Video background – Black or Green?

Once you have sorted out your camera, lighting, microphone and tripod, the last thing you need to get right before kicking off is the video background. This is important if you want to do effective video filming.

One option is to use a piece of fabric behind the presenter and the other is to use “green screens” and then edit later.

Here we weigh up both options for a video-maker just starting out.

In the Black Corner!

If you’re going to use a piece of fabric behind the presenter make sure it is clean, has some weight to it and hangs well, as video can pick up a drape that has creases or stains, or is too lightweight.

You want the viewer to be concentrating on you and what you’re saying rather than the backdrop, so keeping it simple is best; make sure that you don’t use your Scottish grandfather’s kilt!

Keep to a solid colour and the general consensus is that black works best – though some prefer to use white.

If you are using fabric be sure to wear clothes that contrast with the colour – so don’t choose a navy blue t-shirt if you have a black video background, for example.

In the Green Corner!

Green screens are a great tool for video makers, as they allow editing out of one image and replacing with another.  Weather forecasters often use them and they are used a lot in movie-making.

But using green screens is complicated and they need to be lit separate to the subject. It’s all about the lighting and green screens must have consistent lighting from 2 sources minimum.

Afterwards the green colour can be edited out by chroma-keying in iMovie, but the problem is that unless it’s done extremely well it can look a little unprofessional or tacky, with green glows still visible around the edges.

Unless you have previous experience with green screens or are prepared to work at it to get it right then the best option is to go with the draped fabric as the background for your web videos.

It may seem a little picky to be concentrating on the background of your web video like we have done here, but we at Melbourne SEO services believe that if you do something, you need to do it the best you possibly can.

The Lights, Camera, Profits! workshop concentrates on doing all the different facets of web video production well, so that you start your video marketing strategy on the right foot from the beginning. Find out more about it by clicking here.