Yes... I'm a little behind on my Culminating Experience. Why? There have been a few technical problems associated with iMovie, of all things. The version I've used for the passed six years is the older version, which has some features that Final Cut Express has. My MacBook Pro has the newer version, iMovie 09. Although I see improvements with the new version, such as transition manipulation and general ease of use, Apple has taken away a key and necessary feature: the time-line that more easily manipulates both audio and video components as separate entities. The new iMovie combines them, which means alteration is more difficult. Why do they do this? "If it's not broke, don't fix it." Learning to work around this problem is going to take some time. At this point, I feel the solution is to use multiple platforms or to simply realize the limitations with the new version.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
CED0599 Culminating Experience Week Two
Now that my SMART objectives are set, as well as the rest, I feel a lot better about the Culminating Experience project.
I do have 21 plus items to create over the next three weeks, and there's not a minute to spare. I've placed the major items in a spreadsheet using the Google Site function, which looks just as good, and if not better, than Excel. With the items there, I basiclly need to complete a little more than one item per day until May 1st. Some are more difficult than others, so I'll need to double up on about six of them. Pacing, it's important.
I do have 21 plus items to create over the next three weeks, and there's not a minute to spare. I've placed the major items in a spreadsheet using the Google Site function, which looks just as good, and if not better, than Excel. With the items there, I basiclly need to complete a little more than one item per day until May 1st. Some are more difficult than others, so I'll need to double up on about six of them. Pacing, it's important.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
CED0599 Culminating Experience Week One
This week has been a reality check. I've realized that my thoughts were bigger than the three and a half weeks time-line. As a result, I've decreased the project work by a little more than one quarter. The project will still take somewhere between 40 and 50 hours to complete, but I'll probably end up with a few less headaches due to streamlining.
What is particularly appealing about this assignment is that I'll be able to use ALL the materials in my Media classroom. A main focus of my eStory unit is student accountability. Tests and rubrics are going to be more detailed and hopefully explicit. Normally, I have all major assignments based upon 100 possible points, but not this time. Although I have tested students on some of the terms and ideas, the tests here will now expect a deeper understanding of the unit components.
What is particularly appealing about this assignment is that I'll be able to use ALL the materials in my Media classroom. A main focus of my eStory unit is student accountability. Tests and rubrics are going to be more detailed and hopefully explicit. Normally, I have all major assignments based upon 100 possible points, but not this time. Although I have tested students on some of the terms and ideas, the tests here will now expect a deeper understanding of the unit components.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
CEd0565 Leadership Week Six
How has my definition of leadership altered or been reinforced? A lot! That’s how my definition of leadership has been altered. I’ve been of the mindset that one gathers the data, examines it, plans it, and then implements it. I like to just do it. The talking and talking and talking need has taken me by surprise. Further, although I still feel that one should initially try, moving ahead without total support is as a must. Those that push back will need to be left back, at least for a while.
My definition of teacher leadership is one of collecting the proof, talking with selected individuals, reconsidering potential methods, designing anew, inspiring as many persons as possible, implementation of the plan, evaluation of first results, alteration of the plan and communicating that plan, and finally re-evaluation and so forth. Oh, and did I say a lot of talking along the way?
Because I’ve been able to adapt to changing circumstances, I feel better about my potential leadership abilities. I feel the wiser that I’ve had this course. I has clued me in to some aspects of leadership that I either did not know much about or something that I had not considered enough, such as the way to deal with difficult people. If there is one area that is going to be difficult adapting to, it’s the constant talking to gain support. That part of leadership can be draining, but I’ll do it.
I agree that education needs to improve through internal changes, but external changes are necessary too. Administration and teachers need to model beneficial attitudes and practices. Good practices do gain attention, and people are then more willing to take them on themselves. On the other hand, external changes need to occur too. The right to an education without the responsibilities to that process will continue to downgrade great potential. Everyone has to realize his or her stake in the process.
Friday, March 11, 2011
CEd0565 Leadership Week Five
I practice much of what is mentioned in chapter 6, which my principal also emphasizes. I will high light some of those items that stand out to me.
