KEY GREEN SCREEN FACTS IN A NUTSHELL

Chroma keying – separation of the subject and the background. Thanks to modern software, two different image sources can appear as a single image in a video. The example above shows the technique used in plenamedia.tv’s 2020 Christmas card.

Background colour – blue or green are the standard background colours used. Known as blue screen or green screen.

Image replacement – it is very important that the foreground image stands out clearly from the background image. The background image is replaced using modern software. This technique is also used for producing weather forecasts, for example.

Lighting – to achieve these special effects, it is vital that the background is lit without any shadows.

What’s the difference between green screen, blue screen and chroma key?
All three terms describe the same digitally generated process. An object in a product film, for example, or a person being interviewed is “punched out” from a blue or green background – the “chroma keying” process.

Our aim in this video (shown above) was to produce an atmospheric Christmas film showing a crackling fireplace with snow falling in the background. Although we could theoretically have shot the film in a mountain setting, this would have been costly and time-consuming. It was easier to shoot in front of a green screen using state-of-the-art cameras and lenses.

HOW DOES GREEN SCREEN / BLUE SCREEN TECHNOLOGY WORK?

The film and video-editing program is given the command to remove the colour blue or green from the recording and replace these areas with a new background. It is important that the object to be replaced is monochromatic (either blue or green) and that the colours blue or green do not appear on the object or person being filmed. Imagine, for instance, that you want to be interviewed in a dark-blue suit standing in front of a monument by the sea. In this case, the background used for the video recording should be green instead of blue. This inexpensive technique can be used in the production of videos of any type.

Is it better to use green screen or blue screen technology when producing a film?
The reason for choosing a blue or green background is simple: these colours contrast most strongly with human skin tones and therefore represent the most suitable background colours. The person in the foreground therefore stands out clearly from the background – provided that the right lighting is in place. By defining the foreground and background, the video editing software makes the background fade away.
Previously, blue was the most common background colour selected. Nowadays, a green screen is favoured as the colour blue generally requires stronger illumination. However, green has one important disadvantage, in that it reflects the light falling on to it more than twice as strongly as a blue screen. If, then, the resulting reflections fall on the subject in the foreground, the software struggles to distinguish the foreground from the background and then blanks out part of the foreground image. It is vital, however, that no foreground colours appear in the background. For this reason, it is important to consider the colour of the subject’s clothing before opting for either green screen or blue screen.

Applications for chroma keying
For our work, we use chroma key effects in promotional films, product films, commercials, interviews and virtual invitations.
Additional realistic effects can also be created using 3D animation techniques. However, these are added on the computer after filming has taken place.

Correct lighting
It is best if standard colours are used such as “Chroma Green” or “Chroma Blue”. These colours are standardised and designed to work with the software. Even with suboptimal lighting, the computer recognises what it has to do. The background needs to be lit at a constant level of brightness. It is important that any shadows are avoided. LED lamps should be used as the light sources.

Why is the correct lighting so important?
If the foreground casts shadows on the background or if the background reflects light on the object in the foreground, an unclean image is created. Any resulting colour spots are removed by the software during the chroma keying process. The aim must be to have a uniformly illuminated background when filming. It is therefore important to ensure that sufficient time is taken to set up the lighting.

plenamedia.tv – your professional partner in creatively implementing your ideas, planning and designing high-quality video projects for your company using state-of-the-art cameras of up to 12K resolution and green screen/blue screen technology.

plenamedia.tv: North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Wuppertal, Duisburg, Mönchengladbach, Oberhausen, Gummersbach, Paderborn, Troisdorf, Gelsenkirchen, Recklinghausen, Remscheid, Bielefeld, Germany and Europe.

With both video and photography services, we can also support you at conferences and in-house company events, with the presentation of new products / machinery and with the opening of new company premises. From its base near Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia, plenamedia.tv can deal with your requests at any time.
plenamedia.tv: North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Germany and Europe.

  • Using professional equipment and lighting systems
  • Providing all usable images in JPG format with usage rights
  • At a fixed price
  • Free-of-charge advice and guaranteed delivery of the photos

A commercial should have a running time of between six and 90 seconds. The aim of a commercial is to give viewers a clear message that influences their buying behaviour after they have seen for the film, making them more likely to buy the product or service afterwards. A wide range of stylistic devices can be used in a commercial – the key lies in ensuring that the promotional message can be understood by everyone. The intention is that the message activates, in every viewer, the same parts of the brain responsible for unconscious thought. In other words, the message should be formulated in such a clear yet emotional and targeted way that, in as many viewers as possible, it stimulates the parts of the brain that are not subject to arbitrary influences but that have a positive effect on purchasing behaviour.

