Digital News Unit: Green Screen Test Day

As part of our development and research, we went to the studios to test the green screen before the important shoot. We hired out the kit and one of the rooms so we can practice using the equipment which I personally have never used before. Luckily for me, I had Chris there to give help and advice, as well as share his knowledge due to having worked with green screen before.

The day started off rather abruptly due to a mix up with the bookings.. However this quickly got sorted and we were in the room with all the equipment needed. We all helped set up the green screen, and then Helen and I were in charge of the lighting while Chris set up the camera. After researching about lighting, Helen and I used that to great effect by placing them in the desired areas, however this turned out to be trickier than we thought as that wasn't enough to light up the whole screen (which needs to be equally lit). In the end we managed to do it, which was one of the highlights of the day, as it meant we could execute this procedure quickly and efficiently on the day of shooting.

We originally used the Sony to practice on, however after shooting different clips with different people, we realised the quality of the image was not good enough which started to frustrate us all. We then made the decision to try a Canon, which Vic kindly lent to us, and this turned out to be a million times better! The image was much clearer and sharper, which is what we need for a successful project.

Overall it was a very productive day which helped us all a lot in terms of use of the equipment. We found out what camera to use, where to place the lights, and what filters to use to get the best results. On a personal point, I enhanced my knowledge and understanding of a subject which I wasn't very clear about, therefore this test day was very useful to me and my future use with green screen.