Ghosts of muscians past. Can this feect be done in Vegas?
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZeLhKU3pmc

I talked to a local singer who wants to know if I can do a concept similar to the one in this video. He sings Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Michael Buble, etc...

He wants to do a promo clip with himself singing on a stage and "ghosts" of the rat pack guys appearing along side him. I'm assuming to do it exactly like it is in this video they cut the individual out frame by frame, correct? I don't want to go that in depth because the project is basically a favor that might bring a few bucks or appreciation gifts from the singer or his family.

My thought is to use a cookie cutter effect with the sides feathered and use key frames to follow the subject in the old video is necessary.

So if I use that effect what would I need to do to get the cut video onto the new performance clip? Would I need to use any type of green screening?

Also, is we use this video for self-promotion what legal aspects do I need to look at? If this clip made its way onto a TV station what would we need to do to make sure its legal?

cheap - green screen your talent over 'ghosts'

expensive - rights to 'ghosts'!

even more expensive - doing it, getting it on tv WITHOUT rights.....

Maybe get a few impersonators in if budget allows, every town has a few at least, you would only need them for an hour. No royalties are due for using impersonators.
Much easier to green screen the ghosts and apply a few film fx to them.

Well, we have no budget and I don't have a green screen. Like I said, it's basically a favor that I might get some compensation for. The guy is a former student of my wife and his mother teaches with her now. We are also helping him design a CD label and I am going to print his discs for him. The CD was recorded in his father's home studio and it's all cover songs. They checked on copyright laws for the music and they can use cover songs if they don't sell the discs. So they will be available at local spots for a voluntary donation. All this is basically just to promote him locally and get his name out there so it's all being done as cheaply as possible. I like the kid so I don't mind helping out how I can.

I tried out the cookie cutter effect and I think it might be suitable. We are probably going to shoot one afternoon and if it works out he has a decent video to show people. If it doesn't turn out as well as I hope then no one has lost anything.

sounds good to me.....

you can knock-up a relatively cheap (and not exactly brilliant) green screen. i've done this with my students and it produced a usable key....

buy a king size green sheet (just look at any green screen set to get the approximate shade).

stretch on wall / fence / whatever - preferably on bright (cloudless) day (hot or cold depends on the talent!)

position talent in front of it AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE from it. (so it appears evenly lit with NO shadows)

work out talent position at your focal range ie. your wide lens setting - position sheet + talent in view finder .

in vegas use chromakey and fine tune (sample) it to sheet.

Uhhhh - I'd be careful about the "it's OK if they don't sell the disks" part. Using music on a CD is one thing (mechanical license) but if there is a video involved along with the music there's a whole different kind of ugliness involved, ie Synchronization licensing.

I was only referring the the music CD they are producing. I don't have anything to do with the actual recording or marketing of it. They have supposedly researched it and that's what he was saying about the CD.

I'll keep that in mind. He wants to film on a stage and have images of the rat pack guys come up like they are still there. I think I might use the cookie cutter effect and have them in a kind of thought bubble, like he's thinking about them and being inspired while he sings.

Like I said, if it doesn't work out perfectly it's not a big deal. It's more of a favor than an actual job so I can experiment and everyone is happy at the end of the day.

post a link when done - love to see what you come up with....

Just about every musical group I know does the free CD with a donation thing. I'm not sure it's 100% "kosher" but it's probably close enough that I've never heard of any small group being hauled into court for it. I had gotten the impression he was thinking of putting the music with the DVD - which is whole different can of worms. Sorry if I was mixed up/