Matte Painting, the invisible art form
If there is an artistic field where the quality of work is inversely proportional to its public perception, it is the art of creating cinematic illusions, known as "Matte Painting". In this area, the more natural and believable is the appearance of what we see in the movie, leading us to believe it's real or natural, more incognito is the process and the artist who conceived it. The image of this article is the very famous mountain Paramount, over which appeared the animated stars and the logo of the company, and served as the opening for their movies. It was painted in 1987, in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the company, by Dario Campanille, posing beside his painting.
"Matte Painting" or "Matte Art" was a name created from the term used by the filmmakers - "Matte Shot". This name was created by the Director, Cameraman, and inventor of special effects for film, Norman Dawn. The technique was developed in the 1920’s to create realistic scenarios to use on set. Initially consisted of painting a backdrop, and one or several painted glasses with closer shots. If there was action, the actors played their roles between the backdrop scenario and these glasses. Either the glasses and the camera could be moved, creating a three-dimensional sense of depth.
This was a simple and effective mean of creating on set, impossible landscapes or other which were not likely to be on budget for the production. In the beginning, it was all handmade. Every image was painted by craftful artists, whether it was on glass or in gigantic backdrops. These paintings were made taking into account the lighting conditions that would be used in the shooting. To accomplish this light synchronicity, light tests were made on set or used previously recorded images of the actors performing in "Chroma". “Chroma” shooting uses a green cloth, which was later replaced by the painted background. These techniques were developed with meticulous creations of complex masks and effects on film and various expositions to combine all the elements. With the creation of this technique, it opened a portal of opportunities to develop and tell fantastic stories. New worlds and alien landscapes became part of the tricks available to filmmakers. Could draw up an endless list movies using this technique, but I leave one, absolutely decisive, where the Matte Painting together with other techniques, played a key role in the success of the story: Star Wars. Here are some of the images of "Matte Painting" created for this purpose:
With the latest digital possibilities, artists began to use virtual sets in 3D synchronized with the cameras. The movie cameras film actors synchronized with dynamic lighting, which allowed an unprecedented evolution in the art. This made possible films like Avatar, for example. Still, for regular shooting, for close-ups or other specific situations, there is still artists which continue the tradition of painting fabulous scenes, although in digital now.
Collection and sample Matte Painting in several films - part 1
Collection and sample Matte Painting in several films - part 2
Collection and sample Matte Painting in Disney movies
List of Matte Painting artists
Dario Campanile — Paramount painting done in 75 Anniversary in 1987
