First Experitment with Green Screen "To the Forest"

[Tom]

With huge help from Jerry, I made my first Green Screen video test.

I can see that I have a lot to learn. I did honor the first law of accordion recording - Wear a hat. I did not honor the second law - Make sure you smile.

 

[Dingo40]

Thanks for sharing, Tom! I love it!
Where's the "make accordion great again" logo?

 

[murathan]

I think no smile is better than a fake smile.

 

[losthobos]

Life in Evergreen ...
Well done Tom....
Nice hat.....

 

[Rosie C]

Nice work @Tom

 

[jozz]

worked out great!

 

[Walker]

With huge help from Jerry, I made my first Green Screen video test.

I can see that I have a lot to learn. I did honor the first law of accordion recording - Wear a hat. I did not honor the second law - Make sure you smile.

I really enjoyed your playing Tom. Great work!

Here's a few additional points to consider, that I hope you don't mind me making. I think we are good enough friends to talk openly about recordings and musical ideas.

Firstly, I like the woodland scene you have selected. I think it would be useful for someone who lives in a grimy city and has no access to green spaces or the countryside. It would help create the illusion of an early autumn scene in a nice parkland. However, I don't think it's a great screen for you Tom, because you live in the woodlands of Door County, where wolves, lynx and mountain lions roam. You are a bit like the 'Grizzly Adams' of the forum and your outdoor playing, or by a window with a view, would be more authentic.

Secondly, maybe the lighting is a little low because the vibrant blue celluloid of your accordion has been dulled to looks dark, inky blue.

Thirdly, I agree with @murathan, fake smiles are best avoided - I'm glad you have just been yourself! The whole 'grin like a Cheshire cat' thing that's pushed upon us is really a bit cringe. They actually have a cringey name for it too 'stagecraft'. In my opinion Tom, the best smiles are the ones you don't realise you are doing!

Overall, the green screen makes for a clean and smart look. In some situations that works, but not always.

Here's a few additional thoughts.

1. Try recording somewhere we can see the real countryside. Maybe somewhere a little brighter too.
2. Think about the accordion voicing on both the left and right hand. The 'tutti' can sometimes be a little harsh. Maybe try the 'violin' voice instead, and a softer bass on the left side.
3. Avoid too much reverb.
4. If you do record outside, wear your bunnet, it'll keep you warm and look good! If it's a bit cold you could try wearing fingerless gloves. Also, the gentle rustling of the leaves, or the sounds of birds singing etc is a good thing; don't separate yourself from the sounds of creation. Let it be heard. If folk find it off-putting then perhaps they need a 'retreat' for a few months in the wilderness to waken up to the sounds of life.

I'm greatly looking forward to your next video test. It's a constant search to find your own 'style', not seeking perfection - that's a folly! Also, think about the tunes you really love playing, especially the ones than mean something to you or reflect an aspect of your culture and traditions.​

 

[Tom]

Thanks for you recognition and support everyone, it means a lot to me.

 

[Tom]

I really enjoyed your playing Tom. Great work!

Here's a few additional points to consider, that I hope you don't mind me making. I think we are good enough friends to talk openly about recordings and musical ideas.

Firstly, I like the woodland scene you have selected. I think it would be useful for someone who lives in a grimy city and has no access to green spaces or the countryside. It would help create the illusion of an early autumn scene in a nice parkland. However, I don't think it's a great screen for you Tom, because you live in the woodlands of Door County, where wolves, lynx and mountain lions roam. You are a bit like the 'Grizzly Adams' of the forum and your outdoor playing, or by a window with a view, would be more authentic.

Secondly, maybe the lighting is a little low because the vibrant blue celluloid of your accordion has been dulled to looks dark, inky blue.

Thirdly, I agree with @murathan, fake smiles are best avoided - I'm glad you have just been yourself! The whole 'grin like a Cheshire cat' thing that's pushed upon us is really a bit cringe. They actually have a cringey name for it too 'stagecraft'. In my opinion Tom, the best smiles are the ones you don't realise you are doing!

Overall, the green screen makes for a clean and smart look. In some situations that works, but not always.

Here's a few additional thoughts.

1. Try recording somewhere we can see the real countryside. Maybe somewhere a little brighter too.
2. Think about the accordion voicing on both the left and right hand. The 'tutti' can sometimes be a little harsh. Maybe try the 'violin' voice instead, and a softer bass on the left side.
3. Avoid too much reverb.
4. If you do record outside, wear your bunnet, it'll keep you warm and look good! If it's a bit cold you could try wearing fingerless gloves. Also, the gentle rustling of the leaves, or the sounds of birds singing etc is a good thing; don't separate yourself from the sounds of creation. Let it be heard. If folk find it off-putting then perhaps they need a 'retreat' for a few months in the wilderness to waken up to the sounds of life.

