Chroma key

thumb|300px|A performer dressed in black velvet, filming Labyrinth.
Chroma key is a technique for compositing two images or video streams together based on color hues, or their chroma range. Jim Henson used this method with the Muppets by way of dressing performers all in black to operate characters that would appear to exist unassisted against a backdrop.
On the documentary Inside the Labyrinth, Henson makes note of this style of puppetry, saying that "velvet is probably the blackest fabric that you can use, so that's what they had to wear." If the lighting is just right, the performers dressed in black velvet become almost invisible when in front of a background of black velvet. Often times, this background is then replaced by superimposing another background on top of it. This allows a character to be seen from head-to-toe, and move about freely, without any puppeteers visible. Henson described this process in the same documentary, explaining, "We shot the puppets first with a computerized camera and then we removed the black velvet and shot the background, using the computer to make the camera move at exactly the same speed and so forth. Then all of these elements were put together later in the laboratory."
This style of puppetry is based on Bunraku, which is a type of puppetry founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1684. Traditionally, a Bunraku puppet is operated by three puppeteers. All three are dressed in black, but only one puppeteer shows his face during a performance. This is the performer who operates the puppet's head, a privilege which can take twenty to thirty years to earn.The Muppets Make Puppets!, p. 105
In an interview with Jim Henson, it was suggested that Bunraku was an inspiration for the Muppets. Henson corrected the statement: "No, I don't think so. ... Bunraku is a marvelous and fascinating art form and puppetry form but, basically, I knew nothing about it until I had been working for a number of years myself."Muppet Central Interview with Jim Henson
A form of Czechoslovakian puppetry also involves performers that dress all in black. They perform in front of a black curtain with brilliantly colored puppets that are lit from the side and the top. This makes the puppeteer almost invisible from the audience. This style of puppetry is part of black light theater, and it has been used various times by the Muppets and The Jim Henson Company.
Both of these forms of puppetry have also been used against a blue or green screen. At times multiple performers are used to operate a single character. Other times, only a single performer is needed to achieve the desired effect.
==Sesame Street==
This form of puppetry is very frequently used on Sesame Street, especially during the show's Elmo's World segments. Dorothy imagines Elmo in various settings where Elmo's full body must be in view. In such instances, the puppet is referred to as "Active Elmo."Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street p. 194, 195
It has also been used in creating the Sesame Street opening and closing sequences since 1992, and for a time helped to create the "Journey to Ernie" segments. These techniques are used to help Bert dance when he's "Doin' the Pigeon," and brought Baby Tooth and the Fuzzy Funk to life.
Sesame-english-open.jpg|The opening theme for Sesame English
ProfHastingsBodyParts.jpg|Kermit the Frog helps Professor Hastings discuss parts of the body
Round_Objects.JPG|Kermit tries to demonstrate what round is, with the help of a wisecracking ball
ErnDressesBalls.JPG|Ernie wonders what it would be like if everyone was exactly the same with a little help from four balls
Sammythesnake.jpg|Sammy the Snake
ZizzyZoomers2.jpg|The Zizzy Zoomers
Song.pigeon.jpg|"Doin' the Pigeon"
Ernie_moon_1.jpg|Ernie swims...
Ernie_moon_2.jpg|... and dances on the moon for "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon"
Sesame.discofrog.jpg|"Disco Frog"
2341o.jpg|"Shark Song"
Monster_in_the_mirror_walking.jpg|Grover walks down the street in "Monster in the Mirror"
Happytapping.jpg|"Happy Tappin' with Elmo"
Song-purecleanwater.jpg|"Pond Full of Fish"
Grover-surf-nearfar.jpg|Grover surfs, demonstrating near and far 
Baby_tooth.jpg|Baby Tooth and the Fuzzy Funk
ElmoPrairie.Space.jpg|Elmo and Prairie Dawn are weightless as astronauts 
Elmo_imagination.jpg|"In Your Imagination"
Sesame-1992credits-ElmoBalloons.jpg|Elmo hangs on to some balloons in the 1992 closing credit sequence
Elmofullbody-HoldMyHand.jpg|Elmo stands on a street corner in "Hold My Hand"
Elmo nutcracker ballet.png|Elmo performing the ballet against The Mouse King in Elmo's Christmas Countdown
Zoe_says.jpg|Elmo and Zoe play "Zoe says"
Elmo-Ragtime.jpg|Elmo dances to "What's Your Number?" by Count Basie 
Ilovewords.jpg|"I Love Words"
ElmoSays.jpg|Elmo plays "Elmo says" with the viewer 
Seethesigns.jpg|"See the Signs"
Active_elmo_1.jpg|From the song "D-Dance"
Active_elmo_2.jpg|Active Elmo at work
Active_elmo_break.jpg|Kevin Clash and his "Active Elmo" team take a break
TellysAquarium.jpg|Telly's Aquarium
3916e.jpg|Zoe dancing in Episode 3916 and Zoe's Dance Moves
Sg_2.0.jpg|Grover climbs a wall in the Super Grover 2.0 opening
Will_i_am_rosita.jpg|Super Grover, Elmo, Rosita, and Abby dance in "What I Am"
ElmoGotDaMOVES.jpg|Elmo and Abby in "Elmo's Got the Moves"
SSCredits2009.jpg|Various Muppets, including Elmo, dance in the 2009 closing credits sequence
ETM-BTS.png|Basically every Elmo the Musical segment
5031c.png|Rudy envisions himself floating over Sesame Street in a bubble in "Rudy Blows His First Bubble"
See Also: Elmo Variants
==The Muppet Show==
These techniques were used numerous times on The Muppet Show, such as when Gene Kelly taught Kermit how to dance and the "Friendship" number from episode 519. Certain characters on the show such as the Clodhoppers, the Gawky Birds, and the Bossmen are almost always performed against black velvet, enabling them to dance with that week's guest star. Brian Henson discussed the way they're operated in his introduction for episode 424.
