Need a Green Screen

G

ggrantly

Veteran
Hello Listers,

I have never needed to green screen anything yet, but the day is coming this fall. I am going to start working on this now so I can get some practice between now and then. I have some paper and muslin backgrounds and stand hardware. My lighting will be tungsten and with larger softboxes.

Suggestions for favorite brand or type of green screen background would be appreciated.


Thanks in Advance,
Grant
 
If you're just starting out, just paint a large piece of muslin with some Behr Sparkling Apple paint. Get a cardboard core from a floor covering store and roll the muslin onto it when it's dry to keep it from getting wrinkled.

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Seamless paper is wonderfully cheap, basically disposable. There's various types of fabric at different price points. You can mail order paper & fabric from places like Calument, B&H, The Set Shop, etc.

If you need a really large area, use paint. Rosco makes chroma green & chroma blue paint, but at something like $60/gallon. You might be able to have something mixed up by your local hardware or paint store if you bring a sample.
 
Thanks for the great replies.

Chris, but I can't afford the time to paint and monkey with this too much, so I intend to buy. And I am a terrible painter!

I have had trouble keeping muslins from becoming wrinkled and the wrinkled muslin look just doesn't work for me. Pressing them every time is just too much hassle. For backgrounds in general, I tend to go for paper, use it once or twice and roll off some more.

How about a Savage product like this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/45497-REG/Savage_46_12_107_x_12yds_Background.html

Or a canvas type product from Mathews.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...0_Solid_MATT_Green_Screen.html#specifications

Any other advice is worth listening to, or is it reading...ya reading.


Grant
 
Seamless paper is garbage in my experience. Half the time it's got puckers in it or some similar issue. It's cheap, but if you want a uniform surface as a background, it's generally a gamble. As for a green seamless, I've found that they just aren't green enough.

That Matthews greenscreen is WAY overpriced. Try here: http://www.laraghouse.com/

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ggrantly said:
I have had trouble keeping muslins from becoming wrinkled and the wrinkled muslin look just doesn't work for me. Pressing them every time is just too much hassle.
Click to expand...

This can be a problem with any fabric. There are some foam backed fabrics that resist wrinkling if they're handled properly, but if you do get a wrinkle in them it's permanent. Maybe you can stretch out the fabric on a frame. There are also some pop-up type systems that do this, but they're not very big.
 
Chris,

I have had good luck with still photos and the Savage paper products. I don't have problems with the pucker or divit factor. So you don't feel they work out for ChromaKey because of color?


Thanks,
Grant
 
ggrantly said:
Chris,

I have had good luck with still photos and the Savage paper products. I don't have problems with the pucker or divit factor. So you don't feel they work out for ChromaKey because of color?


Thanks,
Grant
Click to expand...


I have a roll of the green and it looks really dull to me and certainly nothing like the digital green backgrounds unless they have better green paper since I got what I have. I think there are certainly limitations as to the green dyes used for paper compared to the special textile material they use for the fabric greenscreens.

A real greenscreen is made of the foam material, has an opaque black backing, and has eyelets on all sides. This material is resistant to wrinkling and you can spray them with water from a spray bottle to relax wrinkles out.

Seriously consider LA Raghouse over the Matthews rags. They also make custom sizes.

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