I'm greatly looking forward to your next video test. It's a constant search to find your own 'style', not seeking perfection - that's a folly! Also, think about the tunes you really love playing, especially the ones than mean something to you or reflect an aspect of your culture and traditions.​

Thanks so much for your words of wisdom Walker! You make some great points here and I appreciate the input. Yes, I do plan to use local scenery for the background. Of course it’s difficult as right now we have 6F (-14C) but it will warm up. I plan to get the lake and my yard going in the background. I agree, the sound is a little sharp. Definitely some experimenting to go here, maybe use a different accordion with more options or a better setup than just my computer mic. I happened to have that hat on when I decided to record, but next time the bunnet!

 

[JerryPH]

I think we are good enough friends to talk openly about recordings and musical ideas.​

I'm sure that it's all good, it's fun because I've done videos for all of us... speaking of which, when can I expect the pleasure of working on another one of your audio/video works of art?

Firstly, I like the woodland scene you have selected. I think it would be useful for someone who lives in a grimy city and has no access to green spaces or the countryside. It would help create the illusion of an early autumn scene in a nice parkland. However, I don't think it's a great screen for you Tom, because you live in the woodlands of Door County, where wolves, lynx and mountain lions roam. You are a bit like the 'Grizzly Adams' of the forum and your outdoor playing, or by a window with a view, would be more authentic.​

First one has to understand that this is literally Tom's very first and experimental experience using a green screen. It was not an attempt to fool anyone or showcase his work, it was (between Tom and I) literally his first video and our first test in front of a green screen, and at the start, as it was for me, a daunting learning experience.

Secondly, maybe the lighting is a little low because the vibrant blue celluloid of your accordion has been dulled to looks dark, inky blue.​

The lighting... hmmm... there is NO external lighting, this is basically minimal ambient room light. On top of that, the video was taken with a computer camera at a dismal 720p quality level. The fact that we could even make that file work is a marvel of the technology within Davinci Resolve.

Rule one for green screens is that one needs a ton of light (I started with 3 and am up to 14 bulbs in 3 locations and summed up am close to 2000 watts, and am STILL short of a 2 more locations and a good 6-10 lights for the perfect green screen setup... lol)

Thirdly, I agree with @murathan, fake smiles are best avoided - I'm glad you have just been yourself! The whole 'grin like a Cheshire cat' thing that's pushed upon us is really a bit cringe. They actually have a cringey name for it too 'stagecraft'. In my opinion Tom, the best smiles are the ones you don't realise you are doing!​

Agreed! I know that visually it is much more appealing to non-accordionists to see a smiling accordionist expertly do his thing, but people just do not know that the moment we see a camera sitting there, psychologically, something inside clicks and we are 10 times more self-conscious and now we are expected to do something as technically challenging as playing an accordion... without the sheet music!

I have tons of respect for anyone of us here that puts themselves out there like that... it's not easy. Do your best, enjoy the music, leave the rest to nature... and ignore the "hater" comments.

Overall, the green screen makes for a clean and smart look. In some situations that works, but not always.

Here's a few additional thoughts.

1. Try recording somewhere we can see the real countryside. Maybe somewhere a little brighter too.
2. Think about the accordion voicing on both the left and right hand. The 'tutti' can sometimes be a little harsh. Maybe try the 'violin' voice instead, and a softer bass on the left side.
3. Avoid too much reverb.
4. If you do record outside, wear your bunnet, it'll keep you warm and look good! If it's a bit cold you could try wearing fingerless gloves. Also, the gentle rustling of the leaves, or the sounds of birds singing etc is a good thing; don't separate yourself from the sounds of creation. Let it be heard. If folk find it off-putting then perhaps they need a 'retreat' for a few months in the wilderness to waken up to the sounds of life. ​

Right now its about -10C to -15C where Tom lives... I'm not going to ask him to play outside!
I did the video and the goal was not to create a YouTube-worthy work of art, but just to see what could be done with his video file, if anything.
I did not even care much about the audio, just slapped a template made for condenser mics (not tiny abrasive computer mic) and left it (bad choice on my end, untouched was better).

The choice of background, completely not important in this case, but it was a happy accident that I chose that one, this Czech song is about a young man walking through a forest... lol

In the summer, I'll initially guide Tom on how to get better video (already started with that, next one will be much better), and better audio, but this takes time and in some cases money. Maybe I can convince Tom to come visit me and make a few videos here in Montreal in the summer... lol

I'm greatly looking forward to your next video test. It's a constant search to find your own 'style', not seeking perfection - that's a folly! Also, think about the tunes you really love playing, especially the ones than mean something to you or reflect an aspect of your culture and traditions.​

A *ton* of good advice! Tom is just in the infancy of his video creation process and this was the #1 video made on his green screen. The fact that he felt it was worthy of being shared shows he had a lot of fun with it and hopefully many new videos coming out.