On occasion, sketches on The Muppet Show which used “Bunraku” techniques did not always effectively hide the puppeteer. During the “Disco Frog” and “Octopus' Garden” numbers, performers briefly become visible on screen.
Danceros.jpg|"The Danceros"
Snerfs_spanish_town.jpg|"In a Little Spanish Town" (Snerfs also combine rod and finger puppets)
Pure_imagination.jpg|"Pure Imagination"
Character.ghosts.jpg|"I'm Looking Through You"
Lautrec_bunraku.jpg|Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold perform the Lautrec Sisters
Richard_statler.jpg|Richard Hunt performs Statler for "The Varsity Drag"
Bobhope21.jpg|"Don't Fence Me In"
Alice_cooper_1.jpg|"Welcome to My Nightmare"
Alice_cooper_2.jpg|"Once a Year Day"
Dave_goelz_black.jpg|Dave Goelz performs in the "Octopus' Garden" number
Garden_goof.jpg|Look closely to the right of Kermit. See the puppeteer?
Elke.bossmen.jpg|"Animal Crackers in My Soup"
Take a Chance on Me.JPG|"Take a Chance on Me"
LittleBrownJug.jpg|"Little Brown Jug"
Character.operaguys.jpg|Chin puppets are combined with Bunraku techniques to create the Fuzz Brothers
Snow_bird.jpg|"Snowbird"
Character.ceiling-ghost.jpg|"Dancing on the Ceiling"
Discofrog-muppetshow.jpg|"Disco Frog"
Rubber_band.jpg|"Rubber Band Man"
Your Feet's Too Big.JPG|"Your Feet's Too Big"
Genekermit.jpg|Gene Kelly teaches Kermit how to tap dance
506-5.jpg|"Falling Song"
506-18.jpg|The Jabberwock
Puppet_man.jpg|"Puppet Man"
Song.friendship.jpg|"Friendship"
==Movies and Specials==
For The Muppet Movie, an elaborate sequence using Bunraku-style puppetry was staged in which Kermit and Fozzie would dance their way out of a jam at the El Sleezo Cafe. The end result appears almost effortless.
In the documentary Inside the Labyrinth, Jim Henson explained the process involved in developing the wild antics of the Fireys: "When we first came up with these characters, we didn't really know how they would move. We had to put a series of puppeteers working with them just to figure out how they would move, what they were capable of. We tried manipulating them in different ways... We found each way of operating them would create different kinds of movement." At least three puppeteers were used on each of the Fireys to create their movements.