The quality of the teacher, the quality of the program, and the strength of the leadership better ensures success (Gabriel 124). Modeling bell-to-bell instruction makes use of all the time (125). Teachers with consistent procedures where a period is broken up into 2 or more blocks are the most effective (128). Curriculum maps (also CFAs and CSAs are important) for consistency from grade to grade and subject to subject (129). "Work should pose an intellectual challenge, not an intellectual obstacle (133). Differentiation and tutoring methods and programs are necessary to reach as many students as possible (133-135). Although I don't have a specific unit on teaching study skills, I do allude to it when the time is right, which the text talks about (137). Making the work meaningful is probably one of the most important quests and challenges that teachers have; it know it's mine (138). Homework is important, and it is good to start it in class, which I do about 50% of the time (140). I now see that creating incentives is important in that I need to notice the options I give students in the first place; I should use the options as motivators to be earned or awarded for correct performance (140). [I tend to dislike games, at home and school, but maybe I should learn to like them if I intend to use them as incentives.]
"Exit cards, quizzes, conferences, projects, portfolios, and anecdotal notes can be more useful forms of assessment because they can indicate what a student needs in order to be successful and can enhance the potential for success, whereas a unit test will only corroborate our impressions (146--147)." [I feel the quote says it very well. That's why I didn't change it.]
Cheating is a problem. That's why I try to place them at every other seat (148).
I'm trying to view data collection positively, but I'm going to need to work on that one for awhile (154).
The quality of the teacher, the quality of the program, and the strength of the leadership better ensures success (Gabriel 124). Modeling bell-to-bell instruction makes use of all the time (125). Teachers with consistent procedures where a period is broken up into 2 or more blocks are the most effective (128). Curriculum maps (also CFAs and CSAs are important) for consistency from grade to grade and subject to subject (129). "Work should pose an intellectual challenge, not an intellectual obstacle (133). Differentiation and tutoring methods and programs are necessary to reach as many students as possible (133-135). Although I don't have a specific unit on teaching study skills, I do allude to it when the time is right, which the text talks about (137). Making the work meaningful is probably one of the most important quests and challenges that teachers have; it know it's mine (138). Homework is important, and it is good to start it in class, which I do about 50% of the time (140). I now see that creating incentives is important in that I need to notice the options I give students in the first place; I should use the options as motivators to be earned or awarded for correct performance (140). [I tend to dislike games, at home and school, but maybe I should learn to like them if I intend to use them as incentives.]
"Exit cards, quizzes, conferences, projects, portfolios, and anecdotal notes can be more useful forms of assessment because they can indicate what a student needs in order to be successful and can enhance the potential for success, whereas a unit test will only corroborate our impressions (146--147)." [I feel the quote says it very well. That's why I didn't change it.]
Cheating is a problem. That's why I try to place them at every other seat (148).
I'm trying to view data collection positively, but I'm going to need to work on that one for awhile (154).
Thursday, March 3, 2011
CEd0565 Leadership Week Four
Chapter 5 of our textbook, Motivational Leadership: Building Climate and Community, lists mainly methods that I like; on the other hand, I'll discuss the ones that I have a difficult time doing as a leader.
Although I agree that "A climate of trust and respect must be established and nurtured," and that "support[ing] teachers in their personal affairs" is important, among other things, I have a difficult time buying such things as Hawaiian shirts to show support. I also have a difficult time hugging co-workers, men or women. (The situation better be a death or something tragic before I hug someone. It's rare when I do that, except with the members of my family.)
I agree that supervising in the hallway is important, but I find it difficult to watch the hallways except for maybe a minute before the bell rings. This is because I'm often putting equipment away from the previous class that has turned it in and then getting additional equipment ready for the next class. Time between bells turns in to a mini and necessary prep time, and this even though I've done my major prep-time starting almost 1 hour before my first class.
I don't think I would become "stagnate" if there was no professional development, but I do learn from the ones we've recently had, such as the CRISS Project. I'm constantly evaluating and trying to update my lessons, especially for the technology related ones: Media, Video/Film, and Broadcasting. Of course technology advances so quickly that one needs to constantly update the content and thus the methods just to keep pace.
Throwing a year-end party is a tough sell for me. There is usually so much going on that a party would just be one more thing on the "party plate."
