If you’ve read any of the other articles in this chromakeying issue, you’ve probably picked up a few things about what you need in a greenscreen.
It needs to be:
- A uniform green color that is as close to what the camera perceives as pure green as possible
- As opaque as possible
- Heavy enough not to wrinkle or crease
As these are the necessities for greenscreening, we chatted with a few different greenscreen technicians and came up with a pretty simple how-to guide for building your own portable greenscreen for $60. This is larger than most of the portable screens on the market (as well as being much easier to set up and collapse) and it allows a soft curve to meet the floor so you don’t have harsh shadows.
Here’s what you’ll need and the approximate cost:
1. 8’ by 12’ roll of vinyl flooring (Approximately $40)
6. A clean cardboard tube or piece of PVC pipe as thick and long as you can find (Rummage for this item)
7. Some packing or duct tape (you probably have some of this stuff floating around)
You will need to find some place that is large enough to allow you to lay out a 8 ’ by 12’ roll of tile in order to paint it. If you are in a dry environment, doing this outside will be fine. If you are in a location with high humidity or inclimate weather, then you’ll need to find someplace indoors to lay this out. (Which is precisely why the roll of garbage bags is listed. Folks who live in a dry enough environment to do this outside can make this greenscreen for $58!)
