Green Screen Video Tips

From TikTok effects to Zoom backgrounds — green screens are utilized more now than they’ve ever been before, allowing anyone the option to virtually place themselves in any location. Whether you’re using a green screen to create a fun backdrop for a virtual meeting, or you want to a realistic illusion, here are a few things to consider.

Be strategic with your clothing.

Unless you want to appear as a floating head, avoid wearing green while using a green screen. It’s also important to be mindful of your accessories. Does the plastic on your glasses reflect the green screen? When green is reflected off your accessories, you’re likely to end up with undesirable results.

Use proper lighting.

It’s very important to make sure the green screen itself is evenly lit. The final product of green screen use is much more realistic and effective if the subject is also properly lit. That way the subject stands out against the background.

Know what background you want to use before you start shooting.

Knowing what you want in the background, like a building exterior or office interior, before shooting allows the videographer to choose the correct talent pose, camera position, lens and lighting.

For example, if you’d like to appear on a mountain top, the videographer might want to shoot upward while the talent looks down at the camera to capture the correct perspective.

No matter what your goal, these simple green screen tips can not only save you a lot of headaches during the editing process, but they can also make it easier to take your video to the next level.

At Gefen Productions your story matters and we’d love to help you tell it. View our photography and videography portfolio or drop us a line for more information on how we can help you reach your video production goals. 

6 Advantages of Using a Teleprompter

Holding up cue cards or using a phone or tablet might seem like an easy way to deliver a speech or scripted dialogue on camera, but there’s a better way — a teleprompter. If you’re on the fence about whether to use one for video production, consider these benefits of using a teleprompter.

  1. They make you appear more comfortable reading lines on-screen and make the production process easier on the talent.
  2. Since teleprompters are typically located directly in front of the camera lens, reading from a teleprompter allows you to maintain direct eye contact with the audience
  3. They improve the timing of your delivery and can also make you sound more natural.
  4. You don’t have to spend time memorizing a script. With a teleprompter, your lines are right in front of you.
  5. Teleprompters decrease the number of times you say “um” or “ah.” When your lines are on the prompter, there’s no question about what you’re going to say next.
  6. They’re efficient. You can get more done in a day because the number of re-takes is reduced.

Whether you’re shooting a television commercial or a training video, teleprompters can enhance the quality and overall delivery of your content. For more helpful production hints, check out more blogs from Gefen Productions.

At Gefen Productions, your story matters, and we’d love to help you tell it. View our photography and videography portfolio, or drop us a line for more information on how we can help you reach your video production goals.

5 Tips for Editing Social Media Video

With ever-changing trends and updates, keeping track of the latest best practices and tips for editing social media video isn’t always easy. From Instagram Reels to TikTok, your editing practices should differ – even if it’s just slightly – for each style of video in order to align with each platform’s format.

  1. Know your dimensions. Videos should be sized and formatted correctly for each platform to ensure optimal viewing quality for the consumer. For example, you should set your editing frame to 1080 x 1920 for an Instagram Reel, so avoid editing a 1080 x 832 square frame that could be used for an Instagram post.
  1. Understand safe areas. The term “safe areas” refers to “title-safe” and “graphic-safe” spaces on the screen. These safe areas are far enough from the edges of the screen so your text and graphics will appear without being partially cut off. For TikTok, refrain from including any text in the bottom right corner of the video where the like, share and comment buttons are located. Guidelines are available online.
  2. Follow copyright guidelines for music. If you include music in a video that you don’t own the license to, there’s a big chance Instagram or TikTok will take down your video. Try subscribing to a royalty-free music library to avoid copyright issues altogether. You should also be mindful of using copyrighted images.
  3. Stay on top of trends. As mentioned above, this isn’t always easy because social media platforms – especially TikTok and Instagram change their guidelines daily. TikTok recently added the three-minute video feature, but Instagram Reels can only be 60 seconds long, so if you’re creating a video package, you may want to consider editing two separate videos on the same topic for both TikTok and Instagram. You should also read up on what style of video is performing well with the latest algorithm, and edit according to that information.
  1. Use proper export settings. Exporting at the highest quality prevents your video from looking “stepped on” or compressed when it’s posted to various platforms or devices.

At Gefen Productions, your story matters, and we’d love to help you tell it. View our photography and videography portfolio, or drop us a line for more information on how we can help you reach your video production goals.