How did they do this?

I'd like to create a music video with a similar effect of having it being played back through an old TV.

What would be the best way of going about it?



Greg

They simply shot it off an old TV. It's certainly possible to do it by methods of green screen, tracking, or 3D models. But it's much more authentic and simpler to play it back and shoot it.

Yeah that's what I thought.

Will need to figure out how to get the footage in. Next challenge.

If it's really that old of a TV you have, you'll probably need an RF converter to convert the video out signal from your AJA, BMD, Matrox (whatever you use) to something that outputs a ch2/3 RF signal.

Or if your system can't go to the shoot you'd do the same for a DVD Player.

Bretwilliams wrote: They simply shot it off an old TV. ....

It doesn't look so...

• old TVs were interlaced-only - no jaggies in the example...
• It's very tricky to synch a modern video-cam to some old TV (=no ext. synch optional). Would create those 'running black bars' ..-
• quality is way too good for such an old telly....

I dare to say, those examples are done with tracking = replacing the screen with the video. Add tracker markers to TV, create a mask, 4-point-tracking - done.

Using SliceX should do this in minutes .. ok, not really, excellent compositing...!

Oooff tough!

It could be a comp, but not that simple. What applied the reflections to the bezel? They're perfect. And there's no problem shooting a TV with a 60p setting or 1080i to match the TVs 60hz refresh. It's computer monitors that were always a pain. Now if you shot a TV with film or 24p, your have problems. And likely, the source being played on the TV was progressive. So while it'd be drawn interlaced, it would still represent the same moment in time. No jaggies. There a pretty realistic moire pattern going on as well that changes with the camera moves.

They might have a computer monitor built into the screen, something that looks decent when recording to a camera...its just so inter sketched with the old tv monitor that you can't tell. that would be another guess.

Shooting an old interlaced TV screen is super problematic, due to the rolling/shuttering you'll end up with. No CRT is 60p, period, their all 60i. Then adjusting camera shutter speed to avoid the rolling and shuttering, you'll still not get a clean shot like that. Even a computer monitor won't ever look that clean, ever, because it is emitting light, not reflecting light, and doesn't play will with camera sensors.

That sample is composited. Every time you see this sort of shot, it is composited. Old hat.

Motion can do tracking, SliceX, Mocha, lots of solutions.

Reflections can be done easily, not a huge deal. Moire, easy (trouble is avoiding them). This effect/comp is done a hundreds times a day around the world. Lots of tutorials around for it.

There are definitely times where you would shoot a program on an old tv screen, and you can almost always tell when that's done. And you can pretty much eliminate the off-sync bar if you adjust the shutter and phase of the camera.

If it's too clean-looking and doesn't have that over-bright look, like in this case, it's obvious that it's a comp. But you do a comp for a variety of reasons, including better control of timing of the program, and better control over how it will look. For example, a few of those shots are slow tracking shots with rack focus. It's a lot easier to control that timing in post rather than doing playback and take after take to get it right. If you add actors and performances in the scene, the playback timing can get complicated.

Otherwise, this is a pretty well-done comp, and they paid attention to shadows, reflections, and the shape of the tube (although the vertical scanlines look maybe too straight). I don't think they went for an ultra-realistic look where you have to remake all the imperfections.