For the Creature Shop film The Adventures of Pinocchio, several different puppets were built to create the illusion of a puppet who had cast off his strings. One of these, considered one of the most difficult puppeteering tasks on the film, was a rod puppet based on Bunraku puppets. Up to five puppeteers would perform the character, oftentimes each puppeteer would be responsible for only one limb at a time. This version of the character was shot against a blue screen with the control rods all painted blue and the puppeteers dressed in blue body suits. Director Steve Barron spoke of the advantages of this puppet, explaining, "John Stephenson told me that we'd have to get the puppeteers as close to the body of the puppet as we could, and he was right. We had them six inches away from a leg or arm, and their performances were superb. But as we gave them longer rods or cables, then we lost all the subtlety."No Strings Attached p.161
Richard_bunraku.JPG|Richard Hunt acts "nutty" with squirrels for a scene in Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
Yancey.JPG|Yancy Woodchuck sings "Barbeque" in Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas
Jerry_richard_rabbits.jpg|Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt perform George and Melissa Rabbit for Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas
Kermit_and_fozzie_dance.JPG|The finished product of a complicated dance sequence in The Muppet Movie
Bunraku_labyrinth.JPG|The Fireys come alive through the use of alternate puppetry techniques for the song "Chilly Down"
Jacob_and_robert_marley.jpg|Jacob and Robert Marley in The Muppet Christmas Carol
Bob_and_tim_scat.jpg|Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim walk down the street singing
Kermit_Treasure.jpg|Filming a scene where the performer is hidden in black velvet for Muppet Treasure Island
Bad_polly_swings.jpg|Bunraku-style puppetry allows Bad Polly to swing into action...
Smollett_action.jpg|... and lets Captain Smollett fight Long John Silver
Smollett_stance.jpg|But sometimes a frog just has to look heroic
Pinocchio_rehearsal.jpg|Puppeteers rehearse for The Adventures of Pinocchio
Gonzo_fish.jpg|Gonzo floats through space with the Cosmic Knowledge Fish
Grouchland_1.jpg|Elmo in Grouchland: Elmo wakes up and runs around frantically
Grouchland_2.jpg|Elmo in Grouchland: Super Grover flies
Grouchland_3.jpg|Elmo in Grouchland: Telly Monster in-line skates
Grouchland_4.jpg|Elmo in Grouchland: Bert and Ernie watch as Elmo falls to Grouchland
Grouchland_5.jpg|Elmo in Grouchland: Elmo dances to "Take the First Step"
Grouchland_6.jpg|Elmo in Grouchland: Humongous Chicken
Goggles_blue_screen.jpg|Performers goof around with the Goggles puppet while filming a scene for Kermit's Swamp Years
Cirque Du So Lame stage.jpg|The Bossmen perform in "Cirque du So Lamé"
Baby_bear_potty.jpg|Baby Bear "fidgets" in Elmo's Potty Time
Cheshire_cookie_cat.jpg|The Cheshire Cookie Cat was filmed as a separate element and added to this scene in Abby in Wonderland. He was performed as a Bunraku-style puppet
Amc_lts_bunraku.jpg|Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rizzo, and Pepe fall to earth in Letters to Santa
Walterpuppeteers2.jpg|Walter runs across a counter top in The Muppets
Muppets2011Trailer01-1920 28.jpg|Walter gets electrocuted in The Muppets
M11-FozziePainting.png|Fozzie painting coming to life for "Pictures in My Head" in The Muppets
M11-GonzoBoxes.png|Gonzo rides on boxes in The Muppets
FroggyTattooHD 50.jpg|Gonzo and Camilla leap from a building in The Muppets
Muppet_man.jpg|The Legacy Effects team creates "Muppet Man" for The Muppets
Piggy_france_apt.jpg|Miss Piggy walks away from Kermit on a street in Paris in The Muppets
Muppets2011Trailer01-1920 14.jpg|Fozzie wearing "fart shoes" in The Muppets
scootersweeping.jpg|Scooter sweeping The Muppet Theatre in The Muppets
MMW-S&W-LA-UnionStation-(2014).jpg|Statler & Waldorf in a Muppets Most Wanted commercial...
MMW_extended_cut_0.04.39_Statler_and_Waldorf.png|...and in the extended version of "We're Doing a Sequel"
IMG_1121.PNG|Constantine dances...
IMG_1123.PNG|...leaps...
