape down the green paper as if you were going to spray-paint everything but the windows. I would guess that to give you the most precision, at the lowest price.

The green paper IS chroma-green BTW... not just an arbitrary "close" shade of green... no it's right on the mark. As is the tape.