S.U.M. Thoughts

In our previous Green Screen 101 post, we gave you the general rundown on how the process works — but lets face it, the explanation was very rudimentary. Ready to dive in a little more? Then read the following conversation, where we’re actually just talking to ourselves:

Green screens - why green?

Although the chromakey process can be done on any color, green and blue are typically used in projects because those hues are not present in skin tones. Well, not unless you’re really, really cold. We could use a blue screen, but if you take a gander into your spacious walk-in closet, I’m sure you’ll notice quite a bit of blue in there. Using a blue screen would mean people wearing jeans would turn into floating torsos — perhaps a good look for a Halloween party, but not your next corporate event. Bright green is a little more rare in clothing, although some sports teams feature it heavily and bright 80’s colors are making a comeback in fashion, which always makes things “interesting”.

Wait, you threw out a big word like “chromakey” without explaining it. Rewind.

Sorry about that. Let’s break down the word, Sesame Street style. Chroma is the Greek word for color, and when you “key in” on something you’re really focusing and pinpointing something in particular. Slam those definitions together and what do you get? The ability to pinpoint a color, in our case green. Modern technology makes that process a breeze, allowing us to not only select a color, but also slightly lighter and darker tones, accounting for shadows and hotspots.

That’s cool, but I took a green screen photo at Johnny’s bar mitzvah and it was pretty cheesy, just me in front of a background.

But there lies the difference, my fictional friend. We don’t just plop your photo on top of a background sourced straight from an image catalog we purchased off of eBay. We aim to capture a scene or a moment and place you in it. Let’s put it this way — what’s the best use of chromakey in Hollywood?

When you don’t know anything was being chromakeyed. When belief is suspended for a moment and you accept the images you see as real.

While we don’t have the million dollar chromakey studio with light banks and hair fans, we do bring that same effort and concept into all the work we do. SUM Booth set-ups (usually around 10’x10’ in space) include studio level lighting so we can match the mood of the template and background that’s designed, and when you add in some custom props, then the magic happens. Also, we always pay attention to scale, which is a key thing in making the final photo look “real”.

Alright. I can see how SUM Booth is different in that respect. However, why should I choose a green screen photo booth over a traditional photo booth? Or even one of those “photo booths” that traditional photographers are adding on to their packages?

It’s really up to the client, since each method has it’s merits. Some people like the novelty nature of a traditional “let’s-all-cram-into-a-phonebooth” style photo booth along with the strips of 3-photos they print. There’s a sense of nostalgia with those, and since you’re employing decades old technology, you’re getting a decades old final product. Nothing wrong with that.

Due to the photo booth craze, a number of photographers are cashing in on the market as well. That style of photo booth, much like SUM Booth, is more of an open-air photo shoot, so it has it’s advantages over the traditional booth — however many of them don’t produce prints on-location, so the instant gratification aspect is lost. Also, because most of them use a flat, colored background, almost all of the photos look the same. There’s no uniqueness or individuality from event to event. It’s the same oversized sunglasses, the same fake mustaches and the same feather boas again and again and again. If that’s what a client is looking for though, then it’s a good option.

SUM Booth, on the other hand, has carved it’s own niche by offering elements of those types of photo booths, and adding it’s own spin on things. We aren’t photographers trying to be designers, and we aren’t designers trying to be photographer — we are the rare instance (at least in this field) of being both photographers and designers, and that comes through in our work. By combining the best of both of these worlds and using the magical powers of the green screen, clients get a final product that’s impossible to get in another type of photo booth, and guests have a ton of fun during the process. Thus our slogan of “the fun of a photo booth + the style of a photo shoot”.

Nice, I like how you snuck that little sales pitch in there at the end.

Sorry, couldn’t help it. It’s just habit.