Blog 11: Green Screen Show

The green screen method of filming is a simple way of placing backgrounds and objects into a scene that is not originally there.  The way this works is as follows; the green screen is focused on by a color camera with RGB output and the green color that the camera sees is sent to a film editing device or software that has chroma key abilities.  Then adjustments are made on the camera to cancel out the green color leaving a blank screen ready to place a background.  But the trick is that all green colors (if a green screen is used rather than blue which is another commonly used color because they are the farthest from skin color) will appear invincible in the video.  So for example if a weatherman is wearing a green tie, the tie will appear invincible and you would be able to see right through it.  Weather broadcasts are the only other usage of a green screen that I have ever encountered and was able to see a demonstration on this as a kid.  I thought it was very interesting that what was being taped was a man standing in front of a green screen and what viewers saw was a full weather broadcast.  Weathermen are very talented in that they have to view what is shown behind them and then be able to point and incorporate themselves in the broadcast.