Video splitter / green screen generator.

[Van]

I need help with terminology. I'm helping a buddy on a film shoot. He needs to set up 8 computer monitors on desks. He wants to pump a 'chroma-key green' signal to all of them. They will then populate the screens in post. My first thought was 1 laptop, set the desktop color to a green then split the signal to all 8 monitors. He said that would work but since this is comming up a lot for him he was wondering if there was a single device that would fit the bill. I remember using 'black screen' generators on some Nike shoots but I'm not a video guy and that was a long time ago. So, Any help on what to call this unit, any clues as to a better solution or steering ion the right direction would be great.

 

[soundman]

Well something like this would deal with splitting the signal. I can find plenty of color bar generators but not something to make one specific color.

Is just stretching green fabric over the screen out of the question?

 

[Van]

Excellent price Soundman. Yeah I figured the splitting wouldn't be too big a deal. it's the generator part that has me stupmed. I suggested just covering the screens in chroma green paper, but, " They want the glow from the screen". Seems to me like it's going to be a green glow but I'm not a DP so maybe they know something I don't.

 

[soundman]

What I have done when I needed the screen glow was get an MR-16 lamp and a 12 volt battery. Removed and recycled the guts of the monitor and kept the housing. On the front I used some heavy frost to even out the beam a bit and it looked pretty good. Adding a layer of chroma might be the ticket to get the green glow on the cheaper.

Now if this is for a modern show with flat panels my trick is less useful

 

[chausman]

How about a laptop with PowerPoint and the video splitter. Make a slide with the green you want, and play the slideshow.

 

[jstroming]

Bright green construction paper cut out over the monitors would be alot easier.

When you hit post, every major editing/compositing software has a glow filter you can stick on that layer.

-JEFF

 

[ruinexplorer]

Most test generators will have color purity tests (some only have Red Green and Blue). You don't always have to have a separate piece of equipment, buy something like DisplayMate and install it on the computer that you are splitting. This is not the lime green used for most chroma key work, but you should be able to key out any color.

The biggest concern that I would have is still getting some of the flicker from the monitors if the frame rate is different. This is why you don't just have the display showing whatever you will be adding later and using the chroma key in the first place.

 

[cpf]

If it's LCD there shouldn't be a sync concern, but with CRTs I've heard of people syncing the displays and the cameras to eliminate flicker.