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.
Greetings fellow enthusiasts and fans of the wonderful world of traditional era matte painting and associated special effects trickery. It has indeed been a while (quite a while in fact) since I embarked on yet another one of these gargantuan ‘tomes’ celebrating traditional era movie magic, and of course acknowledging those often unknown practitioners and artisans that were responsible for such dazzling scenes.
Why is this blog post so delayed, I hear you ask? Well, let’s just say that the occasionally unjustly maligned, ‘free to all’ New Zealand public health system was put to the test recently, without delay by yours truly, and thankfully, outcomes all worked out well in the end, by all accounts far better than they could have done. Utmost professionalism of the highest standard all round and more care, expertise and dedication than one could ever wish for.
So anyway, here we are, back in the beloved Matte Shot sphere, and fully loaded with a veritable warehouse load of amazing matte shots – many never (and I mean, never) seen before, from a wider than wide variety of motion pictures, across the decades. As is my mission, there are a few well known films, though even those will be illuminating with very rare shots and out-takes. I’ve got a huge sci-fi classic – one of a long running franchise, though for me this part was by far the best. There’s a spectacular old Warner Bros historic western with a staggering number of mattes and some of the boldest and most complicated special photographic effects work for it’s day that I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen every-godammed-thing!)…
…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.