Green screen lighting questions

[Rick Wise]

Probably the easiest units for you to handle would be either two Kino Flo Diva 200, or two Diva 400. There are cheaper alternatives — look up CoolLights, FloLight, and also browse through B&H fluorescents — sort low-to-high and start looking around $300 and up. However, in the long run, the Kino Flos will probably serve you best. The off-brands tend to have a green spike. In fact, even the Divas have that problem when burned facing down — not something you will need to worry about for your green screen, however.

Rick Wise
director of photography
Oakland, CA
http://www.RickWiseDP.com
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Mike Cooper]

I’m looking at this package:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/489865-REG/Kino_Flo_KIT_D42_120U_Diva_Lite_400_Universal_Two.html

It has Two Diva 400 Fixtures. When working with a kit like this, does the concept of 3-point lighting still apply? I am noticing that these kits do not come with the same number of lights as the Arri light kits so I am just wondering what else I should be looking into for this kit. If I purchase these two 400 fixtures what will I be able to do with them? Light my green screen and then use the Arris to light the subject? Or should I buy some additional Kino Flos for the key and backlight?

Thanks for your patience!!!!

[John Sharaf]

Mike,

My greenscreen lighting kit (for portraiture in front of screen) is all Kino Flo. This way I keep the “set” cool and am able to use practical power without worrying about blowing fuses. Assuming an 8×8 screen, I’ll use 2 # 4’Two banks on the screen, left and right, another 4’Twobank over the screen as a backlight (this will seperate both the head and shoulders) and then a 4’Fourbank as key and another 4’Twoback as fill if necessary.

Obviously I prefer the 4′ Kino’s, especially for key as the large source size makes for a very soft light and by switching tubes on and off allows for total control of exposure and ratios.

The problem I have with Diva’s is mixing them with the conventional Kino’s, they burn at a different color and change color when they heat up. I prefer to keep everything the same color.

Now you could do essentially the same thing with 2′ Banks, but remember that it takes a 2’Fourbank to equal the output of a 4’Twobank.

Good luck!

JS

[Rick Wise]

“If I purchase these two 400 fixtures what will I be able to do with them? Light my green screen and then use the Arris to light the subject? Or should I buy some additional Kino Flos for the key and backlight? ”

Yes, use the arris to light your subject. Or, if you have access to lots of funds, get a Diva 400 for key, and a 200 for backlight. (And a 4×4 sheet of foamcore to bounce fill from the key.) Also, get a few c-stands, a couple of flags, a variety of grip-scrims, and a few sheets of 1/4 CTO (orange), 1/4 CTB (blue) for starters.

Finally, you could also go the classic Kino Flo route, two 4x4s for the green screen, plus another one for key, and a 2×2 for the backlight. Add the c-stands etc.

Note the Diva package you list does NOT seem to include bulbs.

Rick Wise
director of photography
Oakland, CA
http://www.RickWiseDP.com
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Douglas Toltzman]

I have a tutorial on Toolfarm that illustrates a shot using the minimum amount of green screen.

Link to tutorial

Also, I agree with lighting the green screen below the foreground for a couple of reasons. One of them is that you can choke the key to avoid keying objects that are brighter than the background (at least you can with my chroma-key software, Vkey2). That way, your green reflections will be brighter than the green screen, allowing you to avoid keying foreground objects. Then by using green suppression (also built into Vkey2), everything will look quite natural.

[Ramandeep Dhillon]

for indoors i will recomend blue screen,
we are hosting tv shows for last 4-5 years in front of blue screen (blue color painted on a wall)with only 3 lights, 1k for bluescreen and 2 500s for key and fill of the host, more distance from screen more easy it is.
and we use canopus edius for editing and the keyer is awesome, you click once and you are done, never had any problem in the past(except if someone wears blue for the interviews)

Ramandeep Dhillon

[Dennis Size]

This has been one of the wildest — and I think longest threads — I’ve seen in the FORUM in years….. and I would have thought the greenscreen lighting “horse” would have been long since beaten to death.
One thing it certainly does prove to Mike is how many different ways there are to light something.
That being said I’ll throw my two cents in…in the form of a question. Doesn’t anyone use the good old fashioned inexpensive scoop anymore? It’d only take three 10″ fixtures to nicely light the greenscreen – or bluescreen – and they can be bought used for probably around $50 apiece. Mike could just use the ARRI fixtures he already owns, and diffuse the hell out of them to light his talent. If he wants to go wild and put in a couple backlights/sidelights he could just buy a couple of cheap PAR 38’s and he’s off and running.
The other option is to spend a lot of moneyand buy a few Divas, Image 80’s, Parabeams, Brightlines (or whatever) and go wild. Normally when I light something I base it on the space, the client’s needs, his ability to pay for the job, and the abilities of the in house crew to maintain it. Did everyone look at the “studio”? It’s not exactly the Sony Sound stages.
One word of advice Mike….keep it simple until you get a complete understanding of lighting and it’s uses. You’ll be happier.

DS

[Rick Wise]

All great advice.

I had completely forgotten about Scoops. One of my favorite gaffers loves to light green screen with scoops, while another prefers space lights. Note that the larger ones (16″ and up) use halogen bulbs, which last much longer and maintain color temperature, unlike photofloods for the 10″ size.

Rick Wise
director of photography
Oakland, CA
http://www.RickWiseDP.com
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com