Forbidden planet (1956)

Director:Fred M. Wilcox
Dir photopgraphy:George J. Folsey
Art director:Cedric Gibbons/Arthur Lonergan
Production desing:Irving Block/Mentor Huebner
MGM FX Department:

Special Photographic Effects : A. Arnold Gillespie / Irving G. Ries

Special animation effects: Joshua Meador
Matte paintings supervisor: Warren Newcombe
Animation effects: Bob Abrams
Robot builder: Robert Kinoshita
Special effects technician Glen Robinson / Franklyn Soldo/ Doug Hubbard
Effects illustrator: Joe Alves
Matte painting: Howard Fisher / Henry Hellick
Matte painting assistant: Matthew Yuricich

planetapro1 planetapro2 planetapro3 planetapro6 planetaproo4

forbiden1

Prince Valiant (1954)

Director:Henry hathaway
Dir photopgraphy:Lucien Ballard
Art director:Mark-Lee Kirk/Lyle R. Wheeler
Special effects:
T.C.FOX FX Department:
Special effects:Louis J. Witte
Special Photographic effects : Ray Kellogg
Matte painter: Matthew Yuricich

valiant1 valiant2 valiant3 valiant7

The Robe (1953)

Dir:Henry Koster
Dir photopgraphy:Leon Shamroy
Art director:George W. Davis/ Lyle R. Wheeler
Special Photographic effects : Ray Kellogg / James B. Gordon
Matte painter:  Emil Kosa Jr. / Mat Yuricich
Scenic painter:Delmer Yoakum

robe1 robe2 robe3 robe4 robe5 robe6

 

Scenic paintings by Delmer Yoakum

RobeScenic RobeScenic2

Ice Station Zebra (1968)

 

Dir: John Sturges
Dir photography: Daniel L. Fapp
Art director:George W. Davis/ Addison Hehr
Special effects: Henry Millar

MGM VFX Department:
Special visual Effects: Robert R. Hoag / J. McMillan Johnson / Carroll L. Shepphird / Clarence Slifer
Matte artist : Matthew Yuricich

zebra01 zebra02 zebra03 zebra04 zebra05 zebra06 zebra07

 

Cobra woman (1944)

Director: Robert Siodmak
Dir Fotography: W. Howard Greene/George Robinson
Art director: Alexander Golitzen/ John B. Goodman
Special effects: John Fulton
Matte painting: Russell Lawson head of Universal matte department.

Makeup: Jack Pierce

cobra1 cobra2 cobra5 cobra6 cobra8

The Invisible man (1933)

United States

Director: James Whale
Dir Fotography: Arthur edeson
Art director: Charles D. Hall
Special effects: John P. Fulton
Matte painting: Russell Lawson head of Universal matte department
Optical cinematography: Roswell Hoffman
Visual effects: Frank D. Williams
Makeup : Jack Pierce
Miniature photography: John J. Mescall

Invi4 Invi Invi2 Invi3

Andrew Garnet-Lawson

 Briography:

I originally started at the BBC, where we were expected to do glass paintings as well as scenic work, as opposed to the states where they were separate skills. As a point of interest I was the first person to do a digital matte in this country. My brother in law lent me his Mac with photoshop on it and I suddenly realised that you could get an exact colour match to any image and that you could paste parts of one image over another and then work them together. I was working with The Mill occasionally on adverts using the old system and when the next advert came up I convinced them to give me one frame of the shot on a floppy disc, (shows how long ago this was), and did the matte on the Mac. No problems with lighting, no locking off of cameras for hours or days, they could just shoot and hand it over to post. What I found out later was that Industrial Light and Magic had done it 3 months previously, so they were first but we weren’t aware of that at the time. The last film I did was Snow White and the Huntsman, then I was forced to retire due to lung problems, too much spraying.

 andrew-garnet-lawson

Filmography:

2012 Snow White and the Huntsman (scenic painter)
2005 Asylum (scenic painter)
2005 Mørke (matte artist)
2004 Gladiatress (matte artist)
2003 To kill a king (scenic artist)
2003 It’s All About Love (scenic artist: back drops – as Andrew Lawson)
2002 Puckoon (scenic artist)
2002 The Escapist (digital matte artist – as Andrew Garnett-Lawson)
2001 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone(matte painter: MPC – uncredited)
2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (digital matte artist – as Andrew Garnett-Lawson)
2001 Just Visiting (digital matte painting: Visual Factory
2001 Enigma (scenic painter)
2000 Chocolat (scenic artist – uncredited)
2000 There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble (scenic painter)
2000 Empires: The Greeks – Crucible of Civilization (TV Series documentary) (graphic designer – 1 episode)
1999 Sofies verden (model painter)
1999 Miss Julie (scenic artist)
1999 The War Zone (scenic painter)
1999 My Life So Far (digital matte artist: Mill Film)
1998 Hilary y Jackie (digital matte paintings – as Andrew Garnett-Lawson)
1997 Shooting Fish (scenic artist)
1995 Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life (Short) (scenic artist)
1988 High Spirits(scenic artist – as Andrew Garnett-Lawson)
1988 Madame Sousatzka (scenic artist – as Andrew Garnett Lawson)
1988 The adventures of Baron Munchause (scenic artist)
1987 Siesta (scenic artist – as Andrew Garnet Lawson)
1985 Brazil (scenic artist – as Andrew Lawson)
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark (scenic artist)

Christopher Columbus (1949)

Gainsborough Pictures
Director: David MacDonald
Cinematography: Stephen Dade
Production Design: Maurice Carter
Location, and Special effects Photography: Cyril J. Knowles
Special effects: Philippo Guidobaldi / Alfred Davies /Albert Whitlock
CColumbus1ChrisColumbusmatteCColumbus3columbusmatteCColumbus2
Scenic paiting for perspective ceiling gallery.

chris4 chris4a chris6 chris7 chris8

Quo Vadis (1951)

Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Director of photography: William V. Skall Robert Surtees
Art Direction: Edward C. Carfagno Cedric Gibbons William A. Horning
Special Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie/ Tom Howard / Donald Jahraus
Matte artist : Peter Ellenshaw

qv1a qv2 qv3 qv4 qv5

Two before and after images of Ellenshaw paintings.

qvmatte1 qvmatte2qv90

 

The Rome fire was filmed using Don Jahraus miniatures under supervision of Gillespie.

qvminiat

Mary Poppins (1964)

Director: Robert Stevenson

Dir Photography: Edward Colman
Art Direction: Carroll Clark , William H. Tuntke
Matte painting supervisor: Peter Ellenshaw
Special effects: Eustace Lycett , Robert A. Mattey .
Special processes: Ub Iwerks
Matte artist assistant: Jim Fetherolf

Some images showing before and after the matte paintings were added.

mp15mp18mp17mp16mp14mp13mp12mp11mp10MariPo01MariPo05mp8mp6mp5mp4mp7mp2mp3

“This painting was used in Mary Poppins to show Mary arriving at the Bank´s house. I painted the flying Mary on another pice of glass, placed the glass in front of the painting, and moved it toward the camera as we filmed.”

From the Book: “Ellenshaw under glass”, by Peter Ellenshaw.

 

SupermanIV (1987)

Director: Sidney J. Furie
Cinematography by Ernest Day
Production Design by John Graysmark
Visual effects supervisor: Harrison Ellenshaw
Special effects supervisor: Richard Conway
Supervising matte artist: Peter Ellenshaw
Matte artist assistent: Martin Asbury
Optical effects supervisor: Buena Vista Visual effects: Michael Lloyd

The budget slashing of Superman IV seriously affected the film’s visual effects. Harrison Ellenshaw, who had actually been brought onto the film by director Furie, was ‘very happy and anxious to do it.’ But he quickly discovered that the film’s budget ($17 million) was nowhere close to what the budget had been on any of the first three Superman films ($54 million, $54 million, and $39 million respectively).

Matte painting Maestro Peter Ellenshaw with some of his paintings for Superman IV.

Super4P-Ellnshaw

supermanIVmatte6

Super4-PElleshaw-Moscow

Matte painting assistant Martin Asbury at left and Peter Ellenshaw at right.

