Tips and Tricks For Shooting VFX 

Here’s some stuff that’s come up over the years and can be very helpful to your VFX artist in post!  Generally it’s not possible to avoid everything at once but the notes on this list are things that make shots more time consuming and expensive, and occasionally will reduce the quality of the end product.  It’s nice to keep them in mind and discuss possibilities with your VFX team!

Things to consider before the shoot:

• Are the cameras moving or locked (Locked is easier but moving is often cooler!)

• Is haze needed around VFX elements? (Chat with your VFX supervisor about the pros and cons)

• Will there be motion blur on anything that needs to be keyed? (Motion blur doesn’t key well)

• Are any costumes, jewelry, or props reflective or shiny and likely to pick up the green screen color and key out with the background?

Things that can affect VFX on set:  

• Flashing lights on composited elements

• Motion blur on things that need to be tracked, rotoscoped, or keyed

• Out-of-focus things that need to be tracked or keyed (Including rack focuses!)

• Out-of-focus objects in front of light emitting screens (This creates strong light wrap that can be hard to match in a final composite)

• Lenses that warp the edges of square TVs, whiteboards, and computer screens

• Shiny green screens with white reflections on them

• Green screens with scuffs and dirt marks

• Shiny leather clothes reflecting green on green screens

• Unwanted Reflections (except on black TV screens where we love them!)

• Shadows on green screens

• Transparent fabric or mesh interacting with CG or green screens

• Fog machines in tracking or compositing shots (Especially visibly swirly fog)

• Anything that’s being removed or replaced in a shot that emits or bounces light and creates light wrap

• Green screens reflected in the corners of talent’s glasses or their jewelry

• Flying harnesses that overlap in front of the talent (or aren’t keyable and get behind long blowing hair)

• Blond hair getting light wrapped with green screen spill

• Lens flare on top of composite objects

• Green screen shoots where “We haven’t decided what the background/lighting will be yet.” (It is very important to match your on-set lighting to the background as closely as possible)

• Grainy footage

• Panning shots without parallax 

• Low quality video formats like H264 or Mp5 

Things that make VFX go more smoothly and efficiently:  

• Tracking markers when TV/Computer screen corners are not visible on screen

• Fast shutter speeds

• Multiple tracking markers on camera for any shot that will need tracking in post

• Well-lit flat green screens without spill

• Shooting RAW and color correcting with VFX elements in mind

• Green screens with the talent back-lit, especially with magenta

• Drone shots

• Parallax in shots that will need camera tracking

• Real dirt or grass on on the ground around the base of green screen elements

• Smooth mechanical camera moves without stops, starts, or human error