Changing the Art of Chromakey

Creative and engaging learning experiences

Use of Reflecmedia technologies provide a ‘holistic’ approach to learning. Not only can it be incorporated within all elements of the curriculum, the engaging and entertaining side of using it builds the softer skills of confidence, teamwork and contribution through achievement.
 
The following case studies explore a number of successful applications.
 
The education potential of our technology is enhanced by the endless creativity and vision of the educators and students who develop exciting and engaging learning applications.

Big Picture Learning using Chromakey

Key Stages 3 and 4 plus PHSE. At the BETT show young visitors from King Harold School rapidly and fully engaged in learning using skills through new technology. The curriculum areas covered included developing successful learners, confident individuals and becoming a responsible citizen
 

Setup/Kit List

• ChromaFlex portable screen
• LiteRing controller and power supply
• BaseMatte floor tile
• UltiMatte DV hardware keyer
• Iztac low energy soft light on stand

It took year 9 and 10 students just 15 minutes to master Reflecmedia’s Chromakey kit before creating and editing their own movies and setting them up as pod casts on the Digital Teacher Network.
 

“Brilliant’ ‘great fun’ ‘real’ and ‘why can’t we use this everyday?’ were just some of the responses from enthusiastic youngsters.”

Main Features

• The ease and effectiveness of Chromakey gave all students a sense of achievement as they mastered new technological skills
• Development of their own short films, plus editing, led to a genuine sense of achievement
• Quick, high quality results ensured students were fully engaged and interested in learning new skills.

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“All students wanted to continue to use this technology so the school is now developing this technology to use within the day-to-day curriculum. It’s giving our students a real sense of achievement and is encouraging greater participation and contributions to work.”

John Lennon

Educational Tour Bus

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is an exciting technological touring educational facility currently taking the USA by storm. The bus is a mobile recording studio with traditional musical instruments as well as current technological advances.
 
“Reflecmedia’s products are fantastic! We’re able to take a world-class recording and video production facility direct to high schools, colleges and youth organisations. One challenge we have always faced is making every project unique. Because most of the work is done inside the bus it’s easy to fall into the trap of always using the same shots – which is why we were so excited to find Chromatte. It allows us so much flexibility and creativity.”
 

Set up/Kit List

• Chromatte
• Chromakey
• LiteRing
• ChromaFlex
• BaseMatte

Working with some of the biggest names in music, the Lennon Bus encourages students to play music, write songs, engineer recording sessions and produce music videos using all the new technology.
 

Main Features

The interior of the bus is divided into two separate recording environments – one of which provides a fully equipped audio and visual recording studio. Using Reflecmedia products students have the chance to try hands-on multi-media recording and editing. The back of the bus is entirely clad in Chromatte fabric – walls, ceiling and BaseMatte on the floor. ChromaFlex is always on hand for shooting outside the bus.
 

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“Reflecmedia’s suite of products is the best example of technology that adds immense creative possibilities yet requires virtually no time to implement. It’s the ideal solution for our needs.”

One Button Studio

Featuring Reflecmedia Technology, the One Button Studio turns any small room into a recording studio that anybody can use!

One Button Studio is currently being widely adopted for Educational applications across the USA.

According to Justin Miller, Media Commons project manager for Penn State Educational Technology Services, 10 percent of their student body uses One Button Studio set up in 2 different rooms. That’s 4,500 recording sessions per year! “It’s fantastic for us.”

One Button Studio has more uses than with just a specific task. However, there are at least three broad ways one can use it:

1) To save content that was already delivered elsewhere.

2) To record new content.

3) To practice a future performance of some kind.

Here are some more specific ideas:

  1. Develop material for an online or “flipped” course
  2. Conduct a mock interview (and post for peer feedback)
  3. Create a video introduction to a course
  4. Demonstrate a tool, technique, or process
  5. Archive a classroom presentation for re-use
  6. Capture a recording with a green screen or PowerPoint slides
  7. Perfect a micro-teaching lesson
  8. Record the video component of a larger assignment
  9. Deliver a lecture when you have to be away
  10. Present an academic paper (and send it to your advisor for critique)
  11. Hone the elevator speech for an academic poster
  12. Practice a group presentation (and submit it for accountability).
  13. Rehearse a dissertation defense
  14. Make a statement for job application
  15. Perform a digital story to post in an ePortfolio
  16. Warm up for a public speaking task
  17. Stage a recruitment video
  18. Prepare a professional development video
  19. Publish student content for a personal website
  20. Produce an audition for a job or music group
  21. Participate in a media competition