Super4-Martin_Peter

SupermanIVmatte9

Super4-matte

supermanIVmatte3

supermanIVmatte1 supermanIVmatte4

supermanIVmatte2supermanIVmatte5

Matte painting assistant Martin Asbury.

sup4-3

The real set without the matte painting.

sup4-4

sup4-2

supermanIVmatte8supermanIVmatte7supermanIVmatte

Superman III (1983)

Director: Richard Lester
Cinematography by Robert Paynter
Production Design by Peter Murton
Supervisor of optical visual effects: Roy Field
Director of special effects: Colin Chilvers
Special effects supervisor: Martin Gutteridge
Supervisor of model effects: Derek Meddings
Front projection consultant: Zoran Perisic
Matte supervisor: process unit: Dennis Bartlett
Optical and matte photography: Peter Harman Martin Body
Matte artist: Peter Melrose Charles Stoneham
Assistant matte artist: Janice Body
A Cervin Robinson still from New York was again used for that impressive shot. Some matte painting work was done to blend the still photograph, with the live action set.

sup3-96

Matte painting extensions were used for aerial shots of the chemical plant to add scope.

sup3-94
The frozen lake were achieved using a painted glass matte.

sup3-95

Matte painted mountains over a background plate filmed in Italy were married with cloudy water tank footage shot by Roy Field that was double printed onto the plate to create a tornado long shot.

super3-1

For the locked off shot of Superman ramming into the ship, the live action was filmed on a partially complete mock-up at Pinewood, a matte painting was used to enhance the scenesup3-91

Matte painting were used to show the power cut on American Continent.sup3-7  supe-9
Power cut effect on the City.

sup3-8

Miniature effects.

Super3Miniat super3Miniat1 Super3Miniat2

Superman II (1980)

Director: Richard Lester , Richard Donner(uncredited)
Cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth, Robert Paynter
Production Design by John Barry , Peter Murton
Supervisor of optical visual effects: Roy Field
Supervisor & director of special effects: Colin Chilvers
Supervisor of model effects: Derek Meddings
Zoptic special effects: Zoran Perisic
Director of photography: flying unitDenys N. Coop
Travelling matte supervisor: Dennis Bartlett
Matte artist: Doug Ferris
Matte artist and illustrator: Ivor Beddoes
Matte camera operator: Peter Hammond Peter Harman
Matte camera assistant: Keith Holland

 
Most of SUPERMAN II’ scityscapes were achieved using miniatures that were used as cycloramas and matted backgrounds.
Some of the shots are a collage of real sets, still photos, matte enhancements, miniatures and even a bit of process work. The still photographer was Cervin Robinson.

sup2-e sup2-f

For the shots of Superman flying on space Derek Meddings used his rotating model planet Earth.

sup2-asup2-bsup2-csup2-d

The fortress of solitude behind the crystal is a matte painting

sup2-g

The ceiling of the control room is a matte painting.

super2-4

The upper and right portion of the frame are paited.During one second the hand of the actor desappeard behind the matte line.

super2-8

Matte artist Ivor Beddoes working in a glass painting.

Ivor_Beddoes

The far away view of the street above superman was a matte painting.

sup2-h

The process background behind Zod and Ursa in the street is a mixture of live action and model miniature by Derek Meddings

super2-7

Derek Meddings and his crew during the filming of the miniature Metropolis street scenes.

Superman2-Derek

Derek Meddings with the barn miniature.

super2-miniat

super2-5super2-6

 

 

Robert Hackborn

Biography:

Robert Arthur Hackborn was born in 1928 inToronto, and attended the Ontario College of Art (OCA) from 1948 to 1952. In 1955, Hackborn embarked on what would become a long and important career in the design and production of sets and visual effects for television when he took a position in the nascent Television Production unit at the CBC. Hackborn also worked as a production designer with director Donald Brittain on several CBC/National Film Board (NFB) co-productions. During his career at the CBC, Hackborn worked to pioneer various special visual effects techniques for television production including the “Glass Matte Shot”. Robert Hackborn retired from the CBC in 1993 after 38 years of service.

More information at:

https://library.ryerson.ca/asc/2013/07/the-man-behind-the-glass-robert-hackborn/
Hackborn explains the technique behind the matte glass with some of his painting works.

BobHackborn1

 

One of the matte paintings made for Fraggle rock TV series by Hackborn.

Bhackborn-painting1

Filmography:

1967- Mr. Dressup (TV series) (Art director)
1969- The Way It Is (TV Series) (Art director)
1980- Air Farce (TV Special) (set designer – matteshots)
1982- I Married the Klondike (Art director-Matte shots)
1983-1985 Fraggle Rock (TV Series) (30 episodes) (Art director/Matte shots)
1985- Canada’s Sweetheart: the Saga of Hal C. Banks (art director)
1988- The King Chronicle (TV Mini-Series) (Art director)
1988-1994- The kids in the Hall ( Art director)
1985- The hearts and Davies affair (TV Movie) (matte consultant)
1992- In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944 (TV Movie documentary) (Art director)
2000- Thomas and the Magic Railroad (visual effects draftsperson)

 

 

Richard Abelardo

Biography:

 Richard Abelardo – or Mang Kandong to his intimates – is a visual effects man par excellence who pioneered in special effects in the late thirties to fifties and taught the craft to his relatives (brother-in-law Teody Carmona, brother Bayani Abelardo and nephew Benjamin Resella), later important film artists in this field.

Richard was born on September 29, 1902 in Bulacan. He learned scene design from his father, Juan Abelardo, the sculptor of the Biak na Bato monument and the foremost scenic artist of his time. His father painted the backdrops of zarzuelas and stage presentations at the Zorilla and other theaters. Early in his teens, he became scenic artist for a photo studio. He was commissioned to do the sets of a silent film being photographed by Ricardo Marcelino. However, the production wasn’t finished, but this firmed his resolve to go to Hollywood. He learned to play the saxophone in first cousin Nicanor Abelardo’s orchestra and applied as musician in a band playing aboard a President liner. In 1923, he jumped ship in San Francisco and motored to Hollywood.

He stayed with an American family as a gardener and painted in his free time. The family noticed that he had artistic talent in more areas than gardening. He was hired as a service painter in theaters with the Flag Company. He joined the union and secured a painting job at Universal Studios. Proving himself at Universal, he was given work at Warner Brothers, and MGM. He observed and learned quite a bit about the craft of making films.

He married an embroiderer from Malate and had two girls, Louise and Rita. He paid for his brother, Bayani’s, education as a camera man. His wife, Salud (née Carmona), learned how to be a make-up artist. In 1935, the whole family went back to the Philippines due to the Depression.
He was invited by Vicente Salumbides to work on his Florante at Laura (1949). For this, he created the domed palaces of the fictitious royalty. He worked at X’OTIC when it opened in 1939 and was later summoned by his kababayan Dona Sisang to work on Ibong Adarna. He introduced the crane to local filmdom in the movie Palaris and background projection in Ibong Adarna. After the war, he opted to stay in the Philippines, working for Palaris Productions, Fernando Poe Sr.’s movie company.
He directed his first film for him in 1948 with Malikmata with Jaime de la Rosa. Dona Sisang got him to direct Engkantada (1948) for LVN, about archaeologists stumbling upon the fabled kingdom of Mu ruled by centuries-old Lilia Dizon. As it was the last film of Lilian Velez, it was a big hit at the box-office. His career as film director already established, he, however, continued to do special effects. In 1950, he worked on Fritz Lang’s An American Guerrilla in the Philippines.

Richard also pioneered in prosthetics with the hairy face of Jaime de la Rosa in Taong Paniki (1952) and the giant reptile in Tuko sa Madre Kakaw (1959). For Big Shot, he developed a special kind of trick photography that would show dancers atop a ceiling. Aside from films, Richard designed the sets of some theatrical productions, especially those of Bert Avellana’s Barangay Theater Guild

Filmography:

AS SCENIC ARTIST IN HOLLYWOOD
-Footlight Parade (1933)
-Only Yesterday (1933)
-One Night of Love
-Cat and the Fiddle (1934)
-Modern Times (1936)

At Philippines:

- Ibong Adarna (1941) (Art director/ Special effects)
- Prinsesa Urduja (1942) (Special effects)
- Aladin (1946) (Art director /Special effects)
- Engkantada (1948) (Special effects)
- Florante at Laura (1949 (art director/ Special effects)
- Sa Tokyo ikinasal (1948) (special effects)
- El diablo (1949) (special effects)
- Mutya ng Pasig (1950) (special effecst)
- Haring Cobra (1951) (art director/Special effects)
- Shalimar (1951) (Special effects)
- Taong Paniki (1952) ( transformation effects)
- Anak ng Berdugo (1955)
- Zarex (1956) ( destination moon version)
- Higit sa korona (1956)
- Tuko sa Madre Kakaw (1959) (giant reptile effects)
- Anak ng Bulkan (1959) ( Monster bird effects)
- Lastikman (1965)
- Miranda: Ang lagalag na sirena (1966)
- Ang mahiwagang daigdig ni Pedro Penduko (1973) (special photographic effects)

Gallery:

Matte shots from Ibong Adarna. (1941)

IbongAdarna4 IbongAdarna5

Laura at Florante (1949)

Laura-Florante

Haring Cobra (1951)

HaringCobra1 HaringCobra2

Ben Resella

Biography :

Benjamin Abelardo Resella, born on May 14th 1917 , in the Tondo district of Manila, Philippines to Teodora Velayo Abelardo and Isabelo Resella. His father, Isabelo Resella, a renowned jewelry designer,sculptor, and scenic artist, died when Ben was three months old. Ben learned the art of scenic designing from his grandfather, the famous painter, Juan Henson Abelardo. He started as an apprentice to his grandfather at the age of 11 at Juan Abelardo Scenic Studio at Manila’s Grand Opera House. At the age of 15, Ben began his humble beginings in the Motion Picture Industry at 1937 working with his uncle Richard Abelardo as assistant art director and special effects artist. They both executed glass and matte paintings.