 

[JerryPH]

Thanks for sharing, Tom! I love it!
Where's the "make accordion great again" logo?

I'll find one somewhere and slap it in next time... LOL

 

[Tom]

I'll find one somewhere and slap it in next time... LOL

Thanks Jerry! And especially for your wizardry with my crazy video! I can’t wait to do another one, and learn from you how to use Resolve to resolve the green screen (). I never did figure out how to put the intro text in, as YouTube studio deleted this ability. I will have to do it in a software like Resolve. As I mentioned in another text, we’ve got a lot of moving around going on this month, so my next experiment is likely not until February.

And I promise I WILL get to Montreal, although probably not in the summer as I am playing at the farmers market again, and I have that wedding to think about . A good stop on the way to the Highlands!

 

[Tom]

Another thing I derived from this simple (but beautiful) Czech song. A pattern I have noticed before.

1. Start with a simple melody in the I chord that goes to the V chord.

2. Repeat the melody in the V chord back to the I chord.

3. Fool around a little in the I chord, then do a ii V I back.

4. Repeat.

5. For the second part, do the same thing starting on the V chord, with a different but related melody, probably an octave or so higher.

6. Repeat, but this time do the ii V I back to the I chord.

Or to a different chord(s) and eventually back to the I chord.

So, let’s say you’re sitting (standing) at the farmers market and you don’t feel like playing Beer Barrel (again). Just think up any dumb melody on the fly and take this pattern in polka, waltz or any other form and pass the time.

I’m pretty sure that’s what Frankie Yankovic did on a regular basis, as evidenced by those 4 books that John showed us.

Anybody do this on your gigs?

 

[Ventura]

the best smiles are the ones you don't realise you are doing!​

regarding smiles.. my advice (which i personally have been
following forever on every gig) is simply to look around the
room.. scan your audience.. you will surely spot one sweet face
with smiling eyes looking at you.. following your song..

this is your Muse (for the moment at least) ..

when i spot the Muse it naturally makes me break out into a smile
and makes the music easier to play, as i now have a personal
and immediate reason to play the music

and true.. we learned long ago we can't take every Muse home with us..
but we can still fall in love for the duration of the music, for the moment..
and it is easy to give of yourself, give your music, when you smile like this.

so keep on smiling and playing and sharing and making them happy

 

[JerryPH]

Another thing I derived from this simple (but beautiful) Czech song. A pattern I have noticed before.

1. Start with a simple melody in the I chord that goes to the V chord.
2. Repeat the melody in the V chord back to the I chord.
3. Fool around a little in the I chord, then do a ii V I back.
4. Repeat.
5. For the second part, do the same thing starting on the V chord, with a different but related melody, probably an octave or so higher.
6. Repeat, but this time do the ii V I back to the I chord.
Or to a different chord(s) and eventually back to the I chord.
So, let’s say you’re sitting (standing) at the farmers market and you don’t feel like playing Beer Barrel (again). Just think up any dumb melody on the fly and take this pattern in polka, waltz or any other form and pass the time.

Love how you broke it down, thats a very advanced thing to do.

The thing with that song is that it is very traditional and is designed around a common recipe in Czech music, and as a kid I heard that song sung a million times. What you may want to do is poke Alan again for the name (sorry I am just bad at that), and then look it up on YouTube and listen to the song with the words.

You play it well, but you are missing a couple "words" (read that as missing some notes), and that sounds to me a bit like an incomplete conversation... just a little.

Anybody do this on your gigs?

Heck, not I. I am a simple note player and benefit from the wisdom and genius of others. I see the patterns, but have no desire to create. I think about the most I would do is chain a couple songs together that fit. Your mentioned concept is really next level.

 

[Tom]

Love how you broke it down, thats a very advanced thing to do.

You play it well, but you are missing a couple "words" (read that as missing some notes), and that sounds to me a bit like an incomplete conversation... just a little.

Thanks Jerry! Yeah, missing “words” because I don’t know the song at all. It went directly from notes to memory and lost a bit in translation!

 

[Walker]

I'm sure that it's all good, it's fun because I've done videos for all of us... speaking of which, when can I expect the pleasure of working on another one of your audio/video works of art?

Hey Jerry, it's always a pleasure to work with you! I remember, years ago, long before I joined the Accordionists Forum, and I used to read some of the threads, as you do... and you were always my favourite. It was like meeting a celebrity the first time we communicated on the forum!

Buddy, I've been so busy recently that I've not recorded in yonks. As well as finishing my second composition course, I've been enjoying working on music on two separate fronts; I've been doing a bit of gigging at Hogmanay and I'm out again at Burns Night, all trad. Scottish. It's good to get back into it. I've also been practicing my free bass, working through lots of nice pieces. I'm currently working on transcribing some of Henry Purcell's keyboard works for accordion.