A few of the universities using the One Button Studio:

Pennsylvania State University

University of California San Diego

Montana State University

University of Wyoming

Georgia State University

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

University of Miami

Washington College

University of Iowa

University of Utah

University of Minnesota

Montgomery College

Portland State University

Texas A&M

California Polytechnic State University

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“A very innovative technology that can be used anywhere because of the ease of use and high quality result.”  Melissa Marshal
Lecturer, Communications and Speech, Penn State University

Our thanks go to:

DV Store https://www.dvestore.com/one-button-studio-plus/ for creating and promoting this innovative application of Reflecmedia Chromakey Technology.

Screen dress – where fashion meets motion graphics

Nottingham Trent University’s Jonathan Hamilton, senior lecturer in Graphic Design, and contemporary dance colleague Michele Danjoux joined forces for an amazing research project combining Chromatte fabric, contemporary dance plus graphic and fashion design to create a ground-breaking Screen Dress.
 

Set up/Kit List

• Chromatte fabric
• LiteRing Controller and Power Supply

Using Chromatte fabric to create the dress, a variety of graphics were keyed on to the fabric to allow changing graphic motions during a dance performance. Using Chromakey, LiteRing and the fabric, the full stunning results of the work are either seen by the audience on a screen or live mixed DJ-style during the performance.
 

Main Features

The flexibility of the Reflecmedia products allowed dress creators Michele and Jonathan amazing control over the final result including everything from spectacular and dramatic lighting to silhouettes.

The fabric is robust enough to allow for huge creativity but with such amazing properties that it allows for graphic experimentation with impressive results.

Jonathan Hamilton is currently preparing a bid to further research and develop using motion graphics on non-rectangular bodies. He believes the techniques they are developing would have huge potential in film, theatre and advertising.

 

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“I first saw Chromatte at an exhibition five years ago and in the back of my mind knew there must be other uses for it. As soon as the chance to work with Michele on Screen Dress came along, I was certain it would be an ideal way forward.”
“Our first public performance ‘Sunna No Onna’ was at the international performance festival Intimacy held at Laban – Europe’s leading conservatoire for contemporary dance. Everyone was amazed and it was a huge success.”
Jonathan Hamilton, Senior Lecturer and Researcher.
Photo credits for
ScreenDress tryptic.jpeg
Copyright Jon Hamilton and Michèle Danjoux.Dancer; Nam Eun Song
ScreenDress animated lace 2.jpeg
Copyright Jon Hamilton and Michèle Danjoux.Dancer; Nilufer and Nam Eun Song

Weather Reporting and

Geography with digital video

Key Stages 1, 2 and 3: digital video can be integrated into many different curriculum areas: High quality, ready-to-use themes enable students to create curriculum-based DVDs from their movies.
 

Setup/Kit List

• 1 pan and tilt camera
• LiteRing
• Adapter
• Chromatte
• Ultimatte

This resource was used to enable students to produce weather maps that were drawn directly into a clip as a movie effect.
 

Main Features

• The map can be placed behind the subject with the use of a Chromakey background

• Each map can be re-sized and positioned anywhere within the clip

• The maps are created with an easy-to use editor that contains a range of maps and weather symbols and pupils can import their own
• Ready-to-use themes on Weather, Geography and the Environment all contain background movies, graphics and music
•Each theme can be customised with a pupil’s own files
 

•It is an engaging, innovative, stimulating and effective learning resource

This resource is suitable for ages 5-18 years and supports the following QCA schemes of work:

• 3A Combining text and graphics; programme of study ref. KS1 1a, 2a, 3a

• 4D Collecting and presenting information

• 6A Multimedia presentation

• 4A Writing for different audiences

“This whole package has inspired us about the digital authoring medium.”
Pupil, New Rush Hall School
“This is the best educational tool we have ever used! We have been able to use it across a wide range of subject areas, like geography, PSHE, humanities and citizenship.”
John D’Abbro, New Rush Hall School

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