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Chroma vs. Melon Green
I have a friend who is the creative director of a small production co. He is trying to save money by using a melon green paint instead of a chroma key. What are the drawbacks? I am very new to the field of video production, but I am concerned that he may end up spending more on the post production end by needing to fix any discrepancy caused by not using the right key.
M. Oliver Watson
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6 Replies
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Well, “Chroma Key Green” is a color that was developed by a company named “Ultimatte”. They produced a unit that keyed out green backgrounds for composite work. the “Green Color” was developed to match the criteria for their keying unit.
Actually, you can use any green that is close to that same yellowish green color. As an example, head down to your local art supply store and ask for a green foam core board. Use it to shoot a green key. it’s actually the perfect color. After some testing. and some great results, take the card to a paint store and have them match the color.
And there ya go…
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
Chroma means color and the fact is that you can “key” with almost any color as long as it does not appear in the foreground object. Green is most popular because it is never in skin tone and rarely in wardrobe; if it is simply choose another color (blue obviously is the second choice). Furthermore green is chosen because it is so “bright” and requires the least amount of lighting to bring it to the stop under foreground exposure which is ideal.
JS
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If the talent wears something with yellow in it, finding a clean key will become more difficult with the melon shade background. Khaki pants or shirts may show thru in spots, for example. Nobody has worn chromakey green since around 1972, so its a safer choice.
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You guys are awesome and I am humbled. I guess that’s why my friend is the Creative Director and I am merely his friend. But I am learning. And by the way, I’m from the seventies and as a disclaimer, I can honestly say that I never wore melon green, elephant bells with purple people all over them maybe, but never melon green.
M. Oliver Watson
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[Mark Suszko] “Nobody has worn chromakey green since around 1972, so its a safer choice.”
???? So that’s why they’re staring…
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD . -
saving 30 bucks on paint to spend 600 extra in post is reverse of money-saving. try not to be too hard on him but try not to let him make any decisions either.
Go ahead and use ultimatte paint. You’ll love the reflective agent in it designed to help yuo in post. Heck, go ahead and light it too while your at it.
lol
feel free to fire the creative director. This is a job invented for friends of the executive producer who have no experience with anything. You’ll be listening to the director and you are suppose to just pretend to hear whatever the creative director is babbling about in the back ground. I have found grinning, nodding and a thumbs up passifies them for 30 minutes.
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