ABSTRACT
The color difference system used to separate an image from a colored screen and composite it over a background image has become one of the most common effects techniques used today. It is relatively fast to execute and doesn't appear to need much preplanning. The myth behind this technique is that you can put anything up against any kind of color and “they'll make it work later.” As a result, digital compositors on the front line have lost a great deal of hair dealing with poorly executed color screen elements. To provide some guidelines, I'll trace a bit of the history and demonstrate some methods for shooting a blue or green screen element.