Although I agree that "A climate of trust and respect must be established and nurtured," and that "support[ing] teachers in their personal affairs" is important, among other things, I have a difficult time buying such things as Hawaiian shirts to show support. I also have a difficult time hugging co-workers, men or women. (The situation better be a death or something tragic before I hug someone. It's rare when I do that, except with the members of my family.)
I agree that supervising in the hallway is important, but I find it difficult to watch the hallways except for maybe a minute before the bell rings. This is because I'm often putting equipment away from the previous class that has turned it in and then getting additional equipment ready for the next class. Time between bells turns in to a mini and necessary prep time, and this even though I've done my major prep-time starting almost 1 hour before my first class.
I don't think I would become "stagnate" if there was no professional development, but I do learn from the ones we've recently had, such as the CRISS Project. I'm constantly evaluating and trying to update my lessons, especially for the technology related ones: Media, Video/Film, and Broadcasting. Of course technology advances so quickly that one needs to constantly update the content and thus the methods just to keep pace.
Throwing a year-end party is a tough sell for me. There is usually so much going on that a party would just be one more thing on the "party plate."
Friday, February 25, 2011
CEd0565 Week Three
The Adaptive Leadership chapter of the How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader, by Gabriel has been the most interesting of the first four, so far. Particularly, pages 88 and 89, which are about teachers threatening to leave when not given what they would like. Gabriel says, “It is human nature to cling to the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side, which is why threats to transfer are so common.” [And] “Even if some things are better elsewhere, there are still problems that irk the faculty. No matter how strong the leadership or morale or test scores, there is no perfect school.” This is a book based upon realism. I like that. There’s a saying in the broadcast industry that goes, “Only the call letters change.” No matter what television station ones goes to, the same problems are there. Why? It’s because like education, every station and school have nearly the same conditions, pressures… reality. Even churches have their own problems. Which reminds me of the saying for church fellowships, “If you find a perfect church, don’t join it. You’ll wreck it.”
From the Who Moved My Cheese assignment, I said that I saw myself as both Sniff and Scurry since about 1988. In my case, I define Sniff as someone who is constantly checking out reality, what the trends are in the job market and other areas as well. Scurry, for me, is simply someone that makes mistakes here and there, like running into a wall occasionally.
Although I had my hands full during my associate's degree from 1977 to 1979, while working 38 hours a week, it was 1988 when I began to look for trends in the career field. In 88, I asked a manager how cable and satellite TV were impacting the advertising dollars. He said that they had has not hurt us very much. Even though he said this, I felt that "the hand writing was on the wall." Why? I noticed several directors and other staff members in the broadcast business that had purchased cable or satellite TV packages. I thought, "Boy... if they're buying from these competitors, it's not going to be long until those two areas really pick up. I don't care what the manager has told me; I'm going to begin training for something new." As part of my employer's improvement plan where employee's were reimbursed 50% of the their schooling costs for every C or better, I chose to take nine credits over the summer. At this point, I still wanted to stay in the business because I enjoyed it very much, but trying to complete my job responsibilities (with the nearly constant requirement to work many and varried hours), my wife and I decided it would be best to quit my full-time job with the station and enter UW-Milwaukee as a full-time student and work part-time doing something related to what I had been doing. So I "sniffed" around and decided that teaching high school looked like something I'd enjoy.
The "scurrying" part begins at this time because of major responsibilities at home, some from part-time work, and of course the new academic load. The sniffing and scurrying continues even after graduation and finding a teaching job at a local technical college, which included teaching job seeking skills to high school and adult students. The sniffing and scurrying parts are drilled into me over the next 6 years because I'm teaching the teenagers and adults to continually upgrade their skills to adapt to changing situations.
I've been trying to practice what I preach ever since my 1988 awakening. So far, I've been able to tie my skills from my associate's degree, my BA degree, and other training, to my present career situation. It means that I have been sniffing and scurrying for a long time now.
Incidentally, when I left the station in 1990, there were about 220 employees in the building; now there are 67.
From the Who Moved My Cheese assignment, I said that I saw myself as both Sniff and Scurry since about 1988. In my case, I define Sniff as someone who is constantly checking out reality, what the trends are in the job market and other areas as well. Scurry, for me, is simply someone that makes mistakes here and there, like running into a wall occasionally.
