Green Screens in the Classroom

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File:Green screen.jpg

We have all seen green screen technology in the movies and on the Daily Show with their news correspondents on location but it really is easy to bring it to the classroom!

Our Setup

For @$250 USD, we purchased a green screen kit that included:

  • backdrop stand with white, black, and green material;

  • 3 lights with stands.


Of course, this can be done cheaper with green paper taped or cloth hung from a wall. A wall can be painted as well.

After testing several locations for best lighting, we settled on one location in our MakerSpace.

We have only 3 lights but are going to invest in 3 more. We used an iPad and a tripod placed on a dolly for smooth rolling if need be.

Classroom Ideas

  1. tour different countries (World Language, tour France, Chine, or Spain!);

  2. tour the body - (biology, tour the digestion system);

  3. visit space;

  4. news & weather reports;

  5. tour historical sites - or go to the future;

  6. teachers can give lessons/tours as well;

  7. our Movie Making teacher has a unit integrating green screen technology for his movie-making class;

  8. demonstrate laws of science;

  9. video book reports;

  10. explain sports rules with diagrams of courts or fields in the background;

  11. demonstrate techniques;

  12. music video;

  13. dance video;

  14. clone students (record yourself once, and then again);

  15. parents newsletters (record yourself with students working in the background);

  16. how to videos;

  17. stop action videos;

  18. commercials;

  19. the ideas are only limited by staff and student ideas.


Workflow

When we complete any video, we AirDrop the video to a nearby iMac for editing in iMovie. There are iPad apps as well but many of our students are familiar with iMovie.

Resources

Here is a list of 30+ free media sites that can be used in your green screen productions.

Tips

  1. don't wear green, unless you plan on having the background appear on your clothes;

  2. use free photos and/or video. Here is a list of 30+ free media sites;

  3. ensure that green screen is smooth and unwrinkled;

  4. it is better to have proper lighting when recording rather than deal with them in post-production;

  5. follow the lighting tips in the video below.


Green Screen Tutorial

We found the following video very useful, especially with regards to lighting.


Green Screen photo above: source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_screen.jpg

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