The Esmeralda stage is constructed with a great deal of depth and detail so earner and equipment can be calibrated for accurate testing and comparisons. With all spill con pletely removed from the front face of the stage frame, as well as an isolated and separatt lit Esmeralda mannequin, the background is approximately 15 feet behind with changea color backgrounds and filtered lights for complete illumination. The images in Figure 2 ..5 show the many components of the stage setup.
As Jonathan points out, the key to a great composite is all about the lighting and getting clean information from the background into the compositing software or hardwa Many productions go over budget and time because of poorly shot scenes or because the people involved don't know the basics of getting a clean blue screen or green screen shot As Alex Lindsay of Pixel Corps (www. pixel corps. com) has said, '-'With green screen, 80% of your post-production budget is lost on the set." In other words, a properly planned and correctly shot production will result in less time needed in post to fix things.
Throughout this book, I'll cover production issues that should help you avoid rna kin costly mistakes in planning, staging, lighting, and shooting your shots so the compositing process will go as smoothly as possible.