In 1941, World War II interrupted Ben’s promising career of scenic art and film. He enlisted in the war and served his country. During Japanese occupation, his oldest half brother Domingo Resella, who worked with the American Brothers of Ateneo de Manila University as their scenic artist died. Ben would be taken as prisoner and forced to walk the Bataan Death March of 1942 along with 68,000 Filipino and 12,000 American POWs and thousands of civilians including men, women and children.After arriving in CampO’Donnell, Capas at Tarlac, Ben had to survive the horrifying and dismal life in a Japanese Concentration Camp.

1947-1959 Supervising Art Director and Head of the Special Photographic and Background Projection for Sampaguita Pictures Inc. Introduced the first “Hanging Miniature Shot” and the first professional Studio Camera Crane in the Philippine movie studio and Animation.

1966 to 1967: Theatrical Scenic Artist
Ben Resella’s California legacy began at the San Francisco Opera House. Here as a scenic artist he painted sceneries for Operatic Theatre. The Local 816, business agent, Mr. Clayton Thomason later discovered him to be an excellent perspective delineator. He was immediately relocated to Hollywood to work on the musical “Hello Dolly” in 1967. He would make his impact in the Motion Picture and Television industry as the scenic supervisor for J.C. Backings at the Twentieth Century-Fox Studios. Mr. John Coakley, the owner of J.C. Backings, Inc., made Ben his scenic supervisor for more than 20 years.

1967 to 1987 Scenic Art Supervisor & Designer
As Scenic Art and Design Supervisor for J.C. Backings Corporation, Ben set a high standard of artistic quality for every project undertaken. He actively designed and painted backings and special scenic effects for many motion picture films and television productions.

For more information visit his tribute web page   http://resella.com/ben/ )

Benjamin Resella.

Ben

Filmography:

- Tayo Na Sa Langnit (1938) Associate Art Director
- Ibong Adarna (1940) Associate Art Director. Introduced the first “Matte-shot” and “Background Projection”.
- Baguio Cadet (1940) Associate Art Director.
- Aladin (1946) Associate art director / Special effects
- Isumpa Mo Giliw (1947) Supervising Art Director.
- Florante at Laura ( 1949) Associate Art Director./ Special effects
- Cry of Battle (1963) (art director)
- No Man Is an Island (1962) (art director)
- Hani-hanimun (1961) (art director)
- Hello Dolly (1967)
- Counter Point (1967)
- Boston Strangler (1968)
- Land of the Giants (1968) TV series
- The Delta Factor (1970) (art director)
- On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
- Bed Knobs and Broom Sticks (1971)
- City Beneath the Sea (1972)
- Towering Inferno (1973)
- Earthquake (1974)
- Planet of the Apes (1974) TVseries)
- Shampoo (1975)
- Silver Streak (1976) (Scenic Visual Effects)
- King Kong (1976)
- Lipstick (1976)
- Logan’s Run (1976)
- High Anxiety (1977) (Scenic Visual Effects)
- End of the World (1977)
- New York, New York (1977)
- Coma (1978) (Scenic Visual Effects)
- Magic (1978)
- Foul Play (1978)
- Black Hole (1979)
- Winter kills (1979) (Scenic Visual Effects)
- Last Flight of Noah’s Ark (1980)
- Pennies from Heaven (1981)
- Simon & Simon (1981) (TV series)
- The Best Little Whore house in Texas (1982)
- Personal Best (1982)
- Hammet (1982)
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Poltergeist (1984)
- Gremlins (1984)
- Nothing in Common (1986)
- Dragnet (1987)
- Star Trek, the Motion Picture (1979) (Scenic Visual Effects)
- Space Balls (1987) (Scenic Visual Effects)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Indian in a Cupboard (1995)
- Air Force One (1997) (Special Scenic Effects)
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

Gallery:

Matteshots from Ibong Adarna (1941) Painted by Resella and Richard Abelardo.

IbongAdarna2IbongAdarna1

Aladin (1946) Matte shots by Ben resella and Richard Abelardo.

AladinMatte1 AladinMatte2

Samples of his scenic work in United States.

On a Clear day you can see forever (1970)

clearday1 clearday2

Towering Inferno (1973)

towering

Ben Resella working on  a scenic painting for Earthquake(1974)

EarthquakeScenic

Coma (1978)

coma1 coma2

Spaceballs(1987)

spaceballs

Amedeo Gigli

Biography:

Amedeo Gigli was born in Rome on March 2, 1931.After completing his studies at the Art Lycée, then at the University Faculty of Architecture and at the Fine Arts Academy, he started to work doing illustrations for magazines, Advertising Agencies, Publishing Houses, Companies and Privates.
“Around middle 50´s while I was working for the “Oltre il cielo” magazine, I met Mario Bava. However, he looked for me, because he liked my works and wanted me to cooperate for the production of “Miniatures”. These miniatures were historical images which must be painted in a realistic way. From that moment, my long activity of artist began. I worked for a series of historical film and thanks to this I could meet the famous actor Steve Reeves”
He worked with Mario Bava from  1956 to 1963, painting miniatures for his films.  Mario Bava provided photos of the locations and Gigli painted the miniatures on cardboard to later cut out the painted elements. Then it was pasted over a glass. Mario Bava took the glass on location and filmed the trick.

He also collaborated at some Italian films doing some decorative paintings, and with Italian Television channel (RAI) executing some paintings that were used as background using the chroma key technique.
He stopped working with Mario Bava at early 60´s  and move to Milan to concentrate on his illustration career.

To see more of his work visit his site:
http://www.amedeogigli.it/

A young Amedeo Gigli at the time he was working for Mario Bava.

AmedeoGigli

Illustration  by Amedeo Gigli  which made Mario Bava think that he could paint mattes for him.

bava-gravita

Grafic made by Gigli to show how his paintings were filmed by Mario Bava.

Gigli-Bava

  1. Camera
  2. Actors on location in front of a glass
  3.  Huge glass with the  cut out painting fixed
  4.   Exterior  background
  5.  How the trick appears on the screen

Filmography:

1964 – Matrimonio all’italiana / Marriage Italian Style (Scenic painting)
1963 – The List of Adrian Messenger/ I cinque volti dell’assassino ( illustrator)
1961 – Gli invasori / Erik the conqueror (matte painting)
1959 – La battaglia di Maratona /The Giant of Marathon (matte painting)
1959 – Ercole e la regina di Lidia/ Hercules unchained (matte painting)
1958 – Le fatiche di Ercole / Hercules ( matte painting)
1956 – Mio Figlio Nerone / ( matte painting)

Gallery:

Four paintings that Gigli made for  RAI (Italian TV) to be used as background with chroma key compositions.

Gigli-RaiTV

Matte shoot from  Mio Figlio Nerone

NeroMatte

Matte painting from the film  Le fatiche di Ercole / Hercules

Hercules1

Two paintings from the film La battaglia di Maratona /The Giant of Marathon

marathonmatte1 marathonmatte2

Juan Alberto Soler

Biography:

Spanish Art director Juan Alberto started his career at the late 30´s as draftsman at Orphea Studios in Barcelona. At the early forties he was assistant of Pierre Schild who introduced him on the use of perspective tricks like foreground miniatures, glass and matte paintings. Art director Juan Alberto used hanging miniatures very often for ceiling on his films during the forties and fifties. He executed also matte painting from time to time when required.

