How do we project HDR lighting into a green screen environment?

[creasia]

Does anyone (Chris) know what products or methods Hollywood uses to project HDRI lighting onto an actor in a green screen environment?

 

This seems like it would be very difficult.

[Koper]

what do you meen? studio lighting methods to light the actor infront of a green screen or compositing footage behind an actor that was shot infront of a green screen?

 

and why in the vray render thread?

[creasia]

I wish to light the actor similar to an HDRI output from a CG scene. This is posted on the Vray thread because Chris Nichols will know the answer.

[Tommy L]

Do you mean to light the subject as you film it, or to simulate the lighting in a post-production program?

[shaneis]

I wish to light the actor similar to an HDRI output from a CG scene.

 

You'd need to use something like this...

 

http://www.lightinglab.fi/facilities/hemisphere/index.html

 

Depending on how accurate you actually need it, you could create a home-built version for much less cost like this...

 

1. Using HDR Shop, load the HDRI you are using - make sure you have the plugins,

2. Menu Plugins>diffuse_sh,

3. When the window pops, hit "execute".

 

This will give you a diffuse/ area approximation of the output from the HDRI. You can use this as a map to place your real-world studio lights and adjust the colour and intensity accordingly.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Shane.

[Nils Norgren]

I don't know if this helps but all our chroma screen shoots we have had used traditional studio lights. Starting with example imagery and with a talented Lighting Director and Director of Photography they are able to get things very close to matching what the test scene looks like. From there color correction in post to integrate the actors into the scene us usually needed. The only person in the industry that I know of doing anything with Projecting HDR (Or something like it) is Paul Devebec (the inventor of many of the HDR methods in production today).

 

http://www.debevec.org/

 

To my knowledge Hollywood studios use traditional methods (Lights) to light their subjects in Green or Blue screen studios.

 

my 2¢

 

-Nils

[creasia]

Thanks guys that's helpful.

 

I will likely try the traditional lighting approach, but I was wondering what the big guys do.