Film in front of a TV instead of traveling

you can do this at home and it's not too expensive.

[@AtomicAgePictures]

I've been using a 47" tv sitting on a table, just outside the side windows of a car to do driving dialog scenes. So far no one has figured out that it's not real.

[@mrhobs]

How do you find/create good footage (right angles/speed/etc) to go on the TV? This is a good idea that I may actually want to try

[@AtomicAgePictures]

​@@mrhobs I attached a dji osmo pocket camera to the side of my car and filmed from both directions, drivers side and passenger. As the pocket osmo doesn't really have shallow depth of field, I defocused the shots in post.

[@heckensteiner4713]

I just figured it out. But only because you told me. 😉

[@mrhobs]

@@AtomicAgePictures Hey man, that's a pretty straightforward method, thank you!

[@mrhobs]

@@heckensteiner4713 Goofball. ha

[@xamomax]

You can get bezel hiding kits for monitors that could be useful. Sim racers use them for 3 monitor setups to help make the monitors look like one. Basically they are strips that blur the light from the two monitors to the side and combine the light into the strip.

[@evilpigskin]

Whoah! Do you have any links or a name for that? This is pretty pretty pretty useful

[@ihebmaalaoui]

@@evilpigskin kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3TMk2yYpcmkgMk

[@PeterVanKeer]

Good tip, but as far as I know those are for smaller monitors only? Would be amazing though to have these for a 70" TV!

[@Humcrush]

@@PeterVanKeer Couldn't you stack them to get the height you need?

[@xamomax]

@PeterVanKeer possibly, though theoretically they could work for any size. One thing I am unsure of is if the monitors have to be at a specific angle or if the trick will work at any angles including flat.

[@B-Moye]

When I saw PotatoJets video my mind was completely blown and I love how versatile you all got with this, hiding the bezel, still having foreground elements and even the resolve set up is an added layer I hadn’t thought about

[@foljs5858]

"Film in front of a TV instead of traveling" 2024 economy in a nutshell

[@EpicLightMedia]

Hahaha love this

[@jacquesdupreez2146]

Really laughed so hard!!

[@jazzlehazzle]

Modern spin on classic, traditional rear projection. Used in Hollywood since the 1930s. Battle-tested, tried-and-true.

[@gefloigle]

Exactly what I was thinking.

[@Blatantist]

disney still uses it to this day

[@Blatantist]

i think they use massive screens now tho

[@SagnikDasgupta]

Rear projections then, volumes now, TVs here.

[@yamikanikatunga1749]

“This is cheap stuff,” with three 75 inch TVs in the background. 😂 You guys make amazing content.

[@robertdouble559]

It's very cheap, comapred to a fully tricked out LED wall voume. The cost of building your own TV based setup is cheaper one a day renting a volume stage. Waaaaay cheaper. Let's say you plan to shoot a weeks worth of interviews, buy the 3 screens, do the shoot, flip the TVs on facebook marketplace, or return them to Amazon for a refund. If you're not getting paid for your work then yeah...everything is expensive. Another option would be to rent them from an AV hire company. I've worked on some i studio car interior shots for netwrok TV shows where the produciton have rented 4x 100" screens to do all of their drving shots over the course of a few days. Cost them next to nothing and it looked great. Buying or renting three or 4 TVs is negliagle for any of the jobs I would typically work on. Chump change.

[@yamikanikatunga1749]

@@robertdouble559 this is actually a really good point. Thanks, for exposing me to the other side of the technical details and comparisons. 😃

[@TheBaldr]

you can create the same thing with a so much cheaper projector.

[@marsgizmo]

Love this setup! Especially using Resolve for the quick adjustments! That's a great tip.

[@mradriiiian]

Post more regularly or I will subscribe. With notifications on!

[@AhmedAbdo-jd7vy]

Couldn't agree more 👏 👌

[@bharaninathkomandur6330]

OMG!! That is a real threat right there.

[@joeldiaz141]

You mean "and"?

[@BenDurham]

You wouldn't DARE 😦

[@will_wtr]

😱

[@JulioBHJ]

That looked surprisingly good.

[@EpicLightMedia]

Thanks!

[@ciinelog]

@@EpicLightMedia Thomas have you ever tried to use this method, but with good quality projector as it can be budget friendly option for some situations, when someone can't afford expensive TV monitors

[@GabrielFFontes]

@@ciinelogi doubt a budget friendly projector would have nearly enough brightness to pass this off, but I’d love to see it tested out.

