After seeing a green screen in action for the first time during the ‘flying car’ shoot, our intern wondered how it worked. Here’s the scoop:
A chroma key, or most commonly known as a blue or green screen was created in the late 1930’s for special effects. It is a technique for compositing two images or frames together, in which a color from one image is removed revealing another image behind it. Larry Butler, who won the Academy Award for special effects for The Thief of Bagdad, developed the blue/green screen in 1930’s.
According to www.borisfx.com, the principal subject is filmed or photographed against a background consisting of a single color or a relatively narrow range of colors, usually blue or green because these colors are considered to be the furthest away from skin tone. The background is then changed on the computer through an editing program.
It’s very interesting to see how green screens work and how they started. Learn more about our production capabilities at: http://moltamedia.com
