Green Screen: How To Use Effectively

By Phil Guye

The arrival of satellite TV has seen the virtual explosion of TV channels, broadcasters, production homes and content producers. The reason being because satellite TV and direct to home platforms have indeed pushed the frontiers of TV broadcasting beyond all conceivable boundaries and onto a worldwide scale. It is no wonder that TV networks across the globe utilize the utilization of a Green screen.

One of the common methods that are utilized in TV program production is that of using a Green screen in the background of the studio where a particular programme is being shot. This is an element of the technique of chroma key which deals in particular with the removal of certain images in the background of the shot and superimposing this with some other image, which is better for the production. For example, one can use a screen that's green in colour behind a broadcaster who is reading out the weather stories. When viewers watch the programme, the green or blue screen as the case might be is replaced with a weather map or scenes of certain cities or satellite photographs being shown instead.

A Green screen is very useful for chroma key uses, on account of the fact the ordinary human skin tone has very little parts of green in it. This provides help in high standard of image superimposition as well as the replacement of background, without interfering much with the general view of the broadcaster who is standing in the foreground. If there had been any green hint or tone in human skin, parts of the body would became invisible when using the other colored screen, making the effect quite odd and intensely unseemly and incongruous.

One of the main blessings of using a Green screen is that it is fairly simple to execute as well as being cost effective. If one were to use a huge plasma or HDTV screen behind the broadcaster, the effect might be marvellous, but the price tag would be far bigger than using a green screen. In these days of depression, where cost management is the key, the dice is loaded for using cheaper options.

One can easily make a Green screen that can be used in television programme production. For this, something as simple as a table cloth may be employed. This fabric has to be frequently painted, so that there are no smudges or uneven areas that would stand out when the show goes on air. One can also employ a plain wall that is uniformly painted in green to form the coloured background. One of the tips to remember when using such a screen is if the background image is one of trees or forests, green is a more acceptable color to use than blue for the background, while if the image is of the sea or the sky, green would not be so apt. Using a green screen is therefore an efficient way of utilizing chroma key method in television programme production, which is preferred due to its simplicity and inexpensiveness. - 29967

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