[@daltonidaho]

Absolutely professional end result, and such a great idea! This certainly got me thinking about the many possibilities with a setup like this.

[@EpicLightMedia]

Hey thanks!!!

[@lawbossproductions1331]

I watched your video last year re TV wall backdrop and copied your system. Works out well -- I use it to simulate a window view from a downtown office. Love your content!

[@IMDABROWN]

Glad you guys are uploading videos. this was super fun and creative.

[@TyroneLT]

I have access to a 77 inch TV. I definitely want to try this out. Thanks for this breakdown! You guys always make great stuff!

[@jacoblopez2549]

Now that I work at a film studio, I’m definitely doing this now. Thank you for making that tutorial in the other video. Excited for this one.

[@odigskimedia4919]

I’m so happy another one dropped. I love your content

[@BenDurham]

This is SUCH a great idea! Excellent breakdown.

[@BrianJurkowski]

During the COVID lockdowns I saw a Twitter post of a news commentator working FROM HOME with a similar setup. She had only one large TV and the effect was perfect. I like what you've done here.

[@ShaferScott]

I recently started doing something similar, however I just use one 75 inch tv right behind me, so I don't need the white strips because I'm only using one tv.

[@PopTartHeaven]

I could see myself actually doing a setup like this in the future. Great job guys!

[@PabloGarcia-sf7bn]

It looks awesome! Sparking off ideas as I type. Greetings from New Mexico!

[@PranshuDhruv]

iam glad you guys are back, much love

[@clurkroberts2650]

This is a wonderful practical studio.

[@reynaldomercado]

Great setup. Big tv, good lighting and blur...don’t look hard to emulate. Thanks!

[@7ombische]

I've been using a 4K short throw projector with a 120" ALR screen for a virtual background for my wife's channel and client webinars. The challenge is that you really have to control light spilling onto the projector screen, and 120" is a little too small to give us more flexibility with getting a wider shot of the talent. I'm considering changing to a TV video wall for our new larger studio but no bezel TV's are very expensive. It might not be worth the extra cost.

[@collierlandry]

The lighting on talent is 🔥. Well done!

[@isnotkevin]

I did use a tv as a background for a photo once and it came out great, so when I saw your suggestion to use it for video it just made sense.

[@RLTPhoto]

looks like a great idea for simple talking head type shoots. The image was extremely convincing A+

[@Mr_Kenneth]

I think for most cases, especially creating social media ads, this looks fantastic. I'm looking at buying an 85" TV for our Christmas photoshoot

[@radicalempire6599]

Looks amazing. We use a short throw projector from time to time. The brightness is the only downside. But if you expose for the background it sort of works pretty good.

[@OrigEntertainmentOfficial]

I looked into this. There is supposed to be some really, really good screen material that reflects alot of the light back. You might want to look into that.

[@MasonPayne]

I think this setup is ridiculous… ridiculously awesome!

[@PopoRamos]

I use a 4k ultra short throw projector. You can blow it up to 300 inches no problem, however it is much harder to control the lighting as any spill into the screen washes out the image. When setup right even gives you room to add a slider or go handheld for some parallax adding more to the realism

[@vegardpedersen]

Brilliant! Love this. I have used a single TV before for product shots, and it turned out decent. No the best TV so there was some problems with reflections and some light, and using Autofocus was a problem as it is flat, but the camera thinks it is more depth. Your result looks so clean and professional, great job :-)

[@pglazzari1]

It looks really good. What were your thoughts on a projector

[@PlayedWith]

We have been doing this in action figure photography for many years...cool to see it adapted to something else!

[@spybloodjr]

I love this break down! thank you! How do you think a 4k laser projector would work as an alternative rear projection?

[@anoophothi]

This is brilliant and definitely giving mega expensive virtual production studios for SMEs a run for their money and MORE accessible to more ppl and companies!:)

[@Moustafa11]

This looks great. I’m curious if a short-throw projector would work as well and potentially have a larger and seamless screen.

[@OccidentalonPurpose]

Love this. Would be great setup for someone who shoots lots of a-roll interviews and standups. You could use backgrounds that are thematically in line with the b-roll without having to have subjects go on-location when they don't need to.

[@benjaminpeternorris]

That's really cool!! - I just wondered if using rear projection you can get the same effect, without the bezels? We used to use rear projection for events we ran years ago, not sure if anyone uses it for video backdrops these days though!

