P1. Researching and understanding Matte Painting

Definition:

Matte Painting is where an image is produced either by painting or photo manipulating and can be done in a digital media or a traditional one. It is used to create an image, animation or set extension which is then used in film as a background. It is used if getting to the desired location is impractical, due to the cost or schedule and if the location doesn't exist (sci-fi movies). The purpose of a Matte painting is to trick the audience into thinking they are looking at a real location; if this works then it is a successful painting.
To produce a Matte Painting you firstly make a base plate, which can either be a photograph or moving footage. You then composite images or animation on top of it to create a moving and 3D effect.


History:
In 1905 a man named Norman Dawn invented Matte painting by taking photos and paintings and collaborating them by placing them on a large sheet of glass. He placed black tape over the parts of the camera where the painting would be. This then combined live action with painting and is now known as Matte Painting. 80 years later when computers where invented, Matte Paintings started to become digitally drawn, which is a lot more common nowadays.

Matte Painting used in Sound of Music:
Here is a Matte Painting which was used in Sound of Music. In my opinion this painting blends in, as the  blues and greens in the image match her outfit. The painting is also extremely detailed, and looks as if it is a still image, which is what they wanted. This was done traditionally, as at that time there were no computers, so digital wasn't an option. The bottom image is the painting with out the moving footage included. To combine them, they green screened the background of Julia Andrews and added in the Matte Painting. The lighting was also carefully matched to the painting, and they must have had light surrounding her in the studio to give the footage a day light effect (to remove any shadows).