Juan Alberto (rigth) at Orphea Studios on the eraly 50´s

JAlbertodecor

Matte shot of the upper part of the set for  Toto de Arabia.

totomattefx

Two matte paintings that Juan Alberto made for Gaudi.

gaudi gaudi2

Filmography:

1984 Una rosa al viento (art director)
1976 Deseo (art director)
1975 Clara es el precio (art director)
1973 Las ratas no duermen de noche (art director)
1973 Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli (art director)
1972 Un verano para matar (art director)
1971 Il corsaro nero (art director)
1968 Le rouble à deux faces (art director)
1968 Thompson 1880 (art director)
1968 Las Vegas, 500 millones (art director)
1967 Clint el solitario (art director)
1966 Surcof, El tigre de los siete mares (art director)
1966 Dinamita Jim (art director)
1966 Toto de Arabia (art director matte painting)
1966 Superargo contro Diabolikus (art director)
1965 Estambul 65 (art director)
1965 Una pistola per Ringo (art director)
1964 Les parias de la gloire (art director)
1962 La bella Lola (art director)
1960 Gaudi (art director- matte painting)
1958 Su propio destino (art director)
1956 La vuelta al mundo en ochenta días (assistant art director: Spain – uncredited)
1955 Lo que nunca muere (art director- matte painting)
1954 El duende de Jerez (art director- matte painting)
1952 Me quiero casar contigo (art director)
1950 Un soltero difícil (art director)
1950 Mi adorado Juan (art director)
1949 Doce horas de vida (art director)
1946 Aquel viejo molino (art director)
1944 Cabeza de hierro (art director)
1944 Sucedio en Damasco (assistant art director)

Francisco Prosper

Biography:

Francisco Prosper Zaragoza studied art in Valencia where he began to work as sculptor and painter. He went to Madrid in middle forties and worked as the assistant of Francisco Canet, construction manager of the CEA Studios. Canet was aware of perspective tricks; he built a hanging miniature for Eugenia de Montijo (1944) on the interior of Notre Dame Cathedral. Prosper learned very soon those tricks. In the late 40´s he went to Sevilla Films where he became head of the construction department. He collaborated many times with art director Enrique Alarcon who was an expert and enthusiast of miniatures tricks. Prosper had to build foreground and glass paintings very often. He used to work with Enrique Salvá and Emilio Ruiz to execute the paintings on glass and scenic paintings. He also worked with Pierre Schild and latter on with miniature expert Eugene Lourie. Prosper provided miniatures and sets for all the Harryhausen movies filmed in Spain. During the sixties and seventies, he started to work as an art director. When needed matte painting he used to call Emilio Ruiz, but he executes some paintings by himself when Emilio was not available.

Francisco Prósper on two miniature sets he made for Lourie.  The Battle of the Bulge

Bulge6

and Custer of The West

CusterProsperFXb

Prosper was responsible for the miniatures at Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Miniatures that were matted in by Harryhausen at postproduction.

Goldenvoyageminiat

Prósper with a miniature made for the film Krakatoa: East of Java (1969)

Prosper-maquetacopia

Prosper at left with a tabletop miniature made fro the film Alquadisiya (1981) At the edge of the desert is showing the distant Persian army with model elephants.

ProsperAlquadisiya1

A matte shot he painted for the film Tuareg (1984)

Tuaredmatte2

Filmography:

1993 Un dia volvere (tv series)
1990 Bethune: The Making of a Hero (Set Construction)
1989 Sinbad and the Seven seas (Foreground miniatures)
1989 Edless descent (Set and miniatures)
1988 El complot de los anillos (S C)
1987 Los alegres picaros (Matte painting)
1987 El túnel (S C)
1986 Solarbabies (S C)
1984 ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (S C)(FX)
1894 La Biblia en pasta (Set and miniatures- matte shots)
1984 Tuareg (matteshots)
1983 The Pod People (Set and miniatures)
1980 Bodas de sangre (S C)
1981 Nacional III (S C)
1981 Mystery on Monster Island(Set and miniatures)
1981 Al Qadisiya (Sets and miniatures)
1979 Las verdes praderas (Set and miniatures)
1978 Oro Rojo (S C)
1978 Supersonic man (Sets and miniatures)
1977 Sinbad and the eye of the Tiger (S C)
1977 Where Time Began(Sets and miniatures)
1976 Robin and Marian (S C)
1976 The Last Remake of Beau Geste(S C)
1976 Voyage of the Damned(S C)
1975 The Wind and the Lion (S C)
1974 The Four Musketeers (S C)
1974 Golden voyage of Sinbad (Set and miniatures)
1973 Papillon (S C)
1973 The three Musketeers (S C)
1972 La isla misteriosa (S C)
1972 Antony and Cleopatra (S C)
1972 Travels with mu Aunt(S C)
1972 Treasure island (S C)
1971 Nicolas and Alexandra (S C)
1970 Cannons for Cordoba ( Set and miniatures)
1970 Patton (S C)
1970 Cromwell (S C)
1970 Red Sun (S C)
1969 Battle of Britain (S C)
1969 The valley of Gwangi (sets and miniatures)
1969 Krakatoa (Setd and miniatures)
1968 Shalako (S C)
1968 Custer of the West (Set and miniatures)
1967 The long Duel (S C)
1967 Young Cervantes (S C)
1966 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (S C)
1965 The battle of the Bulge (Set and miniatures)
1965 The Hill(S C)
1964 Circus World (Setd and miniatures)
1964 A Crack in the World (Setd and miniatures)
1964 Relevo para un pistolero (S C)
1963 The fall of the Roman Empire (Setd and miniatures)
1962 Lawrence de Arabia (S C)
1962 Scherezade (S C)
1962 55 days at Peking (S C)
1961 El Cid (S C)
1961 Los corsarios del caribe (S C)
1961 Mysterious island (Set and miniatures)
1960 The three Worlds of Gulliver (Set and miniatures)
1960 Spartacus (S C)
1959 S.O.S. Pacific (S C)
1959 North West frontier (Setd and miniatures)
1959 Molokai (S C)
1958 Aquellos tiempos del cuplé (Setd and miniatures)
1958 The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (S C)
1958 Suddenly, Last Summer (S C)
1958 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (Sets and miniatures)
1958 Salomon and Sheba (Sets and miniatures)
1957 Horas de pánico (S C)
1956 Around the World in Eighty Days(S C)
1956 Calabuch (S C)
1956 Zarak (S C)
1955 Alexander the great (Sets and miniatures)
1954 Un caballero andaluz (S C)(C D)
1954 Mister Arkadin (S C)
1954 The black Knight (S C)
1953 Ricardo III(S C)
1953 Bienvenido Mr Marshall (S C)
1952 Gloria Mairena(S C)
1951 Alba de América(S C)
1951 Pandora and the Flying Dutchman(S C)
1950 La leona de Castilla (S C)
1950 Agustina de Aragón (Sets and miniatures)
1949 La duquesa de Benameji (S C)
1949 Jalisco canta en Sevilla ( Sets and miniatures)
1948 Locura de amor (S C)
1948 El Sotano (Sets and miniatures)
1947 Fuenteovejuna (Set Construction)
1947 La princesa de los Ursinos (S C)


Ron Miller

Biography:

Before becoming a free-lance illustrator in 1977, Miller was art director for the National Air & Space Museum’s Albert Einstein Planetarium. Prior to this he was a commercial advertising illustrator. His primary work today entails the writing and illustration of books specializing in astronomical, astronautical and science fiction subjects,
and has been a production illustrator for motion pictures, notably Dune and Total Recall. He has also done preproduction concepts, consultation and matte art for David Lynch, George Miller, John Ellis, UFO Filmls and James Cameron. He designed and co-directed the computer-generated show ride film, Impact!.
Miller has also written several novels, including a tetralogy of fantasy novels—Palaces and Prisons, Silk and Steel and Hearts and Armor and Mermaids & Meteors.

For more information , images and and full biography, visit his web site:

http://www.black-cat-studios.com/index.html

Filmography:

2004 – Ghost Lake (V) (matte painter)
2002 – Dark Descent (illustrator)
2002 – New Alcatraz (illustrator)
2000 – EpochTV (illustrator)
2000 – Falcon Down (illustrator)
1997 – Contact (concept artist)
1995 – Twilight of the Dogs (matte painter)
1990 – Total Recall (illustrator)
1987 – Future Flight (TV Movie) (painter: space concept)
1984 – Dune (illustrator)
1980 -Cosmos (TV Series documentary) (astronomical artist – 1 episode)

Gallery:

Some illustrations made for the film “Dune” (1984)

Millerdune2 millerDune3 MillerDune4 millerDune5 Miller-Dune1

Two astronomical illustrations by Ron Miller.

