Chroma Key Reality: Blue Screen Studio Reel Reveals a Deceptive Video World

February 18, 2010

This Stargate Studios 2009 Virtual Backlot Reel shows just how common green or blue-screening is for network television shows. I don’t watch much (any) network television, but it makes sense that this technique is used so often — it lowers the budget and lets the staff focus on good acting. Live shoots in crowded locations are expensive, disruptive, and no doubt difficult to accomplish. The chroma key editing that is used for blue- screening looks very advanced in the studio reel, and it has likely made its way from expensive movie studio editing rooms to television shows in the past few years. With many shows being watched in High Definition on large televisions, it must be very effective in order to convince the home audience.

What really struck me about this video is how modern technology is able to skew reality. Recently I posted about the advances being made in bringing Augmented Reality to mobile devices.

Chromakey is everywhere via Boing Boing

With chroma keying tech, it has become difficult for the human eye to discern reality from fiction when viewing a video screen. What are the implications of blue screens and video editing? I am reminded of the movie Wag The Dog from 1997:

How will this chroma key technology be used in the next decade? I would like to know what you are thinking, reader.

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