The following brief example shows just how easy it is to manipulate the brain. The “Gummy Bear” brain study shows that the quantity of gummy bears eaten in a randomised global study was the same regardless of the size of the sweets involved. As the gummy bears increased in size, the number of sweets eaten did not decrease, statistically speaking. As a consequence, confectionery manufacturers started making chocolate bars that were smaller but thicker! This meant that, for the same number of chocolate bars, a larger quantity of chocolate was being eaten. A commercial aims for the same effect, in that it can be used in any instance where the goal is to increase sales, enhance the brand image or simply transmit a general message.

REASONS FOR PRODUCING A COMMERCIAL

The viewers should be convinced that they should buy a product and that their decision is the right one. Objective: an increase in sales. Commercials are designed to increase viewers’ awareness of the brand, maintain their attention, and boost awareness of the corporate brand or product brand in the market.

WHAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER AHEAD OF PRODUCTION

Commercials are always short films – with a typical length of six to 60 seconds. It is worth asking yourself the following questions before deciding how the commercial should be produced: what message do I want to convey with the commercial? How can I present the company/product positively to the viewer? How can I arouse the viewer’s interest and thereby enhance the image of the brand? What is the core message? What are the characteristics of my target audience? On which media would I like to run the commercial? What is my budget?

I can use the commercial in targeted ad campaigns, on TV or in cinemas, on websites, on YouTube, Instagram or Facebook, at in-house events, at conferences and on the exhibition stand.

Cost of a commercial
An important cost element is made up of the expenditure incurred in preliminary planning, production (filming days, shooting locations, actors, make-up artist, film locations, drone shots, additional 3D animations, etc.) and exploitation costs (i.e. media costs). Media costs will depend on the channel used and the transmission time. They range from four-digit figures for running an ad on regional channels to figures well in excess of 50,000 euros for primetime slots on commercial channels.
Commercials can be used in an almost limitless variety of ways. A professionally produced TV ad can increase awareness of the product, brand or company and make it stand out distinctively from the competition. With a professionally filmed commercial, you can boost the recognition enjoyed by your company or your brand and, by evoking positive emotions, increase viewers’ loyalty to your corporate or product brand as part of an image enhancement campaign.

Thanks to our extensive experience in this field and our use of the appropriate equipment, we offer both 4K livestreaming or full HD services at cinema and TV-quality levels. We can provide you with a total solution for your event. You simply specify the time and place, with no significant increase in staffing costs for you. We set up our equipment in the location you specify. In principle, any type of event can be broadcast live (such as an interview, training session, conference or meeting). This service is especially suitable for in-person events you have had to cancel because of the current situation. These can then take place on your company premises (saving money on location hire costs).

LIVESTREAMING – AUDIENCE AND OBJECTIVE

Your livestream can be either for the public or exclusively for invited visitors given secure access. The event will be broadcast on a channel specified by you. We use state-of-the-art microphones and cameras with resolution levels of up to 12K to stream your event online via high-performance interfaces. You can use the recorded material for subsequently producing a DVD, creating a podcast or event teaser, or for post-production purposes. It can also be used for advertising, marketing, internal corporate communications and as a reminder of particular company events. In addition, of course, the recorded video material can also be used externally at trade fairs, conferences, congresses and so on. You can also make a live recording available to an audience of your choice later on.

Is livestreaming important?
Livestreaming is important in the digital world as you quickly establish an emotional link with your viewers (your customers and prospective customers). You can give customers insight into the “back-stage” aspects of your company’s activities, showing them the areas of your choice.

How expensive is it to produce a livestream?
Our fixed-price services include the cost of the technology used (lighting, sound technology, number of fixed and mobile cameras) and the cost of the production team (number of camera operators, lighting and sound technicians, time spent on set-up and dismantling, post-production, etc.). You are free to specify the technical equipment and staffing used to produce your livestream – at a fixed price, of course.
Feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Once we have your detailed information, we can provide you with a comprehensive quotation at a fixed price for the level of service discussed.

plenamedia.tv: North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Germany and Europe

From its base near Cologne, plenamedia.tv can produce a virtual invitation for your next exhibition in a cost-effective way based on your most recent professional trade fair film in 4K quality.

Long before the conference programme is publicised or you send admission tickets to your customers, you can use a virtual trade fair invitation, visualised to include a direct entry in the calendar, to raise awareness of your plans to attend a forthcoming event.

A virtual trade fair invitation consists of a 20-second trailer based on existing images and produced by plenamedia.tv in line with your specifications. This is ideally combined with an animated (3D) audio logo in support of your corporate identity.

By using a virtual trade fair invitation on your website, you can reach potential professional visitors early on – and inform them about the precise location of your stand at the relevant fair.

plenamedia.tv: North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Germany and Europe.

WHY USE AN ANIMATED AUDIO LOGO?

