Book Review: GreenScreen Made Easy
Michael Wiese Productions Publishes Hanke, Yamazaki Book
Mar 3, 2009 Dominic von Riedemann
Want to make that Star Wars fan-flick look more authentic? Have you decided to film Sin City 2 before Robert Rodriguez gets around to it? Or do you plan on giving your no-budget lesbian vampire hunter* saga some extra polish so it'll have a stronger shot at playing TIFF, or even Sundance?
In that case, Jeremy Hanke & Michele Yamazaki's GreenScreen Made Easy: Keying and Compositing Techniques for Indie Filmmakers is for you. A step-by-step guide to the art of GreenScreen (or "Chromakeying"), the authors show you how to effectively place your actors underwater, or in Middle Earth, without breaking the bank account.
Jeremy Hanke & Michele Yamazaki's GreenScreen Techniques for Indie Filmmakers
Right now you might be asking: what the frakk is GreenScreen? It's a process by which actors are superimposed into a scene without actually building a set beforehand, with the scene superimposed via computer in post-production. It's been a popular technique since the 1950's (the "Jolly Holiday" sequence in Disney's Mary Poppins is an early example) but totally took over mondoplexes with recent blockbusters like Sin City and 300.
First, the actors perform their roles in front of a green background, or wearing green clothing or makeup. Then, in post-production, any green is replaced with whatever the filmmakers can cook up via computer. That allows the filmmaker to superimpose an actor against a fantastical backdrop, or modify him or her, without it looking excessively fake.
The only major difference between it and "BlueScreen" technique is the colour of the backdrop. BlueScreen is often used for motion-capture work (films like Lord of the Rings or Beowulf), or for eliminating extraneous objects in a scene. For instance, actor Gary Sinise wore blue bags over his legs when filming 1994's Forrest Gump so it would look like they were amputated.
Michael Wiese Productions Publishes GreenScreen Made Easy
There are two major strengths of this book. The first is that Hanke and Yamazaki use extremely clear language when discussing the art of GreenScreen: even someone who doesn't have Clue One about filmmaking (guilty!) will be able to follow along and recreate the steps in their computer or in their studio.
Hanke guides the reader through all the steps necessary for making effective chromakeying, while Yamazaki handles the post-production side of things. Whether it's finding stock backgrounds online or telling you which aftermarket plug-ins are worth the money, Yamazaki makes the digital side of things a breeze to follow.
Another strength is that the authors aren't afraid to mention guerrilla tactics for working with the technique. Can't afford the big bucks for portable greenscreens? Why not make your own from vinyl flooring plus green house paint? According to the authors, it'll only cost you $60.
However, not all cheapo tactics come totally recommended. Using semi-translucent ripstop nylon for lighting gels may cost you less than $10, but can also create a fire hazard.
The 4 Steps to Effective GreenScreening
Hanke and Yamazaki underlines one of the biggest themes of this book: never say, "Oh we'll fix it in post-production." Simply put, there's going to be enough hassles in post-production without adding filming mistakes into the mix. That brings them to the 4 steps to effective GreenScreen work:
- Garbage In, Garbage Out: if your footage is crap, there's only so much you can do in post.
- Measure Twice, Cut Once: that old carpenter's saw (heh-heh) applies here too.
- People who say "Fix it in Post" are probably terrorists and shouldn't be trusted because . . .
- We Can't Fix Everything in Post
If there is a criticism of this book, it's that a lot of the computer programs Yamazaki discusses in later chapters will likely be obsolete or updated by year's end. However, it's hard to believe the programs' functionality will change all that much, so that's a minor quibble. Besides, it's likely that indie filmmakers will be using older and more obsolete gear.
The Final Analysis
If you've spent any time at film school, then you probably are already aware of most of the techniques suggested in this book. However, if you're a backyard filmmaker (or know one) then GreenScreen Made Easy is highly recommended. Hanke and Yamazaki clearly know their audience, and they're smart enough to make this how-to guide as easy a read as possible.
It gets an 8/10.
*Quick Question: Is it the vampires who are the lesbians, or the vampire hunters?
GreenScreen Made Easy book cover
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