[@markstevens1729]

What I can say is that when “cheap” in-studio shoots are this complex, leaving the studio is for the birds in any situation you can avoid it. All of which is why I chose radio over TV some 50 years ago.

[@Vitaphone]

Glad you guys are back… Hope Thomas is ok, seems as bummed as he was In the last one❤

[@ifthis_]

reminds me of what @PotatoJet did with his new studio, and i really dig this idea since seeing that video. I'm totally going to invest in one of these systems in the upcoming weeks. Thanks for the detailed breakdown.

[@mrwayne8018]

Love it! I wonder how these compare with a laser projector. I would like to add this to my home studio but not sure what it would get the best results

[@adidasjoel17]

i thought that looked really good! Outside of this video knowledge, if you just showed me that final output, there's no way i would have guess that. Nice job and thanks for the insights i might be able to use down the road :)

[@BravoCharlie]

Excellent. Thanks for the detail

[@bengibbs3299]

Super cool! I defintely would want to try something like this out. I also like how simulating the TV provides some what would be natural ambient/colors onto the talent. Never liked the way green screen looks keyed with those edges that never quite look right.

[@izytang]

Have you considered integrating Unreal Engine into the setup and placing a gyro-sensor on the camera? You could upgrade to doing real-time dynamic backgrounds and even (some) handheld moving shots. That could open it up so you're not confined to just locked off shots with static backgrounds. Though, for the locked/static stuff, it looks pretty good - the attention to lighting sells it.

[@stevenhockaday914]

Very nice setup. Looks great and vastly improves your post processing time

[@IndyVisuals]

Turned out amazing

[@Ausqualitystock]

You reckon a good brand short throw projector on a white wall would reach these levels of brightness?? I've seen some projector stuff and it's good for lower light backgrounds, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be bright enough for this kind of background.

[@kadafilm]

Epic Light Media doesn't question if this idea is crazy, they wonder if it's crazy enough!

[@xanhetu6034]

This is great. I just did some video trainings using a greenscreen and AI. Looks very close to this, I'd say your lighting technique is way better than what I accomplished. Well done.

[@xanhetu6034]

P.s I was inspired by the video you did last year which helped tremendously.

[@KevKlopper]

I started to get into sim racing and they use a special tape to cover up the bezels, it refracts the light and creates a diffused border to the next screen. Maybe that works for you too!

[@ngonzale3]

Definitely pro-level. Wonderfully done. It would be great to see a comparison between this and, say a 4k projector. If the cost isn't that much different than the tv's would be better.

[@kribbage]

I've seen -- for triple computer monitor setups -- people that use a prism/diffusor strip that goes between each screen and sort of blends the bezels out. Don't know if they make them big enough for tvs like that. Just one big screen I would think could be enough for smaller product shot setups too! EDIT: apparently the DIY way is to get a broken TV of the same size - has to be one that has a backlight with a fresnel lens layer - and cut that into strips and flex them until the bezel disapears. Those fresnels in old tvs can be interesting light mods in themselves 🤔

[@talonsix]

Great stuff guys. I'd love to hear more about clean plate capture for the video wall.

[@henrytheturnip]

I've been doing this for a few years now, a single 55" HD screen is brilliant for product video. Especially with transparent objects like glass where green-screening a background is next to impossible. Add a turntable and a few props and you're good to go.

[@MrNobodyX3]

You can get one of those backlit things for a TVs where it lights up the wall behind it and all around and use that as your light around your subject to mimic the environment that you're showing on the screen

[@nawafilm]

I have worked with these type of virtual backgrounds using ultra short throw projectors. They have the advantage of enabling to shoot on a big 4 meter wide background but they are very susceptible to spill. Indeed using a lot of flags was crucial for those kind of setups pretty much what you are doing here.

[@retrorollerboy]

Heyho, did you buy the screens with glossy or with matte surface ?

[@superjunaid]

I love this!

[@amarucazenave]

I love this set-up, we've just build a studio in a tiny room with 2 big screens behind our journalist and the guests, the result is just fantastic. We have to struggle with lights to avoid reflections on the screens, but the result is just amazing. The studio look like a big place on the top of building with a view of Paris

[@EpicLightMedia]

Awesome! I’d love to see it

[@amarucazenave]

@@EpicLightMedia The first video will be uploaded in June, I can put a link a this moment if you want

[@OrigEntertainmentOfficial]

We did this for a VFX shot of putting an actor in spaceship. We only have one large monitor set up in landscape. We found it worked fine with minimal blurring/bokeh. It does need some so you can't tell it's a screen. Separately, consider blurring the background in photoshop. I am not sure how that will look but might be worth exploring.

