Lighting a green screen with a floor

[Corey Jennings]

I'm shooting dancers on a green screen for a music video with an HVX. We have a green screen that is 20 feet wide, 15 feet high, and curves down to the floor and comes out 15 feet. I know the basics of light a green screen, but I've never tried to light one with a floor. The Director I'm working with wants to shoot an over head wide shot seeing the floor and then jibing down to a wide shot at waist level. What are some techniques to lighting green screen and talent for something like this? Someone told me to try diffused space lights for the green screen. Has anyone tried this?

[Walter Graff]

Yes, soft light is the way. The idea is to make as soft a shadow as possible. Most folks also use far too much light for a green screen in the first place. About 60-80 FCs is what you need to cut a key. Using less light means even softer shadows. Try space lights if you can or china balls. Or even easier, bounce light into the ceiling if it is white. I just did a 30x30 screena nd simply aimed two 4k HMIs into the ceiling of the studio which was white and it made the most soft, and even light you'd ever want with little ot no shadow.

[Tim Terner]

Following on from what Walter posted, if you wanted a little shadow to side or back light a little but flagged off from hitting the floor

[David Desio]

I'm shooting dancers on a green screen for a music video with an HVX. We have a green screen that is 20 feet wide, 15 feet high, and curves down to the floor and comes out 15 feet. I know the basics of light a green screen, but I've never tried to light one with a floor. The Director I'm working with wants to shoot an over head wide shot seeing the floor and then jibing down to a wide shot at waist level. What are some techniques to lighting green screen and talent for something like this? Someone told me to try diffused space lights for the green screen. Has anyone tried this?

 

 

The spacelight/silk combo works great, very little shadow and nice even floor light. If you can rig it, I use a 12x full silk with four 1k space lights for all of our green screen shoots which are almost always head to toe so we see the floor every time.