Although I had my hands full during my associate's degree from 1977 to 1979, while working 38 hours a week, it was 1988 when I began to look for trends in the career field. In 88, I asked a manager how cable and satellite TV were impacting the advertising dollars. He said that they had has not hurt us very much. Even though he said this, I felt that "the hand writing was on the wall." Why? I noticed several directors and other staff members in the broadcast business that had purchased cable or satellite TV packages. I thought, "Boy... if they're buying from these competitors, it's not going to be long until those two areas really pick up. I don't care what the manager has told me; I'm going to begin training for something new." As part of my employer's improvement plan where employee's were reimbursed 50% of the their schooling costs for every C or better, I chose to take nine credits over the summer. At this point, I still wanted to stay in the business because I enjoyed it very much, but trying to complete my job responsibilities (with the nearly constant requirement to work many and varried hours), my wife and I decided it would be best to quit my full-time job with the station and enter UW-Milwaukee as a full-time student and work part-time doing something related to what I had been doing. So I "sniffed" around and decided that teaching high school looked like something I'd enjoy.
The "scurrying" part begins at this time because of major responsibilities at home, some from part-time work, and of course the new academic load. The sniffing and scurrying continues even after graduation and finding a teaching job at a local technical college, which included teaching job seeking skills to high school and adult students. The sniffing and scurrying parts are drilled into me over the next 6 years because I'm teaching the teenagers and adults to continually upgrade their skills to adapt to changing situations.
I've been trying to practice what I preach ever since my 1988 awakening. So far, I've been able to tie my skills from my associate's degree, my BA degree, and other training, to my present career situation. It means that I have been sniffing and scurrying for a long time now.
Incidentally, when I left the station in 1990, there were about 220 employees in the building; now there are 67.
Friday, February 18, 2011
CEd0565 Leadership Week Two
Visiting the WINSS data site reminded me of a staff meeting where we discussed the very same data to see where we needed to improve and how we might do that. That meeting occurred at the beginning of last year. Part of our solution to bring scores up includes re-writing all of the academic courses along with new courses designed for the lower scoring students. After this year, about 1/2 of the plan will have been acted upon, but the other half will probably not be completed until the end of the 2011/2012 school year and maybe a little beyond. Of course, preliminary results should begin to accumulate.
What's interesting about visiting the WINSS site, reading the Gabriel text, and working through this course of study, is that I see my administrative leaders doing many of the same activities we are studying. I'm not necessarily surprised; this is what I would expect. But it's nice to see several of the leadership methods used in my school, such as the use of data.
What's interesting about visiting the WINSS site, reading the Gabriel text, and working through this course of study, is that I see my administrative leaders doing many of the same activities we are studying. I'm not necessarily surprised; this is what I would expect. But it's nice to see several of the leadership methods used in my school, such as the use of data.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
CEd0565 Leadership Week One
What most surprises me after completing the assessments, are the similarities of the results when compared to the MBTI--Myers/Briggs/Type/Indicator, which is a personality inventory that gives a four letter code such as ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judgmental). A person is able to have anyone of 16 possible combination using this inventory. The class assessments label me as Judging, which I am, and which the MBTI confirms as well. Consistency is good unless all the inventories are based on faulty assumptions or research.
As I try to apply this aspect of my personality to leadership, I seek to evaluate both internal and external aspects of my life and career, that is--teaching. The internal part deals with me looking at my own performance or the results that an endeavor has produced. As has recently be mentioned in the Patrick Awuah video, perfection is not possible, but it's what we should shoot for. I'm always shooting for perfection, so I'm evaluating my own labors or thoughts on how such and such should be accomplished. That's why I'm constantly changing the way I teach a concept, its procedure of completion, and the final result that the students should produce. The external part deals with looking at the work of others, not simply to criticize, but to see where genius might exist. Maybe someones ideas or methods can be tweaked to fit my challenges, as a teacher... as a teacher-leader.
Hopefully, the end results from my labor, my my co-workers, and my students, will be judged very good, with only a little tweaking necessary.
