[Mark Suszko]

If these were being live-switched, I could see it for certain kinds of work and for lower budgets. Not every client wants or needs HD and wide screen. But yep, you need a buisness model and plan first.

[Mark Suszko]

You can also sew a tube pipe pocket along the back, right near where it has to break to curve to the floor, by just hemming the existing fabric, and add a batten (sailing term) there. In fact, you could put battens anywhere along the back. You might try using some flat wood strips like paint stirrer sticks (only longer) across the back with gaffer tape. If you make small pockets at the edges on the back, the strips can help push outwards and stretch the fabric.

[Mark Suszko]

My version of what Todd does is to use the back side of vinyl sheet flooring instead of the paper. prime it with a flat latex white first, then the actual color. It still rolls up (though heavier) but you can walk or dance on it and not hurt it. Paint is easily touched-up if you can’t wash off a smudge.

Assuming you want to just work with the muslin you have, you could try tightening it up with careful application of hot air from a hair dryer, if the room is humid. Todd was right that you need even tension in more areas. You need better attachment all along the top, and pull to the sides, using the equivalent of short elastic suspenders. Use large metal spring binder clips from the office supply store or tarp clips from the camping section of a big store or a supply place like harbor Freight, and some bungee cords.

And light it more front-on than from the sides, using soft boxes, so the wrinkles can’t throw as well-defined a shadow in the first place.

[Mark Suszko]

Found one gizmo that just about everybody seems to use for this, it runs $400. I’d like to find something cheaper than that, if possible.

[Mark Suszko]

Try to do this first in photoshop to refine the look, then AE or your compositor of choice.

I think it would take a combination of effects stacked together, like the displacement map idea plus perhaps “find edges” and “subtract” compositing mode. Perhaps also just colorizing the under-layer all blue or all red with enhanced edges would be enough. Then create a vertical “slit” with cropping tools to cut thru the normal-looking top layer to the treated layer, in a band that can be moved across the screen using keyframes. Adding a volumetric effect from a plug in like Trapcode’s Shine would simulate lasers scanning thru smoke to show the beam better.

But that’s just a guess. Keep noodling around and you’ll come up with something.

[Mark Suszko]

You can buy insurance, so you can pay the client back their money plus whatever they sue you for. Or you can buy redundant gear.

One of the main reasons I got out of shooting weddings on weekends was that at the prices I was shooting with one camera, there wasn’t enough margin for a second safety camera and I knew some day that would bite me eventually if I kept rolling the dice. I found the weddings much more stressful than the Brides did, knowing I only had the one chance to get it right with no net.

Put my vote down as well for Go Big or Go Home. Invest in more and proper gear so you have backup, or be prepared to take a huge hit when Murphy taps your shoulder and says: “Hi fella, been a while. You’re gonna love this next part.”

[Mark Suszko]

None, conflict of interest rules. They might bring me a candy bar or soda if they’ve been out while I work.

[Mark Suszko]

My peeve is people that use “lense” instead of lens. I’m afraid I dismiss them outright and have a hard time changing my opinion later.

[Mark Suszko]

Paul, there’s a lot of stuff here on the COW and on google regarding green screen if you look it up. But some basics for you: It can actually be any color, blue and green are most common because they have the least amount of skin color in them. The green is also not a shade used in clothing, and green is a little better for keying because it piggy-backs in the luminance channel in some TV systems.

You can use any flat, non-reflective blue or green cloth and any flat-finish latex paint, if you color-match the paint at the hardware store to a sample. Put the paint over a quality white primer coat for best results. Photographic paper rolls are around fifty bucks at camera stores. If you use cloth, it can’t be wrinkled, it must be pulled taut. See rosebrand in New York’s web site for free samples. They have excellent prices, but you can also match with stuff from the local sewing shop. I like to use vinyl sheet flooring to make my white or chromakey coves; the back side (side that takes the glue) takes a nice paint finish after priming with Kilz brand latex primer.

You may not need as big a green wall as you think: you only really need enough to put a few inches to a foot of green around the actor/actors, the rest is masked away by software on all sides.

The most important item is to light the color wall or cloth or paper EVENLY. For this you need adequate lighting. On a budget, long fluorescent tubes on 3-4 sides might do it, or softboxes. You light the talent separate and keep the talent at least their body height plus 2 feet from the wall to prevent shadows and color spill. Then it’s up to your software.

You have more reading-up to do before you jump into this: please do use the copious resources in the COW archives to your advantage before you commit your dollars, so you only have to spend them once.

[Mark Suszko]

The grads and matte box issues are why I’d say leave those out and do that in post, where you have more precision. And try not to shoot any sky if you can help it.

Hey, here’s the AE tutorial I mentioned, not jeeps, a truck. Very interesting to see how mucha daylight shot can be changed in post, if you shot it right.

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/kramer_andrew/Day_to_Night.php