Thread: Yoga Videos & Chroma Key - Technical Help

I am new to video production, but I am looking to create a series of Yoga videos for online use. They would be sold online, after production which will include indexing of words used in the tutorial (using voice recognition). I have an instructor interested and I am addressing the issue of Chroma Key.

I want to place the instructor at a scenic location, such as a sunny beach, or on a mountain. Several professional Yoga DVD's are filmed that way, as it adds to the general feel of relaxation.

I understand how the wall can be a blue screen, but what about the floor? I am a little unclear how the floor could also be used to allow the new landscape video to be added.

I talked to a retailer when trying to buy the screens, but he said Chroma Key only worked for walls.

Yoga needs the floor to be filmed as many postures involve the floor, eg sitting on the floor.

Does anyone have any help on using Chroma Key to film Yoga (ie the whole person would need filming) and what equipment is best to buy? I googled the equipment side of this, and I got a huge amount of hardware and software information: too much to understand.

It only works on the wall? Never heard that one before, anywho, just get a much bigger cloth that you can hang on the wall and will also cover the floor. Light it correctly so you have no shadows, especially where the wall and floor meet. And also keep the talent as far away from the background as possible. Get yourself a mini dv camcorder (tape), good sold tripod, a few lights, an external mic possilby tie clip so it can be attached to the talents clothes to pick up what he/she is saying.

A firewire cable to connect the camcorder to your computer and some editing software. Download some of the 30 day trial software listed on this forum and try a few different versions out and see which one you like best. If this is a one off project you may be able to do the entire project using a 30 day trial software so you don't have to buy it.

Originally Posted by Nikosony

It only works on the wall? Never heard that one before, anywho, just get a much bigger cloth that you can hang on the wall and will also cover the floor. Light it correctly so you have no shadows, especially where the wall and floor meet. And also keep the talent as far away from the background as possible. Get yourself a mini dv camcorder (tape), good sold tripod, a few lights, an external mic possilby tie clip so it can be attached to the talents clothes to pick up what he/she is saying.

A firewire cable to connect the camcorder to your computer and some editing software. Download some of the 30 day trial software listed on this forum and try a few different versions out and see which one you like best. If this is a one off project you may be able to do the entire project using a 30 day trial software so you don't have to buy it.

Thanks for your discerning comments.

You mentioned "tape." I had assumed digital was better. My brother thought tape would be better, but when I googled this, almost all returns were digital.

Are there any particular noteworthy points about tape v digital?

Do you know where landscape videos are available, eg beaches?

I work frequenly with contract staff in India, so I am asking them to film something in India (which I imagine has a lot of scenery), but it seems better to buy a landscape video.

I think this project may develop as it seems like the concepts have a lot of mileage.

er... tape IS digital! Has been for some years now! DV Tape = Digital Video Tape.

Other forms of storage notably solid state, and hard disk tend to use compression algorithms more severe than tape (For DV there is no data compression) so the quality is still higher. Even for HD

Better solid state formats are arriving, but only a at the pro level and $$$

Originally Posted by Merrows

..I talked to a retailer when trying to buy the screens, but he said Chroma Key only worked for walls....

I never cease to be amazed at what rubbish salesmen spout. If they don't know, why can't they just admit it? (Chroma key will work on the moon if you want it too by the way).

Your concept does have some mileage, although not new or original. I've worked with an organisation that does online yoga and tai-chi downloadable lessons and they sell well.

When we shot their first DVD, we chose a Japanese water garden as the backdrop. Worked very well indeed. I fear your vids may look cheap if you're not very careful with what you're proposing. You'll have to an awful lot of work with lighting in particular to make it look right.

Originally Posted by Andy Lockwood

I never cease to be amazed at what rubbish salesmen spout. If they don't know, why can't they just admit it? (Chroma key will work on the moon if you want it too by the way).

Your concept does have some mileage, although not new or original. I've worked with an organisation that does online yoga and tai-chi downloadable lessons and they sell well.

When we shot their first DVD, we chose a Japanese water garden as the backdrop. Worked very well indeed. I fear your vids may look cheap if you're not very careful with what you're proposing. You'll have to an awful lot of work with lighting in particular to make it look right.

I am not saying it is new or original, but as a Yoga activist I can see very little (almost none), online Yoga that is about teaching and doing at the same time. So the market is very open.

Andy - some people actually think the moon landings were chromkeyed in. Lols.

As for your video - my first response is that you may end up in more knots than you expect.

Training vidoes are quite an art and doing good chromakeying that will belnd well with a ' live' outside shot is head splittingly complex.

If it doesnt look seemless it looks awaful.

I wonder if real people in real locations may not be better ?

The video learning curve is often exponential.

Originally Posted by Mark W

Andy - some people actually think the moon landings were chromkeyed in. Lols.

As for your video - my first response is that you may end up in more knots than you expect.

Training vidoes are quite an art and doing good chromakeying that will belnd well with a ' live' outside shot is head splittingly complex.

If it doesnt look seemless it looks awaful.

I wonder if real people in real locations may not be better ?

The video learning curve is often exponential.

I can try just a normal shoot but in the UK there are not many Yoga types of scenic places, and the few that do exist would increase costs wildly in going there.

I need either a mountain, or a sunny beach without any people/rubbish and blue clean water. The water is mostly unclean of the coast, so that means a lake. There is a lake nearby, so maybe I could try that.

Originally Posted by Mark W

Andy - some people actually think the moon landings were chromkeyed in. Lols.

As for your video - my first response is that you may end up in more knots than you expect.

Training vidoes are quite an art and doing good chromakeying that will belnd well with a ' live' outside shot is head splittingly complex.

If it doesnt look seemless it looks awaful.

I wonder if real people in real locations may not be better ?

The video learning curve is often exponential.

After replying, I googled this and found [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7drLSbrHft0]YouTube - Namaste Yoga Video 5 minute Preview[/ame] which looks like it has a lot of chromakeying. What do you think of that video?

Aside from the technical side, which looked OK, the actual teaching method is far too fast and complex which I think is a common issue with Yoga videos. Postures are normally held for longer periods, and the videos just rush through the postures showing the techniques.

Not chromakey - nearly all real locations I am certain. Moving shots with chromakey are very technically daunting.

You will not be able to produce anything with those sorts of production values without spending £1000s.

It was professionally lit and they had some very comlex camera suppost euipment - a crane a stedicam for sure.

And dishy professional models - lols.