Recently the film department (with the help of the maintenance crew) transformed an unused storage room in Lower Doolittle into a small film studio, complete with a “green screen” wall, lighting equipment, and a monitor.  The green background allows us to shoot a scene in front of it and then later chroma key out the green and replace it with other images.  Chroma key compositing (or chroma keying) is a technique for compositing two images or frames together in which a color from one image is removed (made transparent), revealing another image behind it.  It is commonly used for weather broadcasts wherein the presenter appears to be standing in front of a large map but in the studio it is actually a large blue or green background.  Blue and green are most often used because they are generally considered the least like skin or hair tones.
 
Students had the chance to try this technique in our new studioto create a music video, which premiered at the IndiMountain Film Festival on May 26.