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Need ways to improve these video testimonials – new backdrop idea?
So i am a full time media specialist for an online school and film 13-15 student stories every year at our graduation. i am looking to switch up the look this year since the past 25 have been the same grey backdrop. I’m curious what you guys would do or different backdrops maybe? I was thinkin white and have it blown out in the center but give the vignette look with it a little grey towards the corners.
The room we film in is a greenish yellow so I cannot use the actual walls there especially since our school colors are blue.
Anyone have ideas to change up this look? Or other ideas on the testimonials in general? One example below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI_6Th4pJIc
camera (sony a6500) Lights (3 aputure 672 led panels) audio (rodelink lav)Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
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4 Replies
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I actually like either a white seamless paper background, or any other colored backgrounds that match the school colors. I also like a black background (limbo set).
The challenge with these backgrounds is you need the subject to to be far enough away from them so you don’t cast a shadow. You can purchase very inexpensive stands on-line. Using seamless backgrounds allows you to put some kind of texture or pattern on the background to add a little more dramatic effect.
Greg Ball, President
Ball Media Innovations, Inc.
https://www.ballmediainnovations.com -
Greg’s on the right track, I would add that throwing a gobo pattern onto the backdrop, whatever that is, can help a lot. The simplest one I use most often is to use a pen to randomly punch various sized holes in a sheet of black cinefoil, and hang that on the barn doors of one of my lights. You can adjust the holes a little, and add a color gel if you like; the random cloud-like patterns from this are just right and don’t attract too much attention, while increasing visual interest. If you have the room to take advantage of depth of field, the out of focus backdrop could be *anything*, including some colored lights on a dimmer.
Also remember that you can chromakey off of most any color; blue and green just happen to work best since they don’t carry as much flesh tone. But I’ve chomakeyed off of red or orange. You just have to be more careful in the lighting setup to make it flat, even, and all the same chrominance.
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thanks, im leaning towards the greyish white backdrop right now. I used to always throw a pattern on the background like blinds or just 1 light streak across but i sold my tungsten lights to get 3 aputure led flood/soft lights so dont know if they will buy me a 4th light in time. I am planning on adding one of the newer boltzen led hard lights to my kit for this purpose. My boss thinks the blue looks cheesy even though its our school color so thats not an option. Anyone have creative photos from their interviews i could check out for ideas?
thanks for the help!
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I really enjoy the gobo pattern option as it gives you so many variables. It provides a nice, soft, interesting backdrop.
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