[@DejayClayton]

Have you tried rear projectors as an alternative instead of TVs? It would require more space, but probably allow more lighting flexibility.

[@EpicLightMedia]

Unfortunately the blacks in the image get washed out and look grey with rear projection. The reflections are annoying with tvs though

[@DejayClayton]

@@EpicLightMedia great point!

[@Bassquake76]

@@EpicLightMedia Can you get big sheets of anti-reflective screen protectors like you can for ipads and phones?

[@bhgemini]

Nvm answering my question then. Parallel thinking strikes again.

[@DejayClayton]

@@bhgemini Actually, I wonder if a darker silver screen with a shockingly bright projector would help with the washed out contrast.

[@eversparx]

Amazingly useful video - thanks much for sharing your experience/know-how! Bigger background is better, but, but mind if I ask why you went 3-panel configuration over a single 98” (86”x49”) with no hide-the-seams worries? (…But slightly tighter shots on the talent for sure!) Cheers

[@Cameronpov]

They make bezel hiding strips you can put between two monitors. They reflect the image over the bezel making it almost disappear if you're not focused on it. I don't know if they make them big enough to use for what you're doing though.

[@dinanm7]

Philip Bloom did a great review of a TV where he posed this same option. The tighter the shot or larger the tv should get seamless.

[@christianl151]

You guys could use one of those lenticular sheets that people use as "invisibility shields" to better blend the screens together and hide those bezels, look up some images, I think it might work well with this setup. Would give you the benefit of not having to change the colored bezel covers for different scenes.

[@rangefreewords]

I agree in LA at 5.65 an hour it lives in my head.

[@garretreed9709]

Looks great but when you switched over to Andrew I was hoping he would go into detail. What resolution project is in resolve? Does it have a particular name? How do you prevent flare from the tv. I thought that was going to be the problem you were going to say. For the strips, are they attached through velcro? But a deeper dive into the setup in resolve would’ve been nice. Or at least the source you used

[@EpicLightMedia]

It’s only a 1080p project in resolve. Because the background is going to have natural bokeh from the lens, you really don’t need high res images. We prevent glares on the TV during lighting setup by moving the lights into the right positions and using flags to prevent spill onto the screen. Also because of the large size of the TV wall out talent is several feet from the wall and having more distance between the wall and the lighting makes it easier to prevent glare and flares from the lights.

[@OdiumTV]

a short throw projector accomplishes similar results, although without the ability to mimic the gloss of a window. that and a high quality projector might be more expensive than three cheap screens, especially considering longevity

[@SL-vs7fs]

In the opening shot there are 3 tv’s aligned vertically. If you get stuck trying to figure things out, like I do, this is for you.

[@joshwilliams4634]

How much of a consideration is color accuracy of the monitors for you? are there any specific specs you were looking for or was it just seeing for yourself?

[@bummers]

Think this is really smart! But how about using a projector? Rear projector maybe? Or is it too washed out or even more costly?

[@leon-fuchs]

Another great video! Thanks guys! One important question for me is: What kind of TV can be used here? What do I have to pay attention to here? LCD, OLED,...

[@EpicLightMedia]

These were cheap lcd TVs you can just use cheap ones

[@CreativeIsolation]

It’s slick. Would a projector work for this? Or not bright enough?

[@WanderFeetChronicles]

I’ve been using my iMac 27” as a backdrop (along with my iPad Pro 12.9” as a floor) for Star Wars toy Photography for years now - so much easier and safer for me to shoot at home, where I can control everything, than out in the real world trying to find locations to suit the figures I shoot. - It’s a life saver, a time saver, a money saver and a biggest thing saved is MY SANITY!!!

[@ianbrown4242]

It still looks composited, though. The talent doesn't look like it's lit by the background environment. I suppose it's faster, but it sure doesn't look any better.

[@cerumen]

My understanding is it’s an alternative to compositing for productions that do not really require 100% realistic lighting and want a quick turnaround, although people claim this method also works well for ‘outdoor’ dialogue scenes like driving, the use of video walls in Mandalorian (I guess natural daylight must be easier to approximate in those setups?)

[@TayWoode]

Haha I’ve done similar with a few TVs for my Christmas displays disguising one as snow falling outside a window, one for a fireplace etc, same for halloween with ghosts floating up and clouds passing a full moon

[@JonDraper]

Did you guys go capture the background shot? I was hoping to get some more information on here that shot came from

[@brad_neal]

Looks really good. How difficult was it to match color on all 3 of those tv's?

