It seems like this video has been floating around for a while, so it’s not anything too new, but it just hit digg tonight, and that’s where I first saw it. The video is called “What You See Isn’t Always What You Get” but it’s actually a demo reel for Stargate Studios, a visual effects company that specializes in virtual backlots (which is what this kind of green screen removal is). A lot of the footage from this looks like it comes from TV shows like “Ugly Betty”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, and “Heroes”, but the same green screen techniques are used in movies as well. If you didn’t think green screen was used that often, just watch this and you’ll be amazed.

One of the commenters on digg brings up a good question. “I have to wonder, though, is it really cheaper to green screen all this stuff? Or is it not about money and more about control over a shot?” I’d like to hear an answer to that both from a director and a studio exec, as I think they’d each have something different to say. It’s fascinating watching this because it’s a reminder that, despite what you think watching the finished footage, most of everything we’re seeing on screen is created digitally. It also shows how good some actors are if they can pull off looking cold while standing inside a heated sound stage surrounded by green screen.

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