The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

46 Technical Section THE CINE-TECHNICIAN March-April, 1952 Edited by A. E. Jeakins The Travelling Matte Process The demonstration film on the process was shown recently as part of A.C.T's. lecture season, John Gow was in the chair, and Brian Langley was the speaker. 'Cine' reprints extracts from the film's commentary, by permission of the J. Arthur Rank Organisation. JN 1945, the J. Arthur Rank Organisation decided to develop the Travelling Matte Process. The Travelling Matte Process makes it possible to combine two scenes by printing one on top of the other. The action, or " foreground " is photographed in front of a plain blue backing by a special camera using two rolls of film, one of which records the normal image and the other a silhouette. These two rolls of film, which comprise the foreground, are then combined with the background in the laboratory. Recently we decided that the Process had been developed sufficiently to make a short film to demonstrate some of the possibilities of the Process. We have assembled from recent productions, a number of scenes which were made by Back Projection, and we have remade them by the Travelling Matte Process. We don't suggest that the Travelling Matte Process will absolutely supersede Back Projection — the comparison is made to demonstrate that each process has its uses. In the first comparison shot we see Ann Todd in a scene from The Passionate Friends. Notice the quality of the background which is Back Projection. It is an aerodrome during " take-off." The background m this scene is important because it tells the story. This is the same scene — photographed by the Travelling Matte Process. The background, which is now far more distinct, was made from the same piece of film we used in the previous shot. Here is another scene from The Passionate Friends. The camera is tracking and panning. Outside the window we see Back Projected woolly clouds. Notice the difference when they are put on the screen by the Travelling Matte Process. The motion of the aircraft is simulated by camera movement. Tracking and panning are possible on moving backgrounds. In this shot it is immaterial whether or not the background is sharp, as opposed to the previous shot in which it was important. This scene of Trevor Howard and Ann Todd was taken in the studios using Back Projection. It is a good example of Back Projection, since the artists in the foreground are sharp and the background is slightly soft. Had it been photographed on location, the background would have been sharp, in fact, more like it is here when the Travelling Matte Process is used. It would take a very experienced person to say that this scene was not taken on location. Both the Travelling Matte and Back Projection Processes enable the Producer to shoot exterior scenes in the studio; scenes which would be most difficult on location, owing to dialogue recording or the inconvenience of taking artists to remote places. We assume that a scene is always best if photographed in natural surroundings and that any process must introduce a certain unreality and loss of quality. The fundamental difference between Back Projection and the Travelling Matte Process is that in Back Projection the foreground is sharp and the background soft, whilst in the Travelling Matte Process the foreground and background are both sharp. The justification for the use of any process to avoid going on location lies in the economies effected. The outstanding advantage of the Travelling Matte Process, as opposed to Back Projection, is a great saving of studio space and an even greater saving of time on the floor. The stage space required for the Travelling Matte Process is only that needed to photograph the foreground action, plus approximately 12-15 feet for backings and lamps. The amount of space required for the average Travelling Matte set-up, is approximately 21 feet, the average space required for the same set-up using Back Projection, is approximately 63 feet. A very valuable feature of the Travelling Matte Process is that at any time the original background may be replaced by another. The background may even be shot after the foreground action. Another great advantage is that the balance between foreground and background is controllable in the laboratory. We feel that in deciding whether to use Back Projection or the Travelling Matte one should always ask oneself how the scene would appear on the screen if it were played in natural surroundings. Would the background be in focus or out of focus, as in the case of a big head close-up? If background sharpness is unimportant, then one may use Back Projection, but if recognition of the background is important, use the Travelling Matte Process. The procedure involved, when using the Travelling Matte Process is the next point to be considered. Just as in Back Projection, foreground and background are chosen by the Art Department. The background and shooting plans are then examined and amended where necessary by the Travelling Matte Unit.