Green screen kits can be an indispensable asset when producing video projects, yet many video creators don’t own one due to perceived cost or setup complications. When I started out, this seemed costly or time consuming to set up, but after comparing rental costs at local studios with buying what needed be purchased outright seemed more economical.
So I decided to assemble my own “portable” and cost-effective kit. When I use the term “portable”, this means your Pelican case may become heavier over time but will start saving money the second time it is used – remember this professional kit shouldn’t be DIY built at home!
Lighting will be key to any successful green screen production. At minimum, five lights will be necessary: two for blasting the green screen itself as well as key, fill, and backlights – this keeps costs reasonable while meeting most production needs.
I found the Dracast Pro Series LED1000 Bi-Color LED Light Panel (V-Mount) to be ideal. These lights are dimmable, low profile, light weight and work on power supplies or V-mount batteries – offering both daylight or bi-color illumination depending on my mood and need. Since I prefer having options at my fingertips I opted for the bi-color model of this light panel.
Bi-color panels offer variable color temperatures from 3200K-5600K; however, their tradeoff is that half of LEDs may be off. I recommend keeping the dial between extremes as bright even lighting is key and these lights usually won’t spill onto subjects anyway.
My subject lighting includes key, fill and backlight options with both color temperature choices depending on what the shoot requires. These lights also feature soft diffusion panels which can be removed if additional intensity is desired.
Light Stands and Case
One of the lowest-profile light stands available, the Dracast DLS-805 spring-cushioned light stand weighs only three pounds when collapsed to 28.5 inches but can extend all the way to 6 feet for use.
With some creativity and some pick-and-pluck foam, you can actually fit all five lights, power adapters, white balance cards and light stands into a wheeled Pelican 1690 Protector Transport Case measuring 30-by-25-by-15.4 inches on its interior dimensions.
Though it’s a tight fit, I haven’t encountered any problems in two years of shipping. You might even manage to fit a small roll of gaff tape within.
Green Screen If you need plenty of green run on the floor for your full-body green screen shoot, the Photek GS12 green screen fabric is an ideal solution. Featuring a 4-inch pole pocket and grommets on both sides for quick tension control, this screen should remain wrinkle-free when stored away for long periods.
If you prefer less width and no screen on the floor, consider purchasing a collapsible one with wire sides instead. Lean it against a wall and eliminate needing background support altogether! Just ensure your subject’s hands remain within the screen if there are multiple people present; larger Photek screens may be an option as well.
Since I switched from keeping my tripod in tubular hard cases to flat rectangular hard cases, I am now able to accommodate both my background support system and lighting extension cords into one case. If traveling by plane, the cloth green screen can easily fit into my suitcase while I pack all components separately if I wish.
Cost and Round Cost for Items in Table Above.
Pelican 1690 Case Costs $540.95 mes Photek GS12 Green Screen Costs $97 whereas Impact Support System costs $109.95
Dracast DLS-805 Stands are also provided (5) which total $120 each.
Dracast LED1000B lights (5): $24995 I have an under-$3000 portable green screen kit that has served me well on every occasion and compares favorably with any rental service. You might even be able to find sale pricing for some or all five lights (you might already own some and thus don’t need five of each type), making the investment worthwhile on its second use – plus these lights can support other productions to help defray costs further.
Being seen is believing, and we were using this setup on the road in a parody of a Drake music video.
On the left is seen the green screen shoot.
The middle image displays our import into After Effects following keying with Keylight and adding in a Photoshop-made background specifically tailored for our music video.
The right image depicts our final output. We maintained a background changing color to complement the music video, added light wrap and placed a color overlay (soft light blending mode) over the video layer so that its background light would subtly illuminate our subject.