Miller_illust1Miller_Illust2

Matte painting from the film “Ghost Lake”

GhostLake1 GhostLake2

Charles Henri Assola

Biography:

Charles Assola was an Fx artist, sculptor, painter and model maker who learned the glass and matte painting technique with Rusian born Miniature expert Nicholas Wilke. Assola collaborated with him making models and painting mattes. He worked also with art director Eugene Lourie, with him he executed several foreground miniatures.

 Filmography:

Possesion (1981)
Le Coup Du Parapluie(1980)
The Hostage Tower (TV movie) 1980
Moonraker (1979)
La zizanie (1978)
L’animal (1977)
L’imprécateur (1977) visual effects
L’Aile ou la cuisse (1976)
Calmos (1976) Special effects)
Tamaño natural 1974 (sculptor: doll – as Henri Assola)
Boulevard du Rhum 1971(models)
Krakatoa (1969) ( miniature construction)
Battle of the Bulge 1965 (miniature construction – as Henri Assola)
Crack in the World 1965 (model construction )
The longest day (1960) ( miniature sculptor)
Les yeux sans visage 1960 (special effects – as Henri Assola)

A hanging miniature from “Crack in the world” (1965). The ceiling of the laboratory was a miniature perfectly matched with the set.Assola supervised the construction of the miniature at Sevilla Films Studios in Madrid, with FX and miniature expert Francisco Prosper.

crackhanging

 For the film Les 3 mousquetaires (1953)  Nicholas Wilke was in charge of miniature FX. They used hanging miniatures for ceiling and some matte paintings that were executed most probably by Assola.

Mousquetaires00   Mousquetaires03

Jean Perrier

According to French art director Leon Barsacq, when Walter Percy Day returned to England there were two French artists whom continued to provide matte painting for French films.

One of them was FX artist Charles Assola, the other was art director Jean Perrier who executed matte paintings at some of his films when required.

Jean Perrier ( right) and director Raymond Bernard (left) with models for a set on the film Les Miserables (1934)

Jperrier2

Percy Day  glass shot painted for art director Jean perrier on the film Le joueur d’échecs (1929) The Chess players.

Chess

For the film  Tartarin de Tarascon (1943) Perrier  made use of miniatures and matte paintings

tartarin34matte Tartarin34Miniat

Filmography:

1943 Marie-Martine (Production designer)
1943 Secrets (Production designer)
1942 L’appel du bled (Production designer)
1942 Le journal tombe à cinq heures (Production designer)
1942 Pension Jonas (Production designer)
1941 Volpone (Art director)
1941 Premier rendez-vous (Production designer)
1940 Battement de coeur ((Production designer) as Perrier)
1939 Le monde tremblera(Production designer)
1939 Les otages (Production designer)
1938 J’étais une aventurière (Production designer)
1938 L’ange que j’ai vendu (Production designer)
1938 Quadrille (Production designer)
1938 La Marsellesa (set designer)
1937 Désiré (Production designer)
1937 Marthe Richard au service de la France (Production designer)
1937 Le coupable (Production designer)
1937 Les perles de la couronne (Art director)
1936 Le mort en fuite (Art director)
1936 Anne-Marie (Production designer)
1935 Amants et voleurs (Production designer)
1935 Golgotha(Production designer)
1934 Les misérables (Production designer)
1934 Tartarin de Tarascon(Art director)
1934 End of the World (Art director)
1932 Le rosier de Madame Husson (Art director)
1932 Les croix de bois (Art director)
1931 La fin du monde(Art director)
1931 Les frères Karamazoff(Production designer)
1930 Tarakanova (Art director)
1927 Le capitaine Rascasse(Production designer)
1927 Le joueur d’échecs(Art director)
1924 Le miracle des loups(Production designer)
1923 Gossette (Set designer)

 

Cy Didjurgis

Filmography:

1979 Star Trek -the morion picture(animation and graphics)
1977 Close encounters of the third kind(animation staff)
1977 Kingdom of Spiders (matte artist)
1977 Powers of Ten (Documentary short) (representative: Eames Office)

Several views of the small town covered with spider webs.

kingdomspiders2

kingdomspiders3 kingdomspiders5

 

 

Leon Harris

Biography:

Leon R. Harris was a production illustrator on Lingwood G. Dunn VFX company Film Effects of Hollywood, working on films like West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music(1965) or The Great Race (1965) He occasionally collaborated at the matte painting team.

During the seventies besides his illustration assignments, he started to work as an art director.
He shared an Academy Award nomination for his work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture along with production designer Harold Michelson, set decorator Linda DeScenna and art directors Joe Jennings and John Vallone. Harris and Michelson also worked together on the 1990 film Dick Tracy, with Harris working as a matte layout illustrator and Michelson as art director.

He also worked frequently with production designer Albert Brenner. Leon designed and hand-painted the Matte Paintings in collaboration with production designer Albert Brenner’s New York Street on the Paramount Backlot at 5555 Melrose in Los Angeles. Leon painted beautiful ‘grey scale’ studies for backlot matte work.
He painted the mattes for backgrounds at the end of each street

 Leon Harris (at left) working on a huge glass painting  with David Mattingly and Peter Ellenshaw for the film Dick Tracy.

Leon Harris

Filmography:

1992 Mr. Saturday Night (illustrator)
1991 Frankie y Johnny (senior illustrator)
1991 Mobsters (illustrator )
1990 Dick Tracy (matte layout illustrator )
1988 The Penitent (production illustrator)
1987 Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (production illustrator)
1986 SpaceCamp (Art director)
1983 Two of a Kind (production illustrator)
1982 Diner (Art director)
1981 Taps (production illustrator)
1981 The Devil and Max Devlin (Art director)
1980 The watcher in the woods (creator: Other World sequence)
1979 Star Trek – The motion picture (Art director)
1979 The Black Hole(production illustrator)
1978 On the Yard (Art director)
1977 Deadly Game (TV Movie) (Art director)
1977 The Girl in the Empty Grave (TV Movie) (Art director)
1965 The great race ( production illustration-matte artist)
1965 The Sound of Music (art illustrator – uncredited)
1961 West Side Story (production illustrator – uncredited)

Bob Spencer

Biography:

British scenic artist that worked for Wally Veevers doing paintings for Raise The Titanic.

raiseTitanic01 raiseTitanic03

Filmography:

1986- Lifeforce (art department)
1985- Return to Oz (scenic artist)
1981- Reds (scenic artist)
1979- Raise the Titanic ( matte painting)
1979- Dominique (scenic artist)
1975- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (scenic artist)


Peter Wood

Biography:

Scenic artist Peter Wood was comissioned to execute the cave matte painting for The man who would be king.

Man King-Cave1

Two scenic paintings from The City Under the Sea(1965)

City.undertheSea-Scenic City.undertheSea-Scenic2
Filmography:

1982 Víctor Victoria (additional scenic artist)
1975 The man who would be king (matte painting)
1978 The Odd Job (scenic artist)
1972 Endless Night (scenic artist)
1971 The House That Dripped Blood (scenic artist )
1970 Entertaining Mr. Sloane (scenic artist )
1966 The Deadly Affair (scenic artist)
1966 Khartoum (scenic artist – uncredited)
1965 The City Under the Sea (scenic artist)
1962 In search of castaways (scenic artist)
1962 Jigsaw (scenic artist – uncredited)
1961 The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (scenic artist)
1955 Carrington V.C. (scenic artist – uncredited)
1950 The Happiest Days of Your Life (scenic artist)

Mathew Yuricich

Biography:

Matthew J. Yuricich (born January 19, 1923) is an American Academy Award-winning special effects artist. Yuricich won the 1976 Academy Special Achievement Award for visual effects in the movie Logan’s Run. He was nominated for the best visual effects Oscar for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977.
He worked in the movie industry since 1950 with 20th Century Fox, M.G.M. and Paramount Studios at matte artist.
His department heads were Fred Sersen at Fox, Warren Newcombe and Lee LeBlanc at MGM,and later Bob Hoag at MGM.
After he left MGM at early 70´s he worked freelance. Very often was recuited by Frank Van Der Veer, with who he worked at Fox FX departement during the 50´s.
During the 80´s the worked at Richard Edlund “Boss Filsm” as Chief matte painter. He retired from matte painting at 1990.
Before becoming an award winning special effects artist, Yuricich received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he also played football.

 A signed photo of Matthew  with Marylin Monroe for his friend Rocco Gioffre.

