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How to Build a Portable Green Screen

A green screen is an indispensable tool for filmmakers and is used for creating special-effects laden films. It is made of a solid green fabric. Using it, the modern filmmaker can mask out the color during editing and place a new background picture. With green screen technology, there's no longer a need to create a realistic set with dangerous pyrotechnics. All you need are actors in front of a screen, with the rest done after production. Making this technology portable frees you even more from the studio, allowing you to take the green background anywhere you need to do your filming.

Things You'll Need

4 4-centimetre (1.57 inches) PVC tubes, 10 feet long
2 PVC pipe connectors
Measuring tape
Pencil
PVC cutter
2 PVC bended (corner) tubes
4 PVC tee tubes
4 PVC pipe caps
Green fabric
6 clamps

Instructions

- 1
  Cut two of the 10-foot pipe tubes to a length of eight feet using the PVC cutter. Measure and mark the 8-foot cutting line on the tubes with a pencil. Place the tube between the blades of the cutter at the marked line. Press the handles of the cutter repeatedly to cut through the tube cleanly at the line. These will serve as the sides of your screen. Cut a 6-inch length of pipe from the leftover pieces.
- 2
  Cut the 8-foot tubes in half using the cutter. Wipe the cut ends with a rag to remove any loose PVC residue. Place a small amount of PVC glue around the rim of one of the cut ends of the now 4-foot tube and place another small layer circling the inside diameter of one of the pipe connectors. Slide the pipe connector with the glue in it over the end of the pipe with the glue and hold in place for about 30 seconds. Wipe away any excess glue that escapes with a rag. Glue a bended corner tube to the other end of the two 4-foot tubes with the connectors attached. Repeat the process with another of the 4-foot pipe cuttings.
- 3
  Cut one of the 10-foot pipe tubes to make two tubes of 52 inches each. These will be your screen width tubes.
- 4
  Take the two unglued 4-foot pipes and glue tee connectors to one of the ends of the pipe. Continue the length of the pipe while connecting a second pipe at a 90-degree angle. On the other side of the tee connector, glue one of your 6-inch pipe lengths. Carefully mark a line from the center of the open side fitting in the tee to the end of the 6-inch pipe length. Glue another tee fitting on the end so that if you hold the upper fitting directly towards you, the lower fitting has opening pointing 90 degrees to the left and right of you.
- 5
  Cut the last 10-foot pipe into four 30-inch lengths. Glue a pipe cap on the end of each 30-inch section. These will form the legs of your frame.
- 6
  Cut the green fabric to a length of about 10 feet and a width of 60 inches using a pair of scissors.
- 7
  Assemble the portable green screen. Begin with the screen frame. Attach the two 4-foot tubes with the bended pipes to one of the 52-inch tubes so that each attachment forms a 90-degree angle. Attach the two 4 1/2 inch tubes to the bottom of the attached 4-foot tubes using the coupling pipe to complete the frame sides. Make sure the open fitting of the tees points towards the inside of the frame. Place the other 52-inch tube into these inward fitting tees to complete the frame body. Attach the four 30-inch tubes to the four open tee fittings at the bottom of the frame so that they run perpendicular to the frame, creating four legs that hold the seven and a half foot frame upright.
- 8
  Drape the 60-inch width of the cloth around the top of the frame and use two of the clamps to hold it in place. Draw the fabric down the front of the frame, wrapping the sides of the fabric around the piping and clamping it in place in the center of each of the 4-foot pipes. Lay the last 3 feet of fabric along the floor in front of the screen to prevent catching an image of the background beneath the frame.
- 9
  Disassemble the frame for portability by reversing the assembly process.

Photography