As I try to apply this aspect of my personality to leadership, I seek to evaluate both internal and external aspects of my life and career, that is--teaching. The internal part deals with me looking at my own performance or the results that an endeavor has produced. As has recently be mentioned in the Patrick Awuah video, perfection is not possible, but it's what we should shoot for. I'm always shooting for perfection, so I'm evaluating my own labors or thoughts on how such and such should be accomplished. That's why I'm constantly changing the way I teach a concept, its procedure of completion, and the final result that the students should produce. The external part deals with looking at the work of others, not simply to criticize, but to see where genius might exist. Maybe someones ideas or methods can be tweaked to fit my challenges, as a teacher... as a teacher-leader.
Hopefully, the end results from my labor, my my co-workers, and my students, will be judged very good, with only a little tweaking necessary.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Chroma Key Definitions
Quick Definition of Chroma Key
Chroma Key (also known as green screen or blue screen in film and video) is electronically inserting a background behind your foreground objects (usually people). In short, your foreground objects are placed in front of a single colored background, usually green or blue because these colors are very different from human skin tones. [Red would be a very poor choice when people are in the foreground.] The background color is then replaced with an image of choice.
Additional Definition of Chroma Key
“Keying” means to take a background color such as green and replace the color with a new background. It’s like “keying” a lock. Where the cuts on the key are set to match the tumblers in the lock, so too are the color or light frequencies set to match an electronic point where the color drops out and is replaced by any given photograph, moving video, or animation.
There are somewhere around 15 different types of keys (or mattes which resemble keys), each one better suited for a particular situation. Chroma keys are one of the most popular.Chroma Key Lighting Overview
General Concerns
(1) Use soft lighting and lighting instruments that produce or have a wide spectral range; the instruments should produce soft light evenly, over a large area.
(2) Any light striking the chroma key should be even and less bright than the light striking your foreground objects or actors.
(3) High light as needed, using key, side, back, or kicker lights.
(4) The Inverse Square Law of Light is very important when lighting any setup, but especially with chroma keys.
We’ll first use the foot-candle as a unit of measurement. (One foot-candle is the amount of light given off by one candle from a foot away.) One hundred foot-candles of light at 20 feet from the light source will be four hundred at 10 feet from the light source, or 25 foot-candles of light from 40 feet away from the light source. (See the Chroma Key Link section for the formula.)
What this law does is help the lighting person to control lighting ratios. Using the foot-candle example above, a front light source (key light(s) that produces 100 foot-candles of light on the talent because it’s 10 feet in front of the talent, will cast 25 foot-candles of light on the key if there is another 10 feet of distance between the key and the backside of the talent. The ratio is a 4:1 because 100 (foot-candles) divided by 25 (foot-candles) is 4. (See diagram # ___________). In other words, there is four times as much light on the talent as on the key, and that's good. The talent should be brighter than the key. The usual ratio is either 4:1 or 3:1, depending upon the talent’s skin tone and clothing brightness.
Many directors of photography and lighting directors measure light in f-stops. (For a detailed explanation of the f-stop, see the link entitled, “A Tedious Explanation of the f/stop,” and pay special attention to the first and last columns in the table.) The point is this. If the director asks for an f 5.6 on the talent because it gives the depth-of-field that’s needed, and you as the lighting director put the amount of light on the talent that produces the best look for that f-stop requirement, the chroma key should meter at f-2.8, which is a 3:1 lighting ratio. (The camera would need to open up to f-2.8 to get a good image if the camera’s director, theoretically, wanted to shoot the green key by itself, but the main object is the talent at f-5.6 with more light. The camera is mainly set at 5.6 for the talent. Setting the camera at 2.8 would cause the talent to be overly bright by that 3:1 ratio.
(5) Depending upon the flesh tone (or reflective ness) of your talent or object in the key, the more or less light you may need on them.
Remember that there is give and take with most things, especially chroma key lighting. If your director requests low key lighting with no backlight, additional software might be needed in post-production editing sessions.
(1) Use soft lighting and lighting instruments that produce or have a wide spectral range; the instruments should produce soft light evenly, over a large area.
(2) Any light striking the chroma key should be even and less bright than the light striking your foreground objects or actors.
(3) High light as needed, using key, side, back, or kicker lights.
