Yep, it's true. When filming, the goal is to want viewers coming back for more. It's stressful enough to be thinking about your outfit, hair, and makeup. Let alone what you're going to say,
how well you're going to say it, and-- wait. Let me list a bunch of other things you will be worrying about.
Delivery/presentation
Lighting
Audio
Nerves
Will my audience be receptive
Will I get an audience
Which platform do I promote my video
Can/how will I optimize
Can/how will I monetize
I'll stop.
There's always going to be a bunch of people that will zoom in particular areas of your video, static images, too. The worst ones are the individuals looking for PII - Personally Identifiable Information. PII examples include first and last name, address, email, phone number, DOB, employment info, citizenship, other family members PII, or any other identifiable detail that is used to break through a security layer into an important part of one's life: bank account, social media/other online accounts, employer, etc. Once the damage is done, the clean up is a dirty process.
Then there's the other bunch of people that zoom in our videos and pictures, looking to judge you: what a mess, she's/he's dirty, cheap stuff, fake, wealthy, bad/good taste, extravagant, show-off, and the judgements go on and on.
Unless you are 1000% certain your video background (and surroundings) leave little to no room for criticism, you should seriously think about using a green screen. You may be saving your brand's reputation.
Okay, that might be a stretch.
Your background is not likely to destroy your brand unless there's an animal being abused or you're filming in a country sanctioned by the U.S. Still, no one wants to deal with negative comments that could've been avoided.
Avoid it, then.
With green screen, your background choices are endless. I mean that almost literally. Any solid color in the spectrum, you can be in space, in a different country, in the oval office, next to your favorite celebrity or athlete, any place as long as you can grab the image (or video).
My personal favorite is a solid colored background. It's clean and leaves no room for a viewer's eyes to stray from the talent or overlays (ex. texts, graphics, media).
Check out the GIF with the blue background - which was converted from a video format and filmed with a green screen. You only see the talent, a lower third, and animated texts. No clutter. No PII.
Removing the green makes the background transparent, making more room for some editing possibilities:
Stacking layers of files without blocking each other
Gives layout more depth
Create interesting visual effects with animations, texts, graphics, and more
The good news is you don't need to pay big bucks to film and edit green screen. In fact, you can do it yourself. It's a useful skill set that has the potential to grow your followers, social media likes, and website traffic.
Here's more cool information:
You only need a small space of at least a 10 x 10 space in your home or business to film green screen
It costs less than $500 (much less if you're on a tight budget) for green screen equipment/tools
You can use your smartphone or tablet to film, as smart devices today have amazing resolution quality
There's now an all-in-one online video course on how to properly set up lighting the green screen, filming with your smart device, and keying (editing) out the green: The Video Spokesperson Academy or VSA.
This academy also covers the fundamentals of Adobe Premiere Pro (editing program) and how to produce elements to raise the value of production. For example: overlays, transitions, sound effects, animation, and more. VSA removes the fluff and gets straight to teaching step-by-step, so students should anticipate a lot of stop-and-play when following along and editing their assignments.
Visit the Video Spokesperson Academy and browse the FAQs and the course outline. You can also enroll for FREE Chapter 3 Essential Tools for Green Screen Filming - no obligation to enroll in the full course. Chapter 3 covers the ultimate list for equipment needed to film and edit green screen (on a budget or with deeper pockets, as long as you already have a smart phone or tablet with a working camera).
My name is Kini and I'm the VSA course instructor. I'm also an actual spokesperson for many small-to-medium sized businesses. I do my own filming and editing. I started teaching what I do one student at a time. Now, I offer the all-in-one course on an amazing learning platform. Check out the Video Spokesperson Academy today and also get my FREE On-Camera Confidence video tips. Click here to learn more.