First one has to understand that this is literally Tom's very first and experimental experience using a green screen. It was not an attempt to fool anyone or showcase his work, it was (between Tom and I) literally his first video and our first test in front of a green screen, and at the start, as it was for me, a daunting learning experience.

I think the green screen idea has lots of potential. I think it could be good for certain novel themes; skyscrapers, on a fishing boat etc. could be lots of fun!

The lighting... hmmm... there is NO external lighting, this is basically minimal ambient room light. On top of that, the video was taken with a computer camera at a dismal 720p quality level. The fact that we could even make that file work is a marvel of the technology within Davinci Resolve.

Rule one for green screens is that one needs a ton of light (I started with 3 and am up to 14 bulbs in 3 locations and summed up am close to 2000 watts, and am STILL short of a 2 more locations and a good 6-10 lights for the perfect green screen setup... lol)

Here you go:

Right now its about -10C to -15C where Tom lives... I'm not going to ask him to play outside!
I did the video and the goal was not to create a YouTube-worthy work of art, but just to see what could be done with his video file, if anything.
I did not even care much about the audio, just slapped a template made for condenser mics (not tiny abrasive computer mic) and left it (bad choice on my end, untouched was better).

The choice of background, completely not important in this case, but it was a happy accident that I chose that one, this Czech song is about a young man walking through a forest... lol

In the summer, I'll initially guide Tom on how to get better video (already started with that, next one will be much better), and better audio, but this takes time and in some cases money. Maybe I can convince Tom to come visit me and make a few videos here in Montreal in the summer... lol

It's been cold here too! I'd be up playing accordion by the fireside, with a view out the window, over to the mountains in the distance. Not too close to the fire though - celluloid is flammable. Safety first!

You and Tom are gonna have to visit me in the Highlands some day!

 

[Tom]

Here you go:

You and Tom are gonna have to visit me in the Highlands some day!

Thanks! . Excellent idea!!!!

 

[Thomas N]

Tom - this is great! Love the backdrop. It sure adds a lot to the tune.

I always smile when I play....I don't know if it's the old Lawrence Welk mantra drilled into his players' heads to smile at all times or if I just really enjoy playing music....it's probably natural.

But I never wear a hat LOL!

Keep them coming. This one is a winner!

 

[JerryPH]

Hey Jerry, it's always a pleasure to work with you! I remember, years ago, long before I joined the Accordionists Forum, and I used to read some of the threads, as you do... and you were always my favourite. It was like meeting a celebrity the first time we communicated on the forum!

OMG, great to hear, but I am about as far from a celebrity as exists on God's little blue ball... lol

Buddy, I've been so busy recently that I've not recorded in yonks. As well as finishing my second composition course, I've been enjoying working on music on two separate fronts; I've been doing a bit of gigging at Hogmanay and I'm out again at Burns Night, all trad. Scottish. It's good to get back into it. I've also been practicing my free bass, working through lots of nice pieces. I'm currently working on transcribing some of Henry Purcell's keyboard works for accordion.

Oh heck, not even a competition... playing in real life, practicing and enjoying the accordion is far more important than making a video... we do those when we have the time and inclination.

I think the green screen idea has lots of potential. I think it could be good for certain novel themes; skyscrapers, on a fishing boat etc. could be lots of fun!

Well, I was looking for ideas when I was in Prague, but family kept a tight hold and kept us so busy I could not even visit a few of the sights. I want to make a few videos with motion background, but the nice quality ones are just so hard to find online. So starting this summer, I will keep a camera or two handy and if I ever find myself in a nice spot, pull out the tripod and set it down for a few minutes, and make my own videos. Not many great locations locally, but I'll have to start looking, maybe I will get lucky. There were at least 10 great locations in and around Prague, but as mentioned, not possible this time. Building up my own personal collections of videos is likely the best way.

Here you go:

My eyes, my eyes!

It's been cold here too! I'd be up playing accordion by the fireside, with a view out the window, over to the mountains in the distance.

That of itself sounds like an amazing video opportunity, but better enjoyed without the intrusion of our one-eyed friend.

It's been fair here (around -10C), but tons of snow. Next week our colder weather starts... slated to be between -18C to -27C. Only good about that is that it's so cold it thins out the snow and so, less falls. Today I cleared out a nice swath of 2 foot deep (60cm) out of my driveway... thank goodness for big snowblowers.

You and Tom are gonna have to visit me in the Highlands some day!

Seriously, if thats an invitation, I think that is something that I would very much enjoy. Tom and I have never met in person... and I am sure we would have an amazing time. Visiting the Scottish highlands was on my bucket list for many a decade. Driving on the "wrong side" of the road is going to be the biggest challenge of that trip for me.