(4) The Inverse Square Law of Light is very important when lighting any setup, but especially with chroma keys.
We’ll first use the foot-candle as a unit of measurement. (One foot-candle is the amount of light given off by one candle from a foot away.) One hundred foot-candles of light at 20 feet from the light source will be four hundred at 10 feet from the light source, or 25 foot-candles of light from 40 feet away from the light source. (See the Chroma Key Link section for the formula.)
What this law does is help the lighting person to control lighting ratios. Using the foot-candle example above, a front light source (key light(s) that produces 100 foot-candles of light on the talent because it’s 10 feet in front of the talent, will cast 25 foot-candles of light on the key if there is another 10 feet of distance between the key and the backside of the talent. The ratio is a 4:1 because 100 (foot-candles) divided by 25 (foot-candles) is 4. (See diagram # ___________). In other words, there is four times as much light on the talent as on the key, and that's good. The talent should be brighter than the key. The usual ratio is either 4:1 or 3:1, depending upon the talent’s skin tone and clothing brightness.
Many directors of photography and lighting directors measure light in f-stops. (For a detailed explanation of the f-stop, see the link entitled, “A Tedious Explanation of the f/stop,” and pay special attention to the first and last columns in the table.) The point is this. If the director asks for an f 5.6 on the talent because it gives the depth-of-field that’s needed, and you as the lighting director put the amount of light on the talent that produces the best look for that f-stop requirement, the chroma key should meter at f-2.8, which is a 3:1 lighting ratio. (The camera would need to open up to f-2.8 to get a good image if the camera’s director, theoretically, wanted to shoot the green key by itself, but the main object is the talent at f-5.6 with more light. The camera is mainly set at 5.6 for the talent. Setting the camera at 2.8 would cause the talent to be overly bright by that 3:1 ratio.
(5) Depending upon the flesh tone (or reflective ness) of your talent or object in the key, the more or less light you may need on them.
Remember that there is give and take with most things, especially chroma key lighting. If your director requests low key lighting with no backlight, additional software might be needed in post-production editing sessions.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Typical Chroma Key Setups or Moods
There are basically two chroma key setups or moods:
1) Weather Style—High Key lighting (flat and bright on face). The talent usually stands right next to the key and touches it. Although having talent stand 10 or more feet away from a key is ideal, it’s not always practical because of space and needs. Having the weather person touch the key surface makes it seem like he or she is touching the maps; doing so adds a “touch” of “reality.” Many directors and lighting directors may tell the talent to stay away from the key by at least a few feet, but this is not necessary if the following conditions are met: a) the key is positioned in the correct manner, and b) the lighting is set up correctly. Virtual sets are usually lighted in the manner described above.
2) Movie Style—Low Key lighting (heaving shadows on face where one side of the face is lighted and the other is not; backlight is often omitted). This type of setup and mood is nearly impossible if your talent needs to touch the key. Here a good deal of space is needed between the key and the talent. Fifteen feet is the minimum distance, but twenty or more is going to be needed. Such setups are usually found in a large stage area such as Hollywood has or studios that are in large warehouses. It’s possible to create a good key with less space, but some fairly complex and maybe expensive software will be need to clean you key effect, a time consuming endeavor.
1) Weather Style—High Key lighting (flat and bright on face). The talent usually stands right next to the key and touches it. Although having talent stand 10 or more feet away from a key is ideal, it’s not always practical because of space and needs. Having the weather person touch the key surface makes it seem like he or she is touching the maps; doing so adds a “touch” of “reality.” Many directors and lighting directors may tell the talent to stay away from the key by at least a few feet, but this is not necessary if the following conditions are met: a) the key is positioned in the correct manner, and b) the lighting is set up correctly. Virtual sets are usually lighted in the manner described above.
2) Movie Style—Low Key lighting (heaving shadows on face where one side of the face is lighted and the other is not; backlight is often omitted). This type of setup and mood is nearly impossible if your talent needs to touch the key. Here a good deal of space is needed between the key and the talent. Fifteen feet is the minimum distance, but twenty or more is going to be needed. Such setups are usually found in a large stage area such as Hollywood has or studios that are in large warehouses. It’s possible to create a good key with less space, but some fairly complex and maybe expensive software will be need to clean you key effect, a time consuming endeavor.
