From the earliest days of film, filmmakers have used special effects to open the window into another world. As technology has evolved throughout the years, the ability to set movies in other universes has become easier for filmmakers to do. Green screens have developed to become the most popular production tool used by Hollywood to create illusions. But they were not always so easy to use.
The History of Green Screens
One of the earliest filmmakers was George Melies who spent his life studying the art of illusion. In 1898, Melies created a popular film, Four Heads are Better than one, that incorporated his studies. In this film, Meilies utilized his invention the masking technique, which inserted images that weren’t in the original shot. This trick worked by filming the scene many times on the same piece of film. Masking is used today with the modern green screen to bring new scenery into a shot.
But, green screens were still not available until the late 1990s. Before that, filmmakers used other creative methods to create illusions in their movies. In the 1933 film, The Invisible Man, the actors would wear full black velvet suits while standing against a black background to give the green screen illusion. Then, in the late 1950s, Walt Disney used special sodium vapor lights to create special effects. The popular film Mary Poppins was one of the first Disney movies to utilize this technique.
What is a green screen?
By the end of the 20thcentury, technology had progressed enough to insert computer generated images over a blue or green screen. Green screen compositing, also called chroma key technology, is a special effect accomplished by layering images together. The camera erases everything that is green and replaces it with another image that the filmmaker chooses. Green became the standard color to use as the background over blue.
But why green?
- It is easier and cheaper to light.
2. It doesn’t match the color of the sky
3. Its brighter in electronics
4. Less common color in costumes
Green screen technology allows storytellers to set movies anywhere in the universe. Digistars programs help students learn and incorporate the awesome technology of green screens into their live action films. Learn more about Digistars programs and STEAM courses for kids.