Virtual Sets
| Virtual Sets |
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Virtual sets are fast becoming a common means of television and
film production. A virtual sets uses green screen chromakeying
to create a sets or stage that isn't real, and in some cases could
not be. An actor or talent stands in front of or on a green or
blue stage and a piece of hardware or software called a chromakeyer
like an Ultimatte removes the color
and replaces it with an image generated by a computer. This image
is called a virtual set, which can be designed by an in house
designer, a company that specializes in virtual set design or
you can buy virtual
sets online.
Virtual sets areideal for situations where a real sets is too
expensive because of either space, location, or materials cost.
Building a football stadium would be very expensive. Building
a football stadium made of gold on the moon would be impossible,
but not with a virtual sets. A small stage covered with a green
screen or blue screen and adequate
lighting is all that's needed to put your talent anywhere your
imagination wants to put them.
Chromakey
Sometimes Chromakeying for virtual sets is referred to as an
art, because getting a seamless composite is less like a science
and more like cooking; you need the right tools, the right ingredients,
some imagination, and a lot of elbow grease. Traditionally the
best way to chroma key for a virtual sets is to light the background
and the subject separately, this means that the backdrop gets
a relatively even coverage of lighting, usually fluorescent, because
most chromakeyers are susceptible to lighting variations and will
give an uneven key. The talent is then lit to try and simulate
the lighting environment of the virtual sets. This can be difficult
if the virtual sets is dim because of the immense amount of light
usually required to get an even key on the background and further
exacerbated by the fact that the more light you put on the background,
the more spill you get onto the talent's head and shoulders. An
Ultimatte will fix up the spill, but
not all keyers have this feature so special care must be taken
when doing traditional chroma key lighting for a virtual sets.
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