When it comes to setting up a chroma key studio, there are usually multiple surfaces to consider. Do you paint the walls? Do you hang a drop or position a butterfly instead? What about the floor – do you paint it or cover it? Rosco’s Chroma Key System is a comprehensive solution for creating a seamless blue or green screen virtual production space. The system includes paint, floor, backdrops & butterflies, and gaffer tape – all in matching blue and green – to make setting up a chroma key studio easy.
The first step to creating a blue or green screen virtual production space begins with Rosco Chroma Key Paint, which is engineered to provide high luminance values and pure color saturation for keying effects. Rosco Chroma Key Paints are manufactured using single-colored pigments, and they dry in an ultra-flat finish. These two features enable VFX artists to more efficiently key out the color and composite in their visual effects.
To paint a chroma key wall, first line the area with painter's tape and paint a border around the section. Next, fill in the rest of the wall using overlapping strokes with a paint roller. Make sure to take the paint all the way down onto the floor to allow for a seamless transition. After letting the first coat dry for a few hours, apply a second coat for an even finish. For more tips on how to paint blue screen and green screen walls, you can download our "How To Paint A Cyc Wall With Rosco Digital Compositing Paint" instructional sheet.
The next step in setting up a chroma key studio is to evaluate whether or not you want to paint the floor. If so, follow the steps above. If not, consider covering it with Rosco Chroma Floor. This reversible vinyl material has a chroma key blue floor surface on one side and a chroma key green floor surface on the other. So, the same product works inside either a blue or green screen studio. Chroma Floor is easy to install and clean, and it quickly rolls back up when it’s not needed.
Rosco Chroma Gaff is perfect for taping panels of Chroma Floor together, or for creating a seamless transition between the Chroma Floor and the painted wall. This high-quality, waterproof, chroma key gaffer tape features a matte blue or green finish, and excellent adhesion that does not leave behind a residue, and it matches Rosco Chroma Key Paint and Chroma Floor perfectly.
Instead of painting the wall, another option is to rig up a ChromaDrop or a ChromaFly in the background. A Rosco ChromaDrop is a chroma key backdrop with grommets on three sides and a weighted bottom pocket that is designed to be hung from a horizontal pipe, truss, or track system. Standard ChromaDrops are available from 6' W x 4' H (1.83 X 1.22 M) all the way up to 10' W x 10' H (3.05 X 3.05 M). Custom-sized ChromaDrops are also available. The grommeted sides can either be tied to a vertical pipe/truss structure, or they can be used to tie two ChromaDrop panels together. To hide the grommeted seam when using two ChromaDrops side-by-side, simply clamp the grommeted edges together on the backside of the drop.
A Rosco ChromaFly is a chroma key butterfly with grommets on all four sides that is sized to attach to standard grip frames from 4’x4’ – 20’x20’ (1.12 X 1.12M - 5.90 X 5.90M). This setup can be used as the chroma key background on its own, or as a chroma key insert panel.
Both of these options provide a temporary solution for creating chroma key backgrounds on location shoots, or for semi-permanent installations inside virtual production studios.
Whether you’re building out a chroma key studio or you just need a temporary blue or green screen for a project, the Rosco Chroma Key System makes creating a virtual set attainable for anyone needing a chroma key setup. With user-friendly solutions that are easy to install, the Rosco Chroma Key System saves time and money during pre-production. All of the products are made using high-quality materials and construction techniques, so they can be trusted to perform during production. And, because all of the products in the range are designed to match Rosco’s standard-setting Chroma Key Paint colors – the Rosco Chroma Key System will save editing time in post because all of the elements will key the same.
Filmed at Cinequipt/Red Star Studios
Lacey Colter August 24, 2023 Questions?
Marketing Manager - Film/TV/Broadcast: Lacey Colter has been working in the entertainment industry since 2015. She started in production before transitioning to a cinema lens manufacturer and now covers the film and television market for Rosco. She has spent years of her career interviewing a variety of industry professionals.