I want to make a short but I am very limited on funds like many noobs. I need advice on type of equipment(will be shot at night outside) and then there is a TV that will play a role in the short and I need some advice on how to composite in a video onto the TV that the actor will be responding to and the TV will be chatting back to the actor as well. Should I use blue/green screen on the TV and then later composite in the other actor? Or something else? What would be the best cheapest way of doing this and what kind of software? Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated even if you have harsh criticism!!! I need to develop a thick skin :) This will be my first short. Thank you!
Post-Production : Green/Blue screen help for a noob by Rachel Meyers
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Rachel, Consider whether or not you want to dive into green screen or compositing on your first film. These are skills that require lots of practice to do well. Are there other ways for you to tell your story without using those effects? Finding creative ways to work within limitations will help you to become a better writer. I once directed a short film in which wolves were stalking and attacking people, and we never saw the wolves. Since I couldn't afford a wolf wrangler, I had to find creative ways to make the film work, and it made me a better director.
Thank you both for the suggestions, I really appreciate it. I am still working on it and and I am hoping to have it done within a year or maybe a bit longer realistically. I have thought about trying other ways to do it but to have someone else be there next to them would be like many other films and at the end they disappear so with a person there it would make them look like they were talking to a ghost or schizo. I know talking to a TV is strange but the way it is set up in the beginning makes much more sense. I know it is a big undertaking, and the TV will be moving with the actor, but I am realistic about being able to edit myself and maybe will be able to find someone if I am not able to find a way to do it myself. I have also gotten some advice about After Effects having a 30 day free trial so that may be helpful and I know that are several youtube vids that can show me some things. =) I only need to light the actor and the TV set other than that the rest can fade out into the distance. There may be an establishing shot that would simply be city lights in the distance. Sorry this is all over the place. Thank you again for all the helpful advice! I really appreciate it!
Thats a really interesting idea to use an ipad but I was going for a more old school TV that will be attached to the actor. I was even thinking of putting an actor's head in a hollow TV which would be pretty funny but I will have to play with several different ideas and see which will be best. I will look into hitfilm and maybe will be able to use it to get a better feel for how things work. I certainly like a challenge and I am learning a great deal from everyone on here. There is a lot of software that I had never even heard of before and I am also looking into kickstarter for help but that wont be until I have a much better foundation. Thank you again for all the wonderful ideas and suggestions!
There are a couple of ways you can do this. One is to hollow out the tv and have another actor inside. Another way is to pre record the in tv part of the conversation, and use playback. Or cover the tv screen with a solid color and composite in later, which is the most flexible, but also the most time and skill intensive.
I use corel video studio x5 pro ultimate. Cheap, intuitive and has most of the features you might need. Pop by my page for samples and techniques you may find what you are looking for. I use a lot of chroma, overlays and pic in pics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuNfcQ_bNMI
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True Story -- NASA needed a pen for their astronauts, one that could write in zero gravity. They spent millions of dollars, and a whole bunch of time and research, and great success -- they invented a pen that could write in zero gravity. The Russian cosmonauts brought a pencil. Rachel, you're over-complicating things. Yes, you can green-screen the TV. But hey, if you wanna composite these shots, you don't even need a green-screen. You can just rotoscope and motion-track in After Effects and you'll be just fine, and you could even shoot hand-held. Nevertheless, both of these options are way too complicated. Why not just shoot the footage of the actor who is supposed to be talking through the TV first? And then actually play that video through the TV, for the other actor to interact with, and that's what you shoot. As long as the TVs refresh-rate doesn't butt-heads with your frame-rate, it will look just fine, and you'll avoid all the hassle of trying to make a video look like it's coming from a TV. Just make the video ACTUALLY come from the TV, and shoot that. :)