MMWtrailerNov20-0095.png|...and tap dances on Dominic Badguy's head in Muppets Most Wanted
==Fraggle Rock==
Gobo_red_bridge.jpg|"The Lost Treasure of the Fraggles": Gobo and Red cross a ledge during their journey to find the treasure
Gobo_slide.jpg|"A Friend in Need": Certain shots of Gobo on the Ultimate Slide
Wembley_floats.jpg|"Boober's Dream": Wembley (and later Sidebottom, Gobo, Red, and Mokey) float
Gobo_floats.jpg|"The Grapes of Generosity": Gobo becomes weightless
Wembley_geyser.jpg|"Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water": Wembley rides on a geyser
Invisible_bridge.jpg|"Wonder Mountain": Red walks across (and falls off of) the invisible bridge. Mokey then walks across the bridge
Red_swims.jpg|"Beyond the Pond": Red swims
Gobo_swims.jpg|"Beyond the Pond": Gobo swims
==The Jim Henson Hour==
The Jim Henson Hour special The Song of the Cloud Forest marked the first time that the Henson Company shot an entire half hour show without a background. Instead, the set and all performers were hidden in black velvet. The velvet backdrop was then replaced, using computer technology, with a bright, colorful rain forest.Behind the Scenes of "Song of the Cloud Forest"
Aquaticlife4.jpg|Karate Squid 3
jhhmaneaternew.jpg|"Maneater"
Forest2.jpg|Techniques discussed on this page are used in The Song of the Cloud Forest
Forest1.jpg
==Muppets Tonight==
Once_in_a_lifetime.jpg|"Once in a Lifetime"
Dancing grandmas.jpg|The Dancing Grandmas
Opposites_attract_apt.jpg|"Opposites Attract" (Clifford, Bossmen, Clodhoppers)
MT_pigs_in_space_apt.jpg|Pigs in Space: Deep Dish Nine: Gravity
MT_kermit_apt.jpg|Episode 207: Kermit walks to meet his date.
==The Muppets==
TheMuppets-S01E01-BunrakuFozzie.png|Episode 101: Pig Girls Don't Cry: Fozzie Bear warms up the audience for Up Late with Miss Piggy with jokes
HostileMakeover.jpg|Episode 102: Hostile Makeover:Miss Piggy scoots around on Josh Groban's piano(possibly not Bunraku style)
TheMuppets-S01E03-BunrakuFozzie.png|Episode 103: Bear Left Then Bear Write: Fozzie Bear jumps around in the woods, trying to get to out-of-reach food hung high
TheMuppets-S01E05-BunrakuPiggy.png|Episode 105: Walk the Swine: Miss Piggy does an elaborate song & dance number to apologize to (and outdo) Reese Witherspoon
==Music Videos==
OKGo-Muppets (8).png|Penguins get catapulted in the OK Go cover of "The Muppet Show Theme"
OKGo-Muppets (24).png|Miss Piggy hovers down in the OK Go cover of "The Muppet Show Theme"
OKGo-Muppets (25).png|Uncle Deadly, Crazy Harry, Zoot and Lew Zealand are sent flying in the OK Go cover of "The Muppet Show Theme"
BenFoldsFive-RedFraggleDancing.png|Red Fraggle dances in Ben Folds Five's music video "Do It Anyway"
FlowersOnTheWall-Beaker'sHeartsCardsBunsen.png|A lonely Beaker carefully constructs a Bunsen-lookalike in "Flowers on the Wall"
==Appearances and Commercials==
CloverlandDairy.jpg|Cloverland Dairy spot
Octopus.JPG|"Octopus' Garden" as performed on The Ed Sullivan Show
Wipe_out.jpg|Animal swims, dances, and surfs in the "Wipe Out" music video
Kermit-in-Berlin-BerlinWalkOfFame-(1999-12-07).jpg|Kermit flipper-printing for the Sony Center's "Berlin Walk of Fame" at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany, on December 7, 1999
Kermit's50thAnniversaryTour-RockettesOpeningNightReader-(2005-11-04).jpg|Kermit at Radio City Music Hall as opening night reader for the Rockettes during his 50th Anniversary World Tour
Piggy_hollywood_bowl.jpg|Miss Piggy at the Hollywood Bowl
Piggy_pizza.jpg|"These Bites Are Made for Poppin'" Pizza Hut commercial
Ready_to_learn_1.jpg|Ready to Learn: Superman parody
Ready_to_learn_2.jpg|Ready to Learn: Mission: Impossible parody
GiveADay.GetADisneyDay.-PiggyBunraku.png|Give a Day. Get a Disney Day. (James Denton spot)
==Miscellaneous==
Sesamstrasse-Wolle-LiftedByBalloons-(2012).png|Wolle being lifted by balloons. Starting in 2013, more and more Sesamstrasse segments have been filmed utilizing green-screen
Neils-puppet-dreams.jpg|Henson Alternative showNeil's Puppet Dreams
==Honorary mentions==
MB303-KermitsGreenScreenTrick.png|Kermit animated joke on the visual trick on the Muppet Babies episode"The Weirdo Zone"
Sesamstrasse-Folge2796-RedScreen-Camouflage.png|Elmo camouflagingin front of a red towel onSesamstrasse Folge 2796
==Sources==
==See also==
*Remote-controlled Muppets
*Full-Bodied Muppet
*Hand-Rod Muppet
*Henson Digital Performance System
*Henson Performance Control System
*Live-hand Muppet
*Marionettes
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Category:Puppetry Techniques