So many people have asked about my white screen setup and how I shoot it that I thought it would be fun to show you some behind the scenes stuff. I am actually in my kitchen using some easy to obtain gear.
1. The White Screen
Is composed of a standard portable backdrop kit and a white paper roll
2. The Camera
I use the Canon Canon 5D MK II only because I am a camera enthusiast and an early adopter. This was the first SLR camera to offer 1080p video and the samples looked awesome. Now you can get a similar camera when it comes to video for a fraction of the 5D’s price.
3. The Lights
Nothing fancy here. You can get away with some standard Flourecent Light Reflector fixtures and daylight bulbs .
4. The Microphone
I use a fairly good quality Shure Microphone which seems to do the best job. I have struggled with mic purchases mainly because the really expensive ones don’t work well in a loud place like my kitchen. The better the mic the more sound proof your setup should be. But going too cheap has the worst result. I would say if you are serious, spend $500 or more , if it’s a hobby, maybe look in the $100 range .
5. The Software
My wife Claire is a video editor and she uses Final Cut Studio on her mac which allows a multi camera editing feature. I am not sure I know enough about Sony Vegas or other PC applications so maybe someone could share which apps work best on the PC for multi camera. The other option is to outsource this task. I would suggest finding a Final Cut editor on Craigslist, there are plenty of hungry freelance editors to go around :)
6. The Future
I am a bit anal about the top corner shadows so I am planning to buy a flourecent work light to sit on the floor behind me and point up at the backdrop. I have no idea if it will work until I test it.
If you have any questions you want me to answer feel free to leave them here or find me on twitter .