Matthew_Monroe

Filmography:

- Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) (matte artist)
- Dances with Wolves (1990) (matte painting)
- Monster Squad (1989)(matte art super)
- Field of Dreams (1989) (matte artist)
- Die Hard (1988) (chief matte artist: Boss)
- Masters of the Universe (1987) (visual effects chief matte artist)
- Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) (chief matte artist)
- Boy Who Could Fly, The (1986) (chief matte artist)
- Solarbabies(1986) (Chief matte paint)
- Fright Night (1985) (chief matte artist)
- “V” (tv series)(1984)
- 2010 (1984)(Chief matte artist)
- Ghostbusters(1984)(Chief matte artist)
- Strange Brew (1983) (special photography unit matte artist)
- Blade Runner (1982) (matte artist)
- Yes, Giorgio (1982) (matte artist) (as Matthew J. Yuricich)
- My Favorite Year (1982) (matte painter)
- Last Chase, The (1981) (matte painter)
- 1941 (1979) (matte painter)
- China Syndrome, The (1979) (matte painting)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (matte artist)
- Logan’s Run (1976) (matte painter)
- Future World (1976) (matte painter)
- Damnation alley (1976)(spec fotog effects)
- The Wind and the Lion (1975) (matte artist)
- Young Frankenstein (1974) (matte artist)
- Towering inferno (1974) (matte artists)
- Soylent Green (1973) MGM (special photographic effects)
- The Poseidon adventure (1972) ( matte painting)
- Ice Station Zebra (1968) (matte artist ) MGM
- The greatest story ever told (1965) MGM (matte assist)
- The Prize (1963) MGM
- The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (1963) MGM
- Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) MGM
- Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) MGM
- Atantis, the Lost Continent (1961)MGM (matte paintings)
- Please don´t eat the daisies (1960) (MGM matte painting)
- Cimarron (1960) MGM
- Ben Hur (1959)MGM (matte assist uncretited)
- North by Northwest (1959) MGM (matte artist)
- The world, the flesh, and the devil (1959) MGM
- Forbiden planet (1956) MGM (matte assist)
- The king´s thief (1955) MGM (matte painting)
- Untamed (1955) FOX
- Seven brides for seven brothers ( 1954) MGM
- Prince Valiant (1954) FOX
- The robe (1953) (FOX

Gallery:

Mat Yuricich working on a painting for Ben Hur.

Yuricich-BenHur2

Yuricich painting another Ben-Hur matte.

Matthew-BenHur

Yuricich working on a painting for Blade Runner.

Yuricich-BladeRunner

Mat Yuricich with  a painting for Ghostbusters.

GhostpaintingYuricich

 

 

Albert Whitlock

Biography:

Born in London, he began working in the motion picture industry at age 14 in 1929.
“Because of the depression, l quit school and went to work to help out the family. lt was just good fortune,” he remembers. “that l had a relative in the industry who helped me get a job.
“l was the ‘boy’ in the studio, you see. Someone shouted, ‘Boy!’ and I came running. I made l5 shillings a week as the fetch-and-carry fellow at London’s Gaumont Lime Grove Studio before the British took it over.
“My career was a progression from working in a warehouse to helping carpenters. Then miniature makers, then painting signs for sets and getting into titles, then back to miniatures and finally into matte work.
Whitlock vividly remembers one of his first assignments painting all the signs for Alfred Hitchcock´s The39 Step when he was only I9. If pressed, he can even tell a tale or two about assisting the miniatures supervisor on Hitchcock’s first version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, which came even earlier.
My first matte was made during the war with a turkey called Bad Lord Byron; the man who was originally doing the mattes went on to an art director’s job leaving the post vacant. I was a scene painter at the time, so they said l was the most
obvious person for the job. It was a black and white film, my first color film didn’t come along until around I950 with a picture called The Seekers, which was made at Pinewood.”

Whitlock had been working with the Wall Disney unit during those last years in England and at the urging of Peter Ellenshaw thought there would he something for him at the U.S. Disney studios,

“lt was about I954 that l got up enough courage to pack up the wife and kids to come to Hollywood. The Mecca of the movie business. It wasn’t an easy decision. I was in a very good position, I had worked for over 20 years with Gaumont British, which became the Rank Studios and then five years at Pinewood; I could have eventually retired from Pinewood with a comfortable pension.”

After a few weeks of finding little work, Whitlock decided to return to England. Just before he was scheduled to depart, Walt Disney Studios phoned and offered him a job. His first assignment was to design the titles for 20.000Leagues Under the Sea. From I954 until I961 Whitlock worked on most of Disney’s motion pictures. He was involved with some of the basic concepts at Disneyland and himself painted the Main Street Theater at the world-famous amusement park. ln l96l Whitlock went to Universal Studios where he renewed his acquaintance with Alfred Hitchcock. Whitlock painted the mattes for that masters last six films, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz. Frenzy, and Family Plot.
Whitlock refers often to the special eflects team he organized at Universal.
lt includes first cameraman Bill Taylor, assistant matte artist Syd Dutton, camera operator Dennis Glouner, assistant cameraman Mike Moramarco, camera loader Mark Whitlock, rotoscope artist Susan Rodgers, and key grip Larry Shuler and his assistant Henry Schoessler. Whitlock earned Academy
Awards for Special Visual Effects for “EARTHQUAKE” and “THE H|NDENBURG.”
He retired from Universal Studios at 1984. But continued working on occasional productions for a few more years.
He passed away 26 Octuber 1999 by Parkinson’s disease at age 84‘

Whitlock´s photo by Bill Taylor.

WhitlockSmile2

Articles about Whitlock´s matte work:

http://galeon.com/albertwhitlock/americancinemat.html

http://galeon.com/albertwhitlock/starlog.html

http://galeon.com/albertwhitlock/super8.html

 

Filmography:

