’60 Minutes’…On The Set
’60 Minutes’…On The Set
With so much green screen around, it was a nice surprise to find the ’60 Minutes’ set dressed in blue. When CBS started buying Norelco PC60s by the dozens in 1965, a medium blue was the prefered chroma key background then, but by around 1970 green began to take over as wardrobes have more blue than green accents, making it easier dress the talent.
CBS was one of the first to move to the medium green backdrop, but there will be more on this in the next post. This is almost indigo, and as you can see, there is a mat on the floor to prevent scuffs to the set and keep the effect pristine.
There are two cameras on this set; one a ped camera and the other is mounted on a small jib. On the right is a shot of the prompter control area. Most of the main CBS Broadcast Center studios are huge, but this is a small, intimate space…just big enough for the cameras to have some depth and be able to move around.
The blue channel in older cameras had the most noise, and produced a noisier key signal. The green channel had the least noise, and produced a cleaner key signal. The migration to green key was a natural. Wardrobe and make-up adjusted.
Thanks for finishing the explanation Dennis, I was in a hurry this morning when I typed it.
Looks like my every-day work space
Aside from clothing color, green has other advantages in the world of digital. Digital recording systems are 4:2:2, 4:2:0 and if you’re lucky, 4:4:4. The first 4 is always luminance/ green. Blue also requires much more light.
Never quite get used to the “green” screen. Still think of blue.