1000 Dollar Film

With all this talk of special effects, a green screen has to come into play somewhere. A professional and portable green screen is ideal for conducting special effects on a set.

The good news is that a green screen can be made very cheaply. For about $40 you can make your own.

First, gather your materials. You’ll need four pieces of PVC pipe (about ten feet in length each, just to be on the safe side), four end caps, four pipe tees, a saw, two ninety-degree elbows, glue, about five yards of green fabric, two pipe connectors, and six clamps.

Determine the height that you want your green screen to be. Get two PVC pipes and cut them to this height.

Then, cut them both in half and add a pipe connector in the center of each one. (This may seem like a redundant step, but it’s to make your screen transportable.)

Obtain another PVC pipe. Cut it into two equal lengths, about four inches shorter than your green cloth. Cut your last pipe into four parts, all the same length, to make the screen’s stand. Put two of them together with one of your pipe tees, and then put the other two together the same way so you’ll have two pairs. Place the end caps on the open ends to seal them shut.

With the PVC pipe you’ve got leftover, cut two sections out to use as spacers. These should be about six inches in length. Add these to the pipe tees.

Glue the couplers to to one section of the pipe, and put all of your pieces together to make the screen frame. Add the green fabric by using the clamps to attach it to the sides and top of the frame. Stretch it across tightly to ensure no wrinkles result on screen, and you’re ready to use it.

When you’re finished, you can easily disassemble the screen and move it to your next location.

Tags: cheap movie making, green screen, movie making, movie tools, special effects