- Chaplin (1992) (matte painting consultant)
- Graveyard Shift (1990)(matte painting consultant)
- The neverending storyII (1990) (matte painting supervisor)
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) (matte consultant)(uncredited)
- Millennium (1989) (matte painting)
- Coming to America (1988) (matte painting supervisor)
- Funny Farm (1988) (matte consultant) (uncredited)
- Spaceballs (1987) (matte painting supervisor)
- Critical Condition (1987) (matte painting consultant)
- Dragnet(86)(Matte art consult)
- Red Sonja (1985) (matte shots)
- Clue (1985) (matte consultant)
- A.D. (1985) (mini) TV Series (special visual effects)Anno Domini.
- Dune (1984) (special effects)
- Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) (special visual effects)
- Airwolf (TV Movie)(1984) (special effects)
- Lonely Guy, The (1984) (special effects)
- Sting II, The (1983) (special visual effects)
- Psycho II (1983) (matte artist)
- The Wicked Lady (1983) (special visual effects)
- The Thing (1982) (special visual effects)
- Victor/Victoria (1982) (special visual effects)
- Missing (1982) (special visual effects)
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) (special visual effects)
- Cat People (1982) (special visual effects)
- Ghost Story (1981) (special visual effects)
- Heartbeeps (1981) (special visual effects)
- History of the World: Part I (1981) (special visual effects)
- Masada (1981) (mini) TV Series (special visual effects) (1981)
- In God We Tru$t (1980) (special visual effects) .
- The Blues Brothers (1980) (special effects)
- Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie (1980) (special effects)
- The Island (1980)
- Dracula (1979) (special visual effects)
- The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)
- Y Wanna hold you hand(78)(matte art)Robert Zemeckis
- The Wiz (1978/I) (special visual effects)
- Airport ’77 (1977) (special visual effects)
- It Happened One Christmas (TV Movie)(special visual effects)
- The Car (1977) (special visual effects)
- Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) (special visual effects)
- High Anxiety (1977) (special visual effects)
- MacArthur (1977) (special visual effects)
- The last remake of beau geste(77)(Matte effects)
- Sentinel, The (1977) (special visual effects)
- Family Plot (1976) (special effects)
- Front, The (1976) (matte effects)
- Face of Darkness (1976) (special photographic effects)
- Swashbuckler (1976) (special visual effects)
- Rollercoaster (1976) (special visual effects)
- Bound for Glory (1976) (special photographic effects)
- W.C. Fields and Me (1976) (special effects)
- Two Minute Warning (1976) (special effects)
- Day of the Locust, The (1975) (special photographic effects)
- Funny Lady (1975) (special photographic effects)
- Log of the Black Pearl, The (1975) (TV) (special photographic effects)
- Hindenburg, The (1975) (special visual effects)
- Man Who Would Be King, The (1975) (matte artist)
- Mame (1974) (special photographic effects)
- A Cry in the Wilderness (1974)(special photographic effects)
- Girl from Petrovka, The (1974) (special photographic effects)
- Earthquake (1974) (special photographic effects)
- Killdozer (1974) (TV) (special effects)
- The Questor Tapes(1974) (TV) (special effects)
- Papillon (1973) (special photographic effects)
- Oklahoma Crude (1973) (special photographic effects)
- Showdown(1973)(matte art)
- The day of the dolphin(1973)(matte art)
- The Train Robbers (1973) (special photographic effects)
- That Man Bolt (1973) (special photographic effects)
- The Day of the Dolphin (1973) (special photographic effects)
- Cahill: United States Marshal (1973) (special effects)
- The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War (TV Movie)(special effects)
- Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John (TV Movie)(1973)
- The Sting (1973) (special effects)
- Short Walk to Daylight (1972) (TV) (special effects)
- Columbo (1972)TV series
- The Snoop Sisters(1972-74) TV series
- Hec Ramsey (1972) (TV) (special photographic effects:mattes) (1972)
- Female Artillery (1972) (TV) (special photographic effects)
- Frenzy (1972) (special photographic effects)
- Slaughterhouse Five (1972) (matte supervisor)
- The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) (matte supervisor)
- Evil Roy Slade (TV Movie) (1972)(special photographic effects)
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (TV Movie)(1972) (special photographic effects)
- Ironside (TV Series) (1972)(special photographic effects)
- McMillan & Wife (1971-73)TV series(special photographic effects)
- McCloud (TV Series) (1971)(special photographic effects)
- Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (TV Series)(special photographic effects)
- Diamonds Are Forever (1971) (visual effects)
- One more train to robe(1971)(Matte art)
- Vanished (1971) (TV) (special photographic effects)
- Big Jake (1971) (special photographic effects)
- O’Hara, U.S. Treasury (TV Series)(1971) (special photographic effects)
- Andromeda Strain, The (1971) (matte supervisor)
- The Birdmen (1971) (TV) (special photographic effects)
- Raid on Rommel (1971) (special photographic effects)
- Catch-22 (1970) (special photographic effects)
- Skullduggery (1970) (special effects)
- The Virginian(1969)(TV Series)(special photographic effects)
- Topaz (1969) (special effects)
- The Bold Ones: The Lawyers(TV Series)(1969–72) (special effects)
- Colossus: The Forbin Project (1969) (special photographic effects)
- Gaily, Gaily (1969) (matte artist) … aka Chicago, Chicago (1969)
- The learning tree(1969)(matte art)
- Shakiest Gun in the West, The (1968) (matte supervisor)
- Hellfighters (1968) (matte supervisor)
- In Enemy Country (1968) (matte supervisor) aka In Enemy Hands (1968)
- Madigan (1968) (matte supervisor)
- Counterpoint (1968) (matte supervisor)
- P.J. (1968) (matte supervisor) aka New Face in Hell (1968) (UK)
- Funny Girl (1968) (special photographic effects) (uncredited)
- Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967) (matte supervisor)
- Rough Night in Jericho (1967) (matte supervisor)
- The War Wagon (1967) (mattes)
- The Way West (1967) (special photographic effects)
- Tobruk (1967) (matte supervisor)
- The President’s Analyst(1967) (matte supervisor)
- The Ballad of Josie (1967) (matte supervisor)
- The King’s Pirate (1967) (matte supervisor)
- The Reluctant Astronaut (1967) (special photographic effects)
- Torn Curtain (1966) (pictorial designs)
- Star treck(tv serie)(1966)
- Munster, Go Home (1966) (matte supervisor)
- Beau Geste (1966) (matte supervisor)
- Rare Breed, The (1966) (matte supervision)
- The ship of fools(65)(matte art)
- That Funny Feeling (1965) (matte supervisor)
- Blindfold (1965) (matte supervisor)
- War Lord, The (1965) (special effects)
- Mirage (1965) (matte supervisor)
- Shenandoah (1965) (matte supervisor)
- Marnie (1964) (pictorial design)
- Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964) (matte shots)
- I’d Rather Be Rich (1964) (matte supervisor)
- Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964) (matte artist)
- Robinson Crusoe on Mars(1964) (matte artist)
- Captain Newman, M.D. (1963) (matte supervisor)
- Birds, The (1963) (pictorial design)
- That touch of mink(62)(Matte art)
- Greyfriars Bobby (1961) (TV) (special photographic effects)
- “Daniel Boone” (1960) (mini) TV Series (matte artist)
- Greyfriars Bobby (1961) (special photographic effects)
- Pit and the Pendulum (1961) (matte artist)
- Ten Who Dared (1960) (matte artist)
- Polyanna (assistant matte artist – uncredited) (1960)
- Darby O’Gill (assistant matte artist – uncredited) (1959)
- The zorro(tv series)(58-59)(matte artist)
- Tonka (1958) (assistant matte artist)
- Westward Ho the Wagons! (1956) (assistant matte artist)
- Great Locomotive Chase, The (1956) (assistant matte artist)
- Seekers, The (1954) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea (54)(titulos)
- Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue (1953) (assistant matte artist)
- Sword and the Rose, The (1953) (assistant matte artist)
- Net, The (1953) (special effects)
- Malta Story, The (1953) (special effects)
- Outpost in Malaya (1952) (special effects)
- Trio (1950) (special effects)
- Christopher Columbus (1949) ( Special effects)
- The Lost people (1949)(special effects)
- Bad Lord Byron, The (1949) (matte artist)
- Quartet (1948) (special effects)
- Mine Own Executioner (1947)(assistant art director – uncredited)
- Caravan (1946)(background – uncredited)
- Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945)(scenic artist)
- Jamaica Inn (1939) (scenic artist)
- Lady Vanishes, The (1938) (Scenic artist)
- Young and Innocent (1937) Scenic artist)
- Secret Agent (1936) (scenic artist)
- Sabotage (1936) (scenic artist)
- 39 Steps, The (1935) (Scenic artist)
- Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1934) (miniature and scenic artist)

Gallery:

A young Albert Whitlock with an unidentified painting, probably from his British period.

youngalbert

Al Whitlock with a painting from the film Mame.

mame-AlbertW

Working on a painting for Earthquake.

Eartquake.Whitlock

Albert Whitlock on his office at Universal  matte department with the painting he made for The man who would be king.

ManKing Withlockpainting ManKingWhitlock1

Whitlock with one of the paintings for Dune.

Dune-Whitlock

Full gallery is not available yet, but you can visit the old site:

http://galeon.com/albertwhitlock/WhitlockArchive.html

Harry Walton

Biography:
Harry Walton short bio :

Ever since I was eight years old I knew that I wanted to be involved with animation and visual effects. In 1968 I landed my first professional film job working for CLOKEY PRODUCTIONS on GUMBY and DAVEY & GOLIATH. A couple of years later I was hired by one of my heros in the industry, Gene Warren Sr. of PROJECT UNLIMITED and EXCELSIOR fame. Gene was my mentor for 7 years where I learned much about stop motion animation and visual effects. From EXCELSIOR I moved on to such places as CASCADE PICTURES, COAST EFFECTS, EFFECTS ASSOCIATES (Jim Danforth), DAVID STIPES PRODUCTIONS, ILM, TIPPETT STUDIO, SKELLINGTON PRODUCTIONS, DREAM QUEST IMAGES, SONY PICTURES IMAGEWORKS, etc. I specialized in character animation, although I was also heavily involved in other areas of visual effects such as optical compositing, matte painting and compositing, plate photography, lighting and setup, stop motion puppet fabrication, etc. I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the best in this industry. In 1995 I was forced to make the transition into digital animation and visual effects. I sure do miss those days of working with cameras, projectors, puppets, miniatures, sets and lights.

