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Make Your Own Greenscreen for Less than $50

This tutorial for a d.i.y. greenscreen made with PVC pipe is really excellent, especially the breakdown of how different types of fabric work with lighting, which an ignoramus like myself is in great need of:

Muslin is a strong, sturdy fabric for painting on, or as a simple white or tan-colored backdrop. You can use acrylic or oil paints (found at art supply stores) or paints you can find at home-supply stores to make professional-looking backdrops for portraits and the like. The only problem with muslin is that it is prone to wrinkling (but this may not matter if you paint it. Be sure to wash the muslin right after you buy it and iron it to get out as many of the wrinkles you can. Make sure you buy PVC or metal piping that is sturdy enough to hold some of the thicker muslins. Do a Google search for 'paint muslin backdrop' to find out more.

Cotton, one of the more common fabrics found in a fabric store, is fairly easy to keep clean, but not so easy to paint on. Cotton is best for solid dyed colors. Make sure you wash and iron the backdrop before rolling it, or the wrinkles may be very hard to remove!

Rayon is a very lightweight fabric that can be had for a low price and is easy to transport, roll, and keep wrinkle-free. However, because it is so thin, you have to be careful when lighting it (sometimes lights behind the screen will make the lighting very uneven).

Polyester is a very low maintenance fabric, and is relatively easy to keep wrinkle-free. Simply make sure you've washed and dried it, then take it out as soon as you can to avoid wrinkles. Light reflects off polyester a little brighter than most cottons, so make sure you account for that when lighting backdrops. You can purchase polyester in many different thicknesses (and many different prices); make sure your backdrop support frame is sturdy enough to hold it.

UPDATE: If you're using paint instead of cloth, Rod Rod recommends "the cheap alternatives to the photo store $60 / gallon chroma key paint is PANTONE 2735 (blue) and 354 (green). Any hardware store should be able to mix it for you based on the PANTONE code."
ALSO: More Chromakey tips.
MORE DIY FUN: Build your own steadycam, ironing-board dolly

About J. Ott

John Ott is a writer, filmmaker and futurist. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.