Filming green screen is nothing new in the world of film and television. In fact it has been around for decades. It’s technical term is CSO or Colour Separation Overlay. When it is done well it can have a great impact on any production. There are many reasons why we would suggest using green screen but mainly it is when you want to insert a graphical background in editing.

When lighting for green screen the golden rule is to keep the foreground subject away from the background. Light the background separately with an even light. Then ensure the foreground subject is well lit and they are not casting any shadows on the background. A backlight is used to highlight the foreground subjects edges which will help lift the image away from the background in editing.

Most video editing software will have a “Keying” filter which will remove the green element from the image. Please remember that if your foreground subject also has any green clothing on there’s a pretty good chance this will also disappear.