The human brain has access to five senses. Our brain takes in most of the information it receives (over 90%, in fact) via the eyes and ears. Eighty percent of all information reaches the brain via the sense of sight. When the sense of hearing is activated simultaneously, information absorption rises to levels of around 95% measured in nanoseconds. An animated audio logo utilises the capabilities of the human brain to combine typical features – your company, products and strengths – with the sound of a sequence of tones. An animated audio logo can serve as a marketing tool to support your corporate identity.

WHERE CAN I USE AN ANIMATED AUDIO LOGO?

Your company can continue to signal its innovative nature by using its animated audio logo at trade fairs – not just visually but acoustically as well. Visitors will recognise your presence at the event when they hear the sound. It can also be used on your company website, in a commercial, in a radio or TV ad, on your company’s YouTube channel, in promotional videos on social media and in telephone messages.

CAN I PROTECT MY ANIMATED AUDIO LOGO?

Just as with other brand elements, you can register and protect your audio (sound) logo on the website of the German patent and trademark office.

As with the production of a film, you should clarify the following issues in advance for your company: what do you need the audio logo for? Where and how do you want to use the animated audio logo? What is your company’s core specialism? What target audience do you want to address with the audio logo? How are competitors presenting themselves in the market? What is your budget for your audio logo?

One thing is clear: your animated audio logo will add value to your corporate videos, trade fair stands and your brand – making your product even more noticeable.

HOW MUCH DOES AN ANIMATED AUDIO LOGO COST?

plenamedia.tv can produce your animated audio logo in a cost-effective way with no loss of quality. After an initial discussion with you and establishing all of the details, we calculate a fixed-price quotation for the production of your animated audio logo, based on the script/storyboard we have drawn up and decided in consultation with you. Any subsequent additional costs or special services not discussed before the start of our work and set down in the storyboard will need to be billed separately. However, we will inform you in writing before providing our services and only make any changes after gaining your written consent.

An audio logo is like a tailored suit. When you have been measured for your suit, specified the type of suit you want and the fabric and quality of cloth, then the work involved and the price for making your suit can be calculated.

Working in North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Wuppertal, Germany and Europe, plenamedia.tv will help you turn your exclusive animated audio logo into reality from the concept stage through to its completion.

A drone recording can show your company from virtually any angle, creating especially impactful close-up images for your promotional or trade fair film.
Aerial filming by drone represents an easily achievable and more cost-effective alternative to filming from a helicopter.

Irrespective of the surface beneath, the quality of the soil, or the landscape, a drone will deliver perfect aerial images even on sites that are difficult to access. We can record high-quality films by drone based on the feasibility of the project involved and in line with your wishes, following preliminary discussions to gauge your needs. Using a drone, we can provide both aerial videos and photographs in 4K quality.

We can produce aerial recordings by drone in the open air, of course, but also – if local conditions permit – within factory buildings. However, weather conditions, the panorama, and the surroundings of your company will have a significant effect on the overall impression created and should be discussed in detail before the production of your drone recording begins.
Aerial recordings can reinforce the impressions created of your event and represent an ideal addition to your website or virtual invitation.

plenamedia.tv: we can assist in turning your media-related ideas into reality, across North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Wuppertal, Germany and Europe.

With its 3D production/3D visualisation skills, plenamedia.tv – covering Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn and Bergisch Gladbach – can illustrate how your product moves in space and the technical processes involved. A video including a 3D production/3D visualisation, designed in line with your specifications, offers creative possibilities of a highly varied and innovative nature while making a very detailed and realistic impression.

A 3D production or 3D visualisation is ideal for use in an animation film for marketing purposes, for creating a company logo, for trade fairs and for depicting technically complex processes in an understandable way.

With the aid of a 3D production or 3D visualisation, you can make people curious about your products using cinematic effects.
Working across North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Germany and Europe, plenamedia.tv can produce exclusive 3D animations/3D visualisations for you.

A recruitment or employer-branding film gives potential applicants an insight into the position to be filled, your corporate brand and the value assigned to employees in your company. It can also give a visual sense of the team spirit within the business.

A recruitment film can enhance the awareness of your corporate brand and result in a long-term improvement in your image. With a professionally produced recruitment film, you can positively differentiate yourself from your competitors. You can thereby present your company as a future-oriented, successful, and internationally competitive business that is also an attractive employer for your workforce and for potential applicants.

Of decisive importance in transmitting these positive messages about your company in film is the preliminary planning process.
What are the benefits of working for your company? What’s special about you as an employer? What differentiates you and your company from the competition? What long-term prospects are available to potential applicants?

The important thing here is that you are able to give us at plenamedia.tv answers to these questions and that we can conduct interviews with existing employees and potentially also use these for the production of the film in an interview format. After this, we discuss with you the style of the film. Should it, for example, be factual, realistic, or rather an emotionally affecting story of a particular employee from your business?

