HOLLYWOOD: Behind the Scenes

Stargate Studios 2010 Virtual Backlot Demo from Stargate Studios on Vimeo.

Ever wonder what everything looks like behind the scenes of your favorite TV show or movie?  This video from Stargate Studios offers a glimpse of the smoke and mirrors that bring the sound-stage to life.  Truly fascinating.

We use the same green-screen technology every night on the news, but obviously on a much more simple level.  Smaller green-screens in television news studios allow us to put the meteorologist in front of full-screen weather maps, and give us the option of putting reporters in front of still or video images.  You have to be careful though - no green clothing at all, or viewers at home will see right through you!

The whole thing works with computers that are calibrated to recognize a particular shade of green.  The computers then replace the green with whatever image is desired, say a weather map for example.  A person standing in front of the screen blocks the green, and therefore appears in front of the image.

I came across this by accident.  About two years ago, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper stopped the presses, cut staff, and went to an all digital format.  I wanted to see what the website, seattlepi.com, and came across this video.