Technical Concerns
Chroma keys are created using two materials: paint or cloth. Each can be expensive depending upon what you buy and how much.
Chroma Key Paint:
Professional chroma key paint will cost about $40 to $75 a gallon. The main advantage with professional paints is that they have been tested to get the best picture results and cover most other colors in one coat. As an alternative to professional paints, try matching the green Cascade dish washing container color to an inexpensive to medium grade latex paint. Have the paint store mix the paint with a flat sheen; $10 to $35 is probably a reasonable cost for a gallon of paint.
If the surface has not been undercoated, do so. Then paint to the size of the key you need. (Objects such as cubes or other props may be painted for various effects.) I have a green chroma key painted on a recreation room wall in my basement. It works very well. (My wife has never appreciated this painting scheme.)
Chroma Key Cloth:
Professional cloth chroma keys are a good way to go. If not too large, their cost is reasonable, and they can be used indoors or out. Professional cloth keys also fold up and expand to their working size when the steel band is unfolded. Search the web of portable chroma keys and see what’s out there.
It is possible to save some money by making your own, especially if it’s going to be used mainly indoors where there is no wind. A local fabric store probably has cloth that matches the Cascade dishwashing container hue. Again, make sure the cloth purchased has no sheen. Tacking, draping, or flying it from a batten are the possibilities for chroma key cloth. (Make sure there are no bunches of the fabric where shadows develop.Chroma Key Materials
Chroma keys are created using two materials: paint or cloth. Each can be expensive depending upon what you buy and how much.
Chroma Key Paint:
Professional chroma key paint will cost about $40 to $75 a gallon. The main advantage with professional paints is that they have been tested to get the best picture results and cover most other colors in one coat. As an alternative to professional paints, try matching the green Cascade dishwashing container color to an inexpensive to medium grade latex paint. Have the paint store mix the paint with a flat sheen; $10 to $35 is probably a reasonable cost for a gallon of paint.
If the surface has not been undercoated, do so. Then paint to the size of the key you need. (Objects such as cubes or other props may be painted for various effects.) I have a green chroma key painted on a recreation room wall in my basement. It works very well. (My wife has never appreciated this painting scheme.)
Chroma Key Cloth:
Professional cloth chroma keys are a good way to go. If not too large, their cost is reasonable, and they can be used indoors or out. Professional cloth keys also fold up and expand to their working size when the steel band is unfolded. Search the web of portable chroma keys and see what’s out there.
It is possible to save some money by making your own, especially if it’s going to be used mainly indoors where there is no wind. A local fabric store probably has cloth that matches the Cascade dishwashing container hue. Again, make sure the cloth purchased has no sheen. Tacking, draping, or flying it from a batten are the possibilities for chroma key cloth. (Make sure there are no bunches of the fabric where shadows develop.Chroma Key Environments
Overview:
Chroma keys can be recorded indoors or outdoors.
Indoor Environments:
Local and national weather television shows, TV commercial and industrial video production houses, and “A” and “B” movie productions use indoor chroma keys every day.
(1) Indoor keys are most commonly used by local and national news facilities to present their weather segments. The weather anchor usually stands within six to twelve inches of the green or blue screen (chroma key), while looking at a monitor directly left or right of the key screen, as well as a monitor that feeds into the teleprompter. The anchor will touch the screen at points that line up with cities, states, countries, or bodies of water that match the maps or radar being feed into the key.
(2) Indoor chroma keys are often times used to create complete television commercials and industrial productions. Here, the actors are placed in front of chroma key screens that are maybe 3’ x 4’ and up to the size of one or two airplane hanger walls.
(3) Indoor chroma keys are very popular in the movie industry. It’s probably safe to say that nearly all action, science fiction, or fantasy movies are shot using chroma key for several scenes. Just like #2 above, their chroma keys range in size.
Outdoor Environments:
Chroma Key
This blog site will describe and in some instances show how to create great looking chroma key scenes in your movies or newscasts. Remember that this blog site, as probably all other blog sites dealing chroma key issues, is periodically modified. Many updates will occur.
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