Using the Green Screens at our lab
Green Screens are useful if you would like to remove the background during videoconferencing, live video streaming, or during shooting video or photos.
We have two types:
The Webaround
The Webaround (model Big Shot) is a 142 cm(!) diameter round screen with a collapsible spring steel rim mounted on the back of your chair. We have four of these.
Pros:
- Zero footprint on the floor — nothing to put up behind you that could get in the way.
- Very lightweight and just the size of a shopping bag when folded.
- Very close behind you, which makes it more likely to cover your entire camera view.
Cons:
- Unfold it carefully with space around you, it will pop open suddenly!
- Also, you need to learn the right move to fold it again. Watch the tutorial below first.
- For wide-angle cameras with no zoom options, the round shape may lead to corners in your viewport not being covered by the background, which looks ugly.
- When you swivel your office chair around when you get up, the Webaround turns with it, revealing the real background behind you.
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The Elgato
The Elgato Green Screen is 148 cm wide, a little wider than the Webaround, and much higher (up to 180 cm), square. It stands on the floor behind the subject. It comes inside its own aluminum case and works like a high-end roll-up poster — just turn out its feet, open the case, and pull on the center handle straight up. It will stop at any height you want.
Pros:
- Does not move when you move in your chair, so no peek-through real background when videoconferencing.
- Its square shape makes it cover a larger camera viewing area including the image corners.
- More flexible — you can stand in front of it, for example.
- Extremely easy to set up and take down.
Cons:
- It sits a little further back behind you than the Webaround, which means it needs to be bigger to cover the same camera viewport.
- Fairly heavy and bulky to transport (won't fit into your car sideways).
- Risk of toppling over if you bump it, e.g., while getting out of your chair.
More about Green Screens
A good overview of using Green Screens can be found here: