Today white screen videos are all the rage
but there's another kind of video that takes less room
less lighting and less setup time.
Plus, you can use a simpler camera and get
shockingly good results
that are every bit as amazing as white screen.
I'm talking about black screen.
In just a few minutes you'll find out how to do it, when to do it and why black
screen videos can be the fastest way to the heart of your viewer.
Hi I'm Steve Washer with BrainyVideo.com
If you watch any of my work here you'll see a lot of white screen videos
but every once in awhile
you'll see black screen.
Uh...why would you want to do this? I mean...you know...other than to mix things
up a little bit.
Well, whitescreen videos are great for sharing new techniques,
for expanding your vision into the
infinite spaces around you.
You know, pushing the outside of that envelope.
But what about
the inside?
When you want to reach people's emotions make them think,
challenge their values,
get them wondering if another point of view might be more advantageous, well
then it turns out
that black screen
is actually a better choice.
The space around you is is just as infinite
as white screen but
it puts you in mind of meditation,
of going deep,
extreme focus...
and because of that
it's just possible that many of your videos would be better done as black
screen than white screen.
So wouldn't you like to know how to do it well?
The good news is that it's much easier to pull off than whitescreen but there are
just a couple of things you have to do differently
or it all falls apart
and you end up with
mush screen
which is basically useless.
Okay, so first of all
look at this scene.
We've got a light on uh... uh... either side of me
and no light on the background,
hence, you know, the kind of much light.
But it's worse than that
because as I move
you can see my shadow
on the wall behind me.
that's just kind of lame and it ruins the while effect.
And there's no reason for that.
Now one of the cool things about the white screen is that it gets rid of all
those shadows
Here, let me show you...
See, the shadows are all gone.
Yea! I'm Mr. Pro now!
Now, a similar thing happens when we put up the black screen instead
No shadows. But we have a new problem...
and you can figure out what it is
while I set up a black screen.
So did you guess the problem? Yes exactly. Too much light on the wall.
So the screen is dark enough now
and there's one more problem but you have to be a pretty sharp observer to
notice.
When they make it easier for you see
now right now I kind of blend in with the wall, don't I?
Okay you may not be able to tell.
That's alright. Just keep watching my head alright? 1,2,3, GO.
You see it now?
This is one of the two most important successes elements
of the black screen video.
It's called separation from the background.
You see, in a white screen video
this is taken care of for you
by your own body. No extra light needed.
But with a black background we still need to make that magic separation
happen
and when you do, the video is a just as effective
as white screen.
The key to the magic? One each overhead light.
It's so important
you shouldn't even attempt black screen video without an overhead light.
Now the one here in the studio is a DayFlo FX twenty four-inch
lightbox with two daylight balanced eighty watt fluorescent lamps inside.
But if you have a smaller space or limited budget?
You actually can use this.
It's a ten dollar lamp
that you can get at almost any hardware store
and it has a hundred and fifty watt
lamp inside.
Now, to make sure the screen itself doesn't get too much light
put the lights as high as you can
in front
so that the shadows tend to hit the ground before they hit the back wall,
then if you can adjust the exposure on your camera
bring it down to the point where the black is a really black
and if you start running out of light
move closer to the lights
instead of bringing the lights closer to you.
One other thing...
Don't wear dark colors
unless you don't mind disappearing...
and don't wear white
unless you want to look like an angel. Well sometimes that's a better choice...
better than the alternative anyway.
Black screen videos can be just
awesome.
My favorite videos have been shot against black screen. The black
background makes a cool
canvas for your text and graphics...much cooler than white screen in my opinion.
I'll share some of my black screen videos with you at the end of this video
and you can see how I like to approach it
and get some of your own ideas.
Anyway, for more helpful tutorials on using video to attract your ideal
clients,
like us on Facebook or
visit our blog.
I'm Steve Washer
with BrainyVideo.com