Is Grey the New Green?

On Monday we spent the day at Lumen Arty Film Studios in Botany, shooting a series of scenes against grey. No green screen, no blue screen, no LED wall. Just a lit grey set, real actors, real props and a lot of questions.

Back in 2023 I wrote a post asking whether green screen was dead. One detail from it has stayed with me ever since: on Dune, Greig Fraser ACS, ASC shot against screens painted the colour of sand instead of green. Choose a backing that suits the world you're going to put behind it, rather than one that fights it. Grey box filming is an extension of that idea.

What we shot

We worked through a run of scenes, including a restaurant, a diner booth and a car on the highway at night. The actors sat at real tables, held real glasses and sat in a real car. We also tested water effects and off-speed photography.

For each scene we lit the actors for the world they'll end up in, using a background reference as our guide. We shot on multiple cameras and covered each scene the way we would on any practical set.

What happens next

This is a test, and the real work starts now. The backgrounds begin as 3D environments, and AI-generated imagery is one of the tools we're using to build them, alongside a lot of VFX and hands-on craft to make each shot hold together.

What we want to find out is simple:

• Where do today's tools break, and where do they hold up?
• Does it look as good on a cinema screen as it does on Instagram?
• Does it make certain kinds of filmmaking easier, and are there real cost benefits?
• How does grey stack up against green screen and LED walls?

The answers matter for the commercials, drama and features we make, and we'll share them honestly, including what does and doesn't work.

So, is grey the new green? We'll let you know.

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Special thanks

Thank you to everyone who has helped with this so far, on set and off:

Ákos Armont
Lucas Bradley
Luke Brocklehurst
Karl Conti
James Fraser
Dan Freene ACS
Matt Hearn
Bryce Lavery-Jacko
Raoni Lima
Steve Schofield

And to everyone at Lumen Arty Film Studios.