[@isaiahmacadam]

How would a laser projector look 🤔

[@noahyv]

Not great unless you can block all non-projector light from hitting the projector screen. It's a lot of work to control contrast especially if it's a high key lighting setup.

[@SianaGearz]

@@noahyv You know what. What if the "screen" was retroreflective material (3M Scotchlite), it appears fairly dark on camera, darker than to the eye for some reason. And your projector is right BELOW your camera similar setup like a teleprompter pointing up, and you use a glass pane maybe reflective coated but transparent to reflect the rays of the projector onto the retroreflector. The bulk of the light goes back into the camera lens. It might even work with a plain small mirror barely the size of the projector lens located just below the camera lens instead of reflective pane. It can hypothetically make the subject appear just the tiniest little smidgen translucent, since the image is projected on them as well. But if it's pre-blurred for shallow DoF effect then it might not be readily apparent. Obviously the subject won't reflect the light into the camera nearly as effectively as the retroreflective backing. I mean sure nothing is ever perfect, but i wonder how much someone capable could push this approach. It may look fairly greenscreened though, you aren't getting any of that natural environmental lighting. Retroreflective cloth has also been used to pull spectacularly sharp and transparency-compatible colour key. In that case just a small green LED ringlight is used. The colour of the key is THAT much more saturated and even than can be accomplished with fabric pigment. No back spill at all. There is a slight even green cast on subject but if you greycard WB, it disappears completely.

[@davesnow]

I use a short throw projector setup all the time on a 120” screen…looks fantastic, no seams. With the right DOF, subject lighting, etc., looks great.

[@blainemitchell]

It looks fantastic. I didn't really understand how the ipad to the wall works, but it does so...

[@hopitlong]

How are you controlling the depth of field on the screen to look real to the camera and somewhat accurate for the Lens you are using?

[@personofinternet682]

great nifty idea! do one with a projector. report if it is any better/worse.thanks!!

[@CINENIMUS]

What camera was shooting you? No IBIS by the looks

[@bottledwaterprod]

Wouldn't just one good projector yield similar results without so many issues? With the bonus of an adjustable size?

[@darrenorange2982]

So you depth if field issue, just add blur to the image to fine tune then you can accomplish pretty much anything. And use a cut up plastic Lenticular lens to help hide the seem and tiny amount of depth of field and you've got a better look. Great idea keep it up. Just used a projector for something similar.

[@benjaminjackson8663]

To solve the bezels in more scenarios, why not just use 1 tv in horizontal position and bring it close enough to camera to fill the BG? You can even blur the image _itself_ as much as you need to make up for the reduced in-camera blur. What you did with the 3 tvs + bevel hiders obviously worked just fine, but this way you wouldn't have to deal with that every single time you use this CU setup.

[@BlaineWestropp1]

Great way to cover the seams 👌

[@ruibandeirafotografia]

did you try to remobe the plastic box from the TVs so you could use the screens realy close together?

[@StringerBell2002]

How’d you make the strips to cover the TV bezels?

[@eike.zender]

Have you ever tried a rear projection canvas such as OptiBlack?

[@YTesting]

Well done! Could a high end projector be used too, or would that pose even more problems?

[@johnny.hockin]

Any tips for filming the plate footage?

[@matt.banton]

Could you do this with a short throw projector? Maybe not bright enough

[@jacoblopez2549]

Could Andrew make a video on the techniques he uses to make the color and lighting realistic in DaVinci? Thanks!

[@ErisedMediaCo]

Looks great. I think a high quality high lumen short throw projector along with a screen that cancels off axis light would be a better/easier solution though. You could have up to a 150” screen with a single source so you don’t have to line them all up and get them in sync and a bigger screen. Just need it to be around 3,000 ANSI lumens and it should work fine.

[@jamesepiclight]

We've been curious about those short throw projectors. Our biggest issue with any projector is if any ambient light reaches the screen, the blacks in the background become lifted towards grays and it has a washed out feel. The TV's don't do that the same way, but we do have to work around reflections...

[@sapienproductions]

Wouldn't a short throw projector give you a larger background image area or have I already missed the answer to that question?

[@manuel0689]

You need something like a Asus Freekit bezel adapter for triple monitor extension but larger for your tv. that would remove the need to change those trims when switching to green screens.