Green Screens and Blue Screens in Film and TV
If you watch special features on DVDs, you’ve probably seen your share of green screens and blue screens being used to create backgrounds for scenes in movies. The screens save time and money and solve logistical problems that otherwise might be impossible. In the film Angels and Demons, Ron Howard’s crew used massive green screens in a football parking lot to reproduce a crowed Saint Peter’s Square.
This is a little montage showing scenes from several films and TV shows where the chroma key is turned on an off to reveal some surprising ways filmmakers use green screens. I was particularly shocked (and delighted) to see city street scenes from Ugly Betty shot entirely on green screen.
Side-by-side comparison of Canon 5D Mark II and iPhone 4S
If you’ve been lusting for a Canon 5D Mark II, but haven’t been willing or able to drop all that cash, an iPhone 4S may be all you need.
This video shows side-by-side footage shot by a 5D and iPhone 4S. 1080p is 1080p so I’m not entirely surprised by how good iPhone 4S performs in this demo. The 5D Mark II doesn’t really distinguish itself in daylight. It’s performance is mind-blowing in low-light conditions.
If I see a comparison like this shot with the light of a single candle without a notable difference, then I’ll be impressed. Based on this demo, it looks like iPhone 4S is going to deliver a lot of great video … at least in daylight.
iPhone 4S / Canon 5d MKII Side by Side Comparison from Robino Films on Vimeo.
/via Joseph Thornton
Read MoreNew Tech for Realistically inserting an Object into a Photo
There are several cool special effects scenes in The Bloodstone Diaries, the short film I got to work on earlier this year. The biggest effect, created by Les Galusha, involved a Hummer being raised in the air and flipped over three actors the Hummer was chasing. Tools are being developed that enable digital artists and filmakers to accomplish things a low costs that would have taken a massive Hollywood budget just a few years ago.
Kevin Karsch, Varsha Hedau, David Forsyth, and Derek Hoiem just published a paper demonstrating the method they’ve been working on to realistically insert synthetic objects into existing photographs with only a small amount of input. This video demonstrates how effective their method is for producing realistic lighting, shadows and reflections.
Rendering Synthetic Objects into Legacy Photographs from Kevin Karsch on Vimeo.
You can read the team’s project paper here. 3D objects were rendered using LuxRender.
Read MoreBehind the Scenes of The Bloodstone Diaries: Thief of All Things
Since the end of GeekBrief.TV, I’ve done a lot of stuff, but not a lot of it has been public.
- I’ve search for life’s meaning and found it means what we make of it; and if we don’t make it mean what we want, it’s just mean.
- I’ve studied filmmaking, UX design and story telling.
- I’ve produced several videos for other people.
- I’ve worked on two novels I hope to finish in the next few months.
- I took care of my grandmother and her sister last winter.
- I produced a set of Ballet DVDs for a local dance company.
- AND my favorite project …
Earlier this year, Let’s Think Productions was shooting a short film in my hometown. Mark Givens who oversees MainStreet El Dorado introduced me to Margy Neil, one of the Let’s Think producers, and Margy invited me to shoot the “Making of” stuff for The Bloodstone Diaries: Thief of All Things. I captured about 15 hours of behind-the-scenes footage during the four day shoot, and it was just about the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.
I learned a lot while working on this project, and gained a lot of respect for Gerry Bruno, the director (who’s mother makes a mean red sauce!). Watching the Academy Awards all my life, I wondered what the point of making short films is. Who watches them? Where are they shown? It’s simple. Short films are like little auditions where people who want to make feature films show what they can do. Gerry is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and his laugh is the most joy-filled laugh I’ve ever heard. I hope the world get’s to experience his talent in a much bigger way.
Thief of All Things premiered Saturday in El Dorado, Arkansas, the place I grew up. It will be making it’s way around the film festival circuit, and hopefully picking up awards along the way.
I have enough footage to make a feature-length documentary about the project. I doubt I’ll do that, but here’s a short to give you a glimpse of some of the work that went into the project, and a taste of the story about Bettie Lawrence who becomes possessor of The Bloodstone.