This is a project we produced for the 2010 AIGA Y-Conference. Their theme this year is “shift,” and we were tasked with taking their existing print concept (utilizing a lot of split screen images) and creating an inspiring, interesting video to introduce the conference, sponsors, & speakers.
We were very happy to host UCSD’s Digital Arts Center in the studio for two of their studio production classes. This video was produced as part of the class. Student Tom Antl set up some of the lighting elements, shot all of the clips in the opening sequence, and was the roving 3rd camera during the interview. He also edited & color graded the piece as well as created the simple animations at the beginning and end. The class was being lead by professional photographer David Max Steinberg.
Every month on the second Tuesday Groovy hosts the San Diego Filmmakers group in our Burbank Sound Stage. It just so happened that the subject matter of last nights meeting had to do with properly lighting a green screen…
hmm.. coincidence or just wonderful planning on the part of an amazing Stage Manager?
Ok.. It is coincidence.
Local Director of Photography Michael Brueggemeyer took us through a lesson about green screening and the studio! We spent the entire day setting up for the event. For me it was a lesson in patience because we were running a line from an HD signal down to SD for the Anycast and then back up to component RGB for the monitors. With a little trial and error (mostly error) we managed to get it working though.
Usually when San Diego Filmmakers comes in we set up chairs and the group sits right on the studio floor. But for Michael’s presentation he wanted to show exactly what it may look like on a working set. So instead we had people stand in the balcony and surrounding floor while Michael gave the demo. My favorite part was handing out the blue booties for the people who wanted to walk on the stage.
There have been some changes in our Burbank Sound Stage! In the past we have maintained our stage as TV white but we started to noticed about 80 percent of the calls we have been getting for stage rentals have been for green screen. That meant every time a customer called to rent the stage we (and by we I mean me) had to paint the stage green, charge the client and then charge the client again to paint it back to its original TV white. Obviously not a very attractive way to do business. So we can provide a better service to our customers Brent and I decided to take our going green initiative..well… literal.
Stage Manager Michael Callahan paints the stage.. again.
I was not exactly sure how much paint it would take to cover the entire stage so we ended up getting about 25 gallons of this specialty paint from Rosco (times that by 80 dollars a gallon :0 ) Luckily I was happily surprised to find the Rosco brand spread very nicely meaning I only needed 6 gallons for the entire stage.
Tuesday night we are hosting a San Diego Film Makers meeting on the subject matter of properly shooting a green screen. Local Director of Photography Michael Brueggemeyer will take the group through methods on how to do it right including a live key!
So if you are in need of a green screen studio give us a call or come on by!