In summary, plenamedia.tv will devise the storyboard for your film in consultation with you and in line with your and your employees’ specifications.
Our team at plenamedia.tv will be happy to carry out filming at your premises at any location within the German-speaking countries. We can produce your employer-branding film using state-of-the-art equipment, filming in cinema-standard 4K to 12 K high quality using Sigma and Zeiss lenses. Such a film can be used right now and also – thanks to its high-resolution levels – re-shown on a variety of media in the future.

Your promotional film is a unique product exclusively produced for your company. Once you have approved the storyboard, we can calculate the fixed-price for your film, just as would be done for the production of a tailor-made suit. Key cost elements include the number of filming days, how many cameras will be used, lighting, your employees’ interview experience, filming locations and your wishes in terms of post-production including editing, music, voiceovers, foreign languages, 2D or 3D animations and an audio logo. One thing that is certain: plenamedia.tv will provide you with a fixed delivery date and a fair and realistic fixed-price quotation.

Our guiding principle is your complete satisfaction. We have the empathy needed to also produce an emotionally affecting film for your business that will get potential applicants excited about working for you.

That is why plenamedia.tv – working across North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Germany and Europe – can meet the highest standards in the production of your premium-quality recruitment film.

IN WHAT WAY IS A PRODUCT FILM A PROMOTIONAL TOOL?

Perhaps you’d like to increase your company’s revenues, encourage viewers to purchase your product, raise awareness of your company and/or your products or you’d like to see more visits to your website? If any of this applies, then a product film, customised to fit your product, is the right medium to influence purchase decisions.

If it has the right tone, your product film will be given added value. For example, you can use an interview to highlight the innovative aspects and benefits of your product yourself, though this could also be done using a voiceover, on-screen text or simply through the use of music appropriate for the content.

WHY IS IT EASIER TO SELL A PRODUCT WITH THE AID OF A PRODUCT FILM?

The most important of the five senses in the human mind is that of sight, followed by that of hearing. When we read a text, letters are combined by the brain to make a word. This is time-consuming and exhausting. In contrast, moving images transmit the information to the brain in nanoseconds without the person becoming quickly tired. Eighty percent of all information reaches the human brain via the eyes. If an image is accompanied by text heard by the listener, the information absorbed by the brain increases to 95%.

By uploading your products on to YouTube and disseminating edited highlights of it on social media, you can cost effectively increase your number of viewers, the clicks on your website and your sales figures.

PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

In the preliminary planning phase, you give us the information and details we need for our planning by means of telephone calls and virtual meetings. After that, we will draw up a preview of the storyboard, including our comments, that is sent to you for your input. When this collaborative work has been completed and the storyboard has been approved by you for the production of your film, we start work on the rest of the conceptual implementation of the project.

plenamedia.tv has many years of experience across Europe in producing a variety of formats of product films. You will be supported and assisted by plenamedia.tv from the planning stage until receipt of the finished product film. The target audience specified by you in advance will be won over by the added value offered by your product. The higher the standards evident in the production of your product film, the faster and more persuasively will you be able to address your chosen audience with your product film. That is why we also produce such firms using high-quality cameras featuring cine lenses in 4K – ensuring that your film can continue to be re-used in the future.

A high-quality product film will also prove important when trade fairs again gain headway as a marketing tool. In such cases, the product film is an ideal and effective promotional tool – whether for reaching your existing customers in an appealing and convincing way or generating new visitors to your website.

COST OF A PRODUCT FILM

A product film is like a tailored suit. If you buy it off the rail at the specified price, while it might not be of poor quality, it will never fully meet your expectations. Instead, we take your measurements and allow you to specify the quality and nature of the product you want. Once this is done, the workload is calculated and you are quoted a fixed price for the product. Any changes made after ordering are charged separately. The same process is used for your product film.

Ultimately, you receive a personalised quotation, in the sense of a fixed price for your product film. We are also happy to quote prices for subsequent, additional requests beyond the specified outline, such as dubbing with different speakers’ voices or dubbing with foreign-language speakers in addition to the main speaker, an animated audio logo, 3D animation, and so on.

To give you a rough idea of prices: starting at €3,200 we can produce a professional film on your behalf about your product to reinforce its brand image in Full HD or 4K quality using state-of-the-art technology. Perhaps you need films for a number of products? If so, feel free to contact us to discuss prices and details.

Are you planning a product film? Would you like a customised quotation? If so, give plenamedia.tv a call. Further information about promotional films, trade fair films, commercials, product films and conference films. plenamedia.tv: top-quality services guaranteed, across North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Bonn, Leverkusen, Mönchengladbach, Aachen, Münster, Bochum, Siegen, Germany and Europe.