Finally shooting in color

[Janice Arthur]

Hi all;

 

I just wanted to make a comment about using a color LCD instead of my tried and true Green screen.

 

It was wonderful!!!!

 

I have a back up little rig that I rent out occasionally and I thought it would be fun to try on this stage show job I had today. No stress, doing a friend a favor, less of a big deal if it gets bumped, etc.

 

I'd put an inexpensive 7" LCD on the rig (much like an EFP) with a couple of cool mods.

 

It was truely a pleasure, after 24 years of a green screen, to shoot and see the image as it is.

 

I found myself not having to imagine as much what the final product would be and in some ways forcing my imagination to that leap. GB always mentioned at his workshops how you have to image a 30' screen, it was much much easier this way. It was always good for me to see the product in playback or in dailies to make that leap concrete in my mind.

 

I have to say that in green/grey/black tones I think you (I) sometimes frame for the graphic shapes and the negative and positive spaces as much as for the content.

 

It was really fun to be able to pick out the lead singer by his clothes color and not mistake him for someone else because I had to momentarily figure out who was in my frame.

 

Anyway, lesson learned and fun revelations.

 

Janice

[RobVanGelder]

Hi Janice,

you mentioned exactly those reasons why i would not want to go back to greenscreen!

 

Finding the right person in color out of many, seeing those little orange warning piramids in the background, or that red/white closure tape, or just to find the people in a jungle (all green) setting.

 

Sure you *can* have sharper images on greenscreen, or at least it appears like that due to edge enhancing, but the current generation of LCD is more than capable to show the output of all video assists and most video cameras quit well.

 

There are still some characteristics which are behind the green screens (the top range) but the difference is getting smaller every year.

 

Some time ago i did a shoot with a B&W video assist and it was like starting all over, very difficult to see what is in frame, in this case all between gray foliage. A LCD has no advantage there then, but it shows somewhat you see on a greenscreen.