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  • How to best use green screen or other color if better to key the subject or if there is masking technique that is more effective in Final CUt

    Posted by Ray Butler on August 7, 2018 at 9:07 pm

    I am a relative novice at doing videos, , as i am doing them in conjunction with solo classical guitar on you tube etc.
    What i am trying to achieve if possible is to simulate me playing in various outdoor or other settings (where it is too difficult to get good audio recording)
    by recording the guitar first with some green screen technique, , then using a video background i would shoot of the outside venue/ the only things i need to show in the guitar part is me performing and sitting on a chair with footstool- as if i am superimposed on any background i choose- in this case some wedding related scenery . i want to be able to place my guitar part anywhere in the screen not just the foreground, as if i am playing in the middle of a part or on a gazebo, and still use be able to do zoom and other techniques during the guitar playing , where i could do a long shot to start and gradually expand the guitar part with zoom so that the proportional background is also expanded in synch i have used the overlay technique previously with varying degrees of opaqueness but i dont know if there is masking that could automatically block out the overlay video background on the portion of me playing?
    my only alternative is to prerecord, and then shoot the video, but it is very difficult to have my hands synched perfectly to complicated music that does not follow
    a click track like beat- as classical music ebbs and flows . and i dont want it to look like i am not playing in synch which most other musicians, especially guitarists would discern. i would be using various cameras with different angles to initial guitar vid .

    thank you Ray Butler

    Ray Butler replied 7 years, 11 months ago 3 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • Doug Metz

    August 10, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    Hi Ray,

    What you are describing, from a video production standpoint, would be very costly, hideously time consuming, and would almost certainly result in poor visual quality.

    In your situation, I would instead focus on getting good remote sound. Start with a good mic, maybe an LR Baggs Lyric or something similar, which is installed in your guitar. You could then use a portable audio recorder and sync to the video before you edit, or take your chances with a wireless system to transmit directly to camera.

    Focusing on getting better audio while shooting the performance would be far less expensive, much better quality, and really quick.

    Doug Metz

    Anode

  • Ron Lindeboom

    September 24, 2018 at 10:31 pm

    What it sounds like to me, Ray, is that doing a locked greenscreen shoot of you playing recorded with good mics is your best option — if I read your question correctly. Lock down the mic position and the stool you are playing on and then if you only have one camera, you could move the camera to another angle and then play to the click to keep your timing accurate — by having the mic and stool position locked, your audio should be very close if you wish to use audio from any of the other “takes” should your need arise. Repeat as needed to get your angles into the can. Then you can edit the various angles, as needed, and drop out the greenscreen to get the “location” shots that you want.

    I hope that I understood your question correctly.

    Best regards,

    Ronald Lindeboom
    CEO, Creative COW LLC

    Creativity is a process wherein the student and the teacher are located in the same individual.

  • Ray Butler

    September 25, 2018 at 1:28 am

    Thanks Ronald this helps i am able to solve audio
    Synch by using muliple ipads camera at different
    Angles From my mic i run it into a splitter box which then
    Has multiple outs for the signal which then go to
    An IRIG interfaces then go to the indiv lighting ports
    Of the ipad this allows perfect synch w all cameras
    Running so when i change camera angles in the dfiting
    The sound is also exact to what you see very important
    For guitar players watching Final cut has a merge
    Program so start of audios all line up as the cameras
    Cant begin at same time I use a bluetooth
    Button while sitting in chair to start and stop camera
    What i was trying to ask though i did not clarify
    Question properly is how to avoid the usual foreground
    Of subject w green screen I want to if possible to have
    My image to scale with the green screen vid overlay
    For example i want transport me to to playing on the
    A boardwalk on a dock somewhere in further back
    So you see the boardwalk in foreground then me further
    Back more towards sea And be able to zoom etc while
    Keeping the correct proportion
    It seems my editing of angles zoom pan etc would
    Have to be done in conjuction of the green screen still

    I watched other guitar vids and i can tell they
    Recorded their perfect audio then
    Go to the location outdoors and simulate playing
    Which would require some headphone to hear
    The audio this is nearly impossible to
    Do esp w fast passages and classical music
    Doesnt work w click tracks there are too many
    Subtle shifts in tempo and sometimes pauses
    And irregular meters
    I may have to be on location and find
    A good mic that i record audio as well
    I was trying to use footage from exotic locations such
    As playing brazilian piece in a rainforest and then
    Segue into a street scene in rio etc
    The most difficult part even without green screen
    Is when i do segmented vids and then merge it into one
    Video as its very difficult playing pieces perfect at least
    By my standards i may play part 1 of piece where
    It has a logical musical pause But instead of pausing i start
    A tiny bit of next section as my fingers are in progress
    Of moving to a new gtr position then i start the next
    Section with my body position as closely as possible
    To how i ended from isr section
    It will look like a jump cut unless i do dissolve or edit one
    Of the other camera angles and not show one of the hand
    On the first section then the other hand showing on
    Sectiin 2 or face only or without gtr showing
    I was told otherwise it will look like a jump cut as the human
    Eye can discern it even at 24 frames per second
    I dont know if recording at more frames per second?
    Thank you for your time i am only a novice w film editing
    I could send you one of my vids to see if you think i suceeded
    At doing the vid and audio in segments without
    Noticing it wasnt done all in one take or if you see
    Better ways to do it
    Thanks Ray

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