Green screen lab
Something is wrong with this shot. Change one thing at a time until it works.
Your script says: “Two friends are talking quietly in a library.”
This shot has five problems. Change one thing at a time and watch what happens.
Top layer: the actor in front of the green sheet. Bottom layer: the beach backdrop, hidden until the effect is on.
- The green is still showing. Turn on the green screen effect.
- Choose the backdrop that fits your script.
- A piece of wall is showing. The whole background must be green.
- Part of the actor has vanished. What colour is the problem?
- The actor does not fit the backdrop. Move the camera.
How a green screen works
A green screen video has layers. The actor is filmed in front of something green. The application replaces the green with the backdrop on the layer below, so the actor seems to be somewhere else.
Tips for a good shot
- Make sure the whole background behind the actor is green.
- Do not wear green. It will disappear too.
- Choose a backdrop that clearly shows the setting in your script.
- Check that your actors are not too big or too small for the backdrop.
- Keep the camera still.
For teachers
This tool goes with Unit 1, Lessons 5, 8 and 9 of the Year 4 Inspire Computing student book. It shows why the book's tips matter before pupils record their own video.
- Before the screen: hold up a picture behind a sheet of paper with a hole in it. Whatever is in the hole comes from the layer behind.
- Ask for a guess before turning on the effect: what will happen to the green scarf? That example is not in the book, so please check that you want to use it.
- This is a drawing, so it works with no camera and no pupil is filmed. Pupils still need to use the real application.
- Exit question: what does a green screen replace the background with?
- Nothing a pupil does here is saved or sent anywhere.