View Full Version : Depth of Field Screen


Ed Szarleta
October 15th, 2004, 09:03 AM
Does anyone know what the name of that screen to decrease depth of field is called? I can't seem to find it...It stands behind the talent in an interview format and throws the background out of focus.

Robert J. Wolff
October 15th, 2004, 10:09 AM
With some hesitant thoughts, if I understand your query, you may be looking at a croma key, where the displayed background has been softened/de-focused from the switcher.

Ed Szarleta
October 15th, 2004, 10:38 AM
No, this is a physical piece of hardware that stands behind the talent and has a translucent screen that softens the background

Ken Tanaka
October 15th, 2004, 12:22 PM
Yes, there was a fellow with such a product but I can't recall the site's URL, either.

Nevertheless, there is really nothing magic about it. The technique is more commonly known as "silking". You can see it used daily in news network shots of talking heads in front of live windows. You can stretch gauzy or translucent over a frame and place it behind the subject.

But, homemade or store-bought, this is a more challenging job than it might seem. Ensuring that the camera doesn't pick up the material's texture requires some skillful lighting and planning. Even the big news network boys goof this shot up often.

Rob Henegar
October 15th, 2004, 12:55 PM
It's called the Softscreen. You can see it here:

http://indietoolbox.com/

--R