Shoot Review — Reflecmedia Chromatte and LiteRing

“OK, so when are you going to start lighting this thing?” the 20-something director wondered, sashaying onto the set.

The Reflecmedia LiteRing affixes to the camera lens via an adapter ring. These rings are available in screw-in sizes to fit virtually every lens up to 127mm in diameter.

“It is lit,” I told him.

He eyed the dull gray Reflecmedia Chromatte screen inches from the talent. “You're kidding, right?'

“Nope. We're ready to shoot. Just waiting on you.” I gestured to the set monitor, where the subject and a very cluttered foreground set were silhouetted against a perfectly illuminated greenscreen. Hmm, I thought to myself, since when did shooting greenscreen get this easy?

If you're a shooter earning a living at all these days, you know the drill well. On 90 percent of projects it seems we're shooting greenscreen, and that typically means carting a mighty load of umbrellas, Kino-Flos, and zip lights to produce the even wash we need in order to execute a clean key.

Achieving a smooth illumination of the screen, however, is often not that easy, especially in confined locations where the subject or set cannot be moved sufficiently away from the green background surface. Thus the concomitant need for a van full of C-stands, cutters, and flags to control the noxious spill. Spill onto the talent's wardrobe and skin is the single greatest hazard of shooting conventional greenscreen, and it must be addressed to avoid conniptions in the keyer (which inputs camera data and backgrounds and outputs a composite). Add to that the peril of unwanted shadows projected onto the background, and you're talking a considerable hassle — I call it Greenscreen Hell. The question is, is there a better, more efficient way to handle our greenscreen obligations? Fortunately, with the advent of Reflecmedia, there is.

Reflecmedia provides a welcome respite to the perils of shooting greenscreen. Utilizing what appears at first glance to be a drab gray fabric, the Reflecmedia Chromatte screen is embedded with millions of tiny lenses or "cat eyes" that reflect a blue or green LED source straight back into the camera lens.

The Reflecmedia Chromatte screen appears gray to the eye but solid green (or blue) to the camera. The Chromaflex (not tested) offers comparable functionality in a collapsible, easily transportable configuration. In some scenes the front-mounted ring light can be problematic due to the obvious green spill visible here in foreground objects. An appropriate wash of light must be carefully applied to the foreground to eliminate this unwanted spill.

I had the opportunity to put the Reflecmedia system through some grueling paces on a recent commercial project for The Cannery, a well-respected and inspired Hollywood-based production house. For this shoot, the featured actor is literally sucked into his computer monitor to experience firsthand the thrill of a video game. I anticipated the extensive use of greenscreen, and Reflecmedia's simplified chroma-key system seemed like a good match. The shooting location in the client's warehouse was small and confined, we were working on a single compact set, and we had less than eight hours to execute a very complex storyboard.

From the start, the producers appreciated the economy of Reflecmedia. Gone were the expense and the hours of painting and re-painting of a green cyclorama. Gone, too, was the laborious cutting and flagging of lights — and indeed the need for lighting the background at all! Without the usual Kino-Flos, umbrellas, or broads to rent, transport, and set up, the savings were considerable in terms of time, hassle, and the number of grips required for the shoot. Heat levels on the set were also reduced to near zero, thanks to the merely 10W LiteRing LED from Reflecmedia that illuminates the Chromatte panel. This was a welcome development for talent and crew accustomed to several thousand watts of soft lighting on most greenscreen setups.

From the shooter's perspective, the advantages of Reflecmedia were no less compelling. Unlike in conventional greenscreen setups, the subject here is best placed as close as possible to the Chromatte screen. This is immensely more practical than the reverse scenario, especially when shooting on a small set, as in my case, or inside a network trailer, as is common on many sports shows. Irksome shadows falling on the background panel are the Achilles Heel of most greenscreen setups, and they were all but eliminated here due to the positioning of the LiteRing camera ring light along the lens axis.

Serious Magic's Ultra includes a complement of virtual sets that work beautifully with the Reflecmedia system. For many news operations, Reflecmedia's simplicity and economy could be extremely compelling.

The economy and simplicity of the Reflecmedia system notwithstanding, the shooter faces some significant challenges and compromises. The front-mounted LED LiteRing illuminating the Chromatte screen effectively precludes the use of an alternative camera fill light, a favorite strategy of shooters to control shadow detail and brighten the eyes of talent. For satisfactory results with the Reflecmedia Chromatte panel, any supplemental lighting from the front must be shifted a minimum of 15 degrees off axis so as not to contaminate the LED source that illuminates the background screen.

The front positioning of the ring light can also be problematic, as the green source tends to permeate the unfilled shadows of foreground objects. In my shoot, the many shapes and surfaces of objects placed on the cluttered desk allowed myriad crevasses where the green could penetrate and corrupt the key. The irregular glossy surfaces of book covers and bindings, for example, were a source of trouble, as the LiteRing provided all or nearly all of the frontal illumination for these areas. The contaminated highlights then had to be somehow overpowered with “good” light without transforming the desired low-key look of the scene. It was a tough challenge, and I was not completely successful at balancing the demands of the Reflecmedia system and the need to maintain absolute shadow integrity in objects placed close to the camera.

Of course, in more straightforward implementations such as news standups, we wouldn't normally be concerned with “contaminated” foreground objects, so potential adopters of the Reflecmedia system should keep in mind their intended applications. The system does not obviate the need for conventional greenscreen, especially on more complex sets with a multitude of reflective surfaces.

Reflecmedia is an ingenious chroma-key solution that offers shooters a simple and economical way to manage most routine greenscreen assignments. If you need to switch keying color due to a change in wardrobe, for instance, it can be easily accomplished by simply replacing the camera ring light. No need to rig a different background or repaint a cyclorama. The manufacturer offers blue and green LiteRing models in three sizes (72mm, 112mm, 147mm) to fit virtually any camera and lens configuration. Currently, there is no obvious way to fit a professional matte box, so shooters should keep this mind when setting camera detail and other parameters. As in all cases the front of the lens should be protected from stray light striking it directly from off the set. A suitable cutter or flag should be positioned for this purpose.

Company: Reflecmedia
Cheshire, England; +44 1606 593 911

Website:
www.reflecmedia.com

Product: Chromatte screen, LiteRing

Assets: Eliminates painting of backdrops and much of the headache of lighting for greenscreen.

Caveats: Illumination of foreground objects can be problematic.

Demographic: Smaller news operations, independent video producers with fairly straightforward greenscreen jobs.

Price: $2,995-$5,995 for Chromatte and LiteRing