Chromatte

Reflecmedia Chromatte

A new means of chromakeying, Chromatte, is a chromakeying solution from Reflecmedia. It works by placing a ring of LEDs called a litering around the camera lens. The LEDs shine blue or green light onto the Chromatte. The Chromatte is made up of millions of microscopic glass beads which are hemispherically coated in aluminum. This makes it covered in literally millions of tiny dish shaped mirrors. The net optical result is that any light shined onto the Chromatte is only reflected back at it's source. Because of the unique way that the Chromatte reflects light only back at it's source it can do a number of things that traditional chroma key techniques cannot. Chromatte can work in almost no light making it idea for virtual sets, because the color is generated by the LEDs and the Chromatte only sends like back to the camera so you can light your talent for the virtual set they are in. This also makes it so it has no spill since there are no bright lights reflecting the very color you are trying to key off the background and onto the talent's hair and shoulders.

 Chroma Key Backdrops

Getting a good even color behind the talent is the first step in chromakeying, this usually requires a chromakey backdrop in the form of cloth or paint. Chromakey paint can be picked up at hardware stores or lighting places like Studio Depot (Burbank, Ca), green cloth can also be found many places. Some companies sell blue or green pop up chromakey backdrops which travel easily and popup like a windshield shade.
Another alternative is Chromatte, a unique retroreflective material which is gray to the eye, requires little or no light, and casts no spill on the talent because the material is gray to the naked eye. But to the camera it sees it as a perfect blue or green. This is because of the Litering, a ring of LEDs around the lens which casts blue or green light onto the Chromatte. The Chromatte is also very portable, an 8x8 foot curtain collapses into a small bundle and with the need for only a small lighting kit travel with Chromatte is easy.