Making Digital Home Movies, Part 1

Blue/Green Screen

I carry around a foldable screen which is green on one side and blue on the other. This gives you some flexibility as to what color your subject can wear.

Another alternative is to just paint a whole wall green. Rosco Green paint is specially designed for Chromakeying. It is possible to have your local hardware/paint store mix you up a batch of green paint, but make sure it is matte finish instead of shiny. Have a nice long talk with your significant other before doing this!

Lighting

Lighting will make or break a video shoot. If you are on a budget, Home Depot style halogen worklights will do the job. Your actors may feel like they are standing on the Sun with that much light pointed at them.

Normal lights, which include the worklights, will cast shadows everywhere. Professionals use "softboxes", which are lights enclosed in a cloth box. The cloth diffuses the light, so it doesn't cast as much shadow. Think of light going through a shower door and you will get the idea.

TOPICS

Humphrey Cheung was a senior editor at Tom's Hardware, covering a range of topics on computing and consumer electronics. You can find more of his work in many major publications, including CNN and FOX, to name a few.