Due to some server/backup issues, there are going to be a couple of repeat posts and for that I apologise, I’ll try and keep it to a minimum.
In preparing this retrospective tribute I was first struck with just how much material I had at hand on John Fulton – seemingly a truckload, which is none surprising when you look at the extensive career of the man and the fact that unlike many Hollywood special effects artisans Fulton was frequently written about and his work covered by numerous periodicals, books and so forth – and much of this was long before the era of recent articles, DVD commentaries and featurettes mentioning the man’s career
I should point out from the outset that there are several excellent reference sourses on Fulton out there, and where necessary I have used some images and some quotes as a means of ‘filling some gaps’. Notably I must wholly recommend Paul Mandell’s outstanding coverage of the making of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS in a 1983 issue of American Cinematographer as being essential reading. I think Mandell re-printed this article later on in another magazine, possibly CineMagic or something similar. Also of note is the warm and fascinating interview with Fulton’s daughter Joanne Fulton Schaefer in the magazine Monsters From the Vault (issue 24) which is such a telling and personal look at the highly complicated man as seen through the eyes of one who knew him like no other (and if you know John Fulton, that’s no mean achievement as his personality was complicated and cold at the best of times – even to his own family). Author and historian Tom Weaver reprinted this article as part of one of his many volumes of interviews with veteran horror and sci fi film people – though the actual volume I can’t recall as he published so many…
…Read the Full Article @ Matte Shot
A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX
Please Note: Now, I am going further back into the archives of Matte Shot – A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX to feature even more articles from this great site.
This blog is intended primarily as a tribute to the inventiveness and ingenuity of the craft of the matte painter during Hollywoods’ Golden Era. Some of the shots will amaze in their grandeur and epic quality while others will surprise in their ‘invisibility’ to even the sophisticated viewer. I hope this collection will serve as an appreciation of the artform and both casual visitors and those with a specialist interest may benefit, enjoy and be amazed at skills largely unknown today.