What is a green screen?

A green screen can be a wall, backdrop or cloth that’s – as you may have guessed – green. We use green because it’s not a common colour in clothing or skin.

Using a process called “chroma keying”, we can take the green colour and remove it from a video. This makes it easy for us to add a different background to an interview, training video or similar piece to camera.

This technique can be useful for budget reasons, like if a location is too expensive to hire. It can also be handy for technical reasons such as a location being too loud, busy, or simply a health and safety challenge.

Green Screen 1

Making the impossible possible

 

In Hollywood green screens are often used to place actors in fantasy worlds or on other planets. In the realm of corporate video the reasons are usually more down to earth.

For example, if a location has noise issues or health and safety limitations we could use a green screen for filming an interview off-site. This would allow us to superimpose an image of the location behind the interviewee.

In this example, the karate instructor couldn’t be interviewed while his class was in session, so we filmed some of the class and used it as a backdrop for his interview that we filmed later on.

Our green screen solutions

At Southpoint Films, we have a variety of solutions for filming with a green screen.

Our biggest resource is our studio in Southampton, which is fitted with a permanent 4.6m wide floor-to-ceiling green screen.

We also have a variety of portable green screens, including pop-up green screens and green cloths, as pictured, which can be used on location.

If a green screen is the right solution for your project, we’ve got you covered.

1912 tpf studio History Channel

Dressing for green screen

 

We’re often asked about what should be worn in front of a green screen. The simple answer is “anything but green” – so don’t wear a shirt like the one pictured!

Because the “chroma keying” process removes the entire colour from an image, wearing the colour we intend to remove can cause problems.

Other than that, there are no special requirements beyond our usual suggestions for what to wear on camera.

Take your next step

While we’ll always advocate for using a real location whenever possible, using a green screen opens up a whole world of possibilities for creative video production.

Combined with our excellent post-production services, a green screen can be the difference between a project succeeding or not.

To find out whether using a green screen is the right approach for your project, or to simply book in your next shoot with us, please get in touch.

Get A Quote

Green Screen 4