Harry Walton
www.vfxmasters.com

Filmography:

2008 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Monsters (Video short) (digital effects artist) / (visual effects design)
2003 Vlad (digital effects artist)
2003 Freaky Flyers (Video Game) (animation art director: Brain Zoo Studios)
2003 Girls Will Be Girls (visual effects supervisor)
2001 The Pearl (visual effects supervisor – as Harry V. Walton)
2000 Hollow man (CGI character animation lead)
1996 James and the gian peach (animation supervisor: SPI)
1995 Gumby 1 (optical effects/ animator: Image FX)

1993 Nightmare before Christmas (additional optical effects: Image FX)
1993 The Meteor Man (stop motion animator)
1993 RoboCop 3 (opticals: Tippett Studio)
1992 Memoirs of an invisible man (stop motion animator: ILM)
1990 RoboCop 2 (visual effects: robot monster crew)
1989 Abyss (effects cameraman: ILM – as Harry V. Walton)
1989 Indiana Jones and thye last crusade (matte photography: ILM)
1988 Who framed Roger rabbit? (stop-motion camera – as Harry V. Walton)
1988 Willow (visual effects camera: ILM)
1987 RoboCop (visual effects: ED-2000)
1987 Innerspace (visual effects cameraman/go-motion animator: ILM)
1987 The Puppetoon Movie (optical duping)
1986 The golden Child(go-motion supervisor: ILM)
1986 Howard… the duck (visual effects stop motion supervisor: ILM)
1985 Young Sherlock Holmes (go-motion animation: harpy sequence: ILM)
1883 Never say never again (stopmotion animation)
1982 The Powers of Matthew Star (TV Series) (special photographic effects )
1980 Hopscotch ( matte painting)
1979 Love at the first bite (visual effects supervisor – uncredited)
1979-1980 C.P.C. Associates : Visual Effects & Animation Director/Matte Artist -
Various commercials – HASTE WATCHES, CHARMIN TISSUE,
MD TISSUE, CHEFWAY, MURADAI HAM, SKELLY OIL,
RHYTHM OF THE CITY, SPRITE, AURORA TISSUE,
TETLEY TEA and PURINA CHUCKWAGON.
1977-1978 Man from Atlantis (TV Series) (photographic effects)
1978- The greatest heroes of the bible (Co-Visual Effects Dir/matte artist)
1977 Black Sunday (visual effects – uncredited)
1974 Dark Star (special effects)
1974-1975 Land of the Lost (TV Series) (animator – 30 episodes)
1971-1972 Davey and Goliath (TV Series) (animator – 7 episodes)
1971- Octoman (makeup effects assistantto Rick Baker)

 

Gallery:

Those are 5 photos of a matte painting that I did in 1980 for the movie HOPSCOTCH, starring Walter Matthau. The painting was done with oil paints on a sheet of glass. I did the composite with rear projection using my RKO matte projector when I was at CPC Associates in Hollywood. I used an anamorphic “squeezed” plate, so I had to paint with a 2:1 squeeze. Anamorpic projection lenses were not as sharp as spherical lenses. Jim Danforth devised this geometric graph which allowed me to accurately paint the geometric shapes with a 2:1 squeeze.
The reason for this matte shot was it was cheaper for the production to shoot in Atlanta, Georgia and pay for a matte shot to make it look like Washington, D.C.
Finished unsqueezed composite.

walton4

Original plate.

walton1

bg. plate with the matte for the painting area.

walton2

Harry Walton working on the painting.

walton3

Squeezed glass painting.

walton5

Mike Wassel

Biography:

After graduating at the Art Center college of Design in Los Angeles, he started to work as matte artist at Illusion Arts with Syd Dutton and Bill Taylor. He soon make the transition to digital painting and became a visual effects supervisor.
Filmography:
- Fast Five (2011)(visual effects supervisor – as Michael J. Wassel)
- Fast andFurious: Aún más rápido (2009)(visual effects supervisor – as Michael J. Wassel)
- Hellboy II. The golden army (2008)(visual effects supervisor – as Michael J. Wassel)
- Evan Almighty(2007)(visual effects supervisor – as Michael J. Wassel)
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)(visual effects supervisor – as Michael J. Wassel)
- Rumor Has It…(2005) (visual effects: Warner Bros. Aninmation VFX)
-Four Brothers(2005) (visual effects supervisor: Warner Bros. Animation)
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) (visual effects supervisor: Rhythm & Hues)
- 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) (visual effects supervisor)
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) (lead matte artist) (as Michael J. Wassel)
-The Bourne Identity (2002) (matte artist: Illusion Arts) (as Michael J. Wassel)
- Unfaithful (2002) (supervising matte artist: Illusion Arts) (as Michael J. Wassel)
- The Time Machine (2002) (lead matte artist: Illusion Arts) (as Michael J. Wassel)
- From Hell (2001) (matte artist: illusion arts) (as Michael J. Wassel)
- The Fast and the Furious (2001) (visual effects supervisor)
- The Gift (2000) (matte artist: illusion arts) (as Michael Wassel)
- U-571 (2000) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Bowfinger (1999) (senior matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Mystery Men (1999) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Muppets From Space (1999) (special visual effects)
- Blast from the Past (1999) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- A Civil Action (1998) (matte artist: Illusion Arts) (uncredited)
- Psycho (1998) (matte artist)
- The Mask of Zorro (1998) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Six Days Seven Nights (1998) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Dangerous Beauty (1998) (matte artist)
- The Jackal (1997) (matte artist: Illusion Arts) (as Michael Wassel)
- Breakdown (1997) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- Dante’s Peak (1997) (matte artist: Illusion Arts) (uncredited)
- Daylight (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- High School High (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Courage Under Fire (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Dragonheart (1996) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- The Sunchaser (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- The Birdcage (1996) (matte artist)
- From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) (digital matte artist: Illusion Arts)
- Batman Forever (1995) (matte artist: Illusion Arts) (uncredited)
- Outbreak (1995) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- Hideaway (1995) (matte artist)/I) (matte camera loader) (uncredited)

Mark Whitlock

Biography:

Son of matte painter Albert Whitlock, Mark started to work as a matte assistant during the late 70´S at Universal matte department helping his father and Syd Dutton. He worked at  Dutton and Bill Taylor company Illusion Arts as a matte artist during the 80´s. He latter went to collaborate with some other VFX houses as matte painter and retired at early 90´s from film business.
Mark Whitlock on Location, during his time working at Illusion Arts.

markWhitlock

 

Filmography:

1992- Out on a Limb (matte artist)
1990- Predator 2 (matte artist)
1989- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (matte artist)
1988- Last Rites (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
1988- Coming to America (matte artist: Los Angeles)
1987- The gate (matte artist: illusion arts)
1985 -Otherworld (TV Series) (matte artist – 1 episode)
Village of the Motorpigs (1985) … (matte artist)
1984- Dune ( matte artist)
1981- Heartbeeps (matte crew)
1981- History of the World: Part I. (matte camera loader – uncredited)
1978- The Wiz (matte camera loader – uncredited)


Jean-Marie Vives

Biography:

“I started Art School at the age of just 14, and I left 6 years later as an illustrator. In 1979 during an exposure which I took part in, gave me the opportunity to meet people working in the cinema. With nothing to lose, I followed them and I started to paint on glass. I have never followed a career plan and have always let myself be carried by the wind. The cinema, and matte painting in particular, taught me the techniques, and with the years I matured to be able to give an acceptable wisdom to the art form. ”

To see some samples of his  recent work, visit his site:  http://www.jeanmarievives.com/
Filmography:

-Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) (digital matte painter)
-Fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) (digital matte painter)
-Brocéliande (2002) (special effects)
-Petit poucet, Le (2001) (matte paintings)
-The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) (matte painting director)
-The Ninth Gate (1999) (matte painter: Duboi)
-Peut-être (1999) (digital set designer)
-Couloirs du temps: Les visiteurs 2 (1998) (matte painter)
-Alien: Resurrection (1997) (digital matte painter)

Alien5

-Femme de chambre du Titanic, La (1997) (digital matte painter)
-Cité des enfants perdus, La (1995) (digital matte artist)
-Les Visiteurs (1993) (matte painting director)
-Jean Galmot, aventurier (1990) (matte painting)
-Bunker Palace Hôtel (1989) (mate painting)

bunkerpalaceVives

- La Vie est un Roman (1983) (matte painter)

vives1 vives2 Vives3 Vives4

Richard Vander Wende

Biography:

After graduating at the Art Center in Los Angeles he worked for Don Bluth animation Studio as background artist. At middle 80´s he started as matte artists at Industrial Light and Magic. He latter worked as conceptial designer
Richard Wander Wende working on a matte painting at ILM.

Richard Van Der WendeILM
Some samples of his conceptual designs for Willow.

WillowRVander1 WillowRVander2 WillowRVander3
For biography and samples of his work, visit his web page. http://www.vanderwende.com

Filmography:

- Horton Hears a Who (2008)(color keys, matte painting)
- John carter of Mars (2008)( visual development)
Squirrel Boy (2006-7) (TV Series) (original color designer – 17 episodes)
- Aladdin (1992) Production Designer
- Tummy Trouble (1989) (background artist)
- Willow (1988) (conceptual artist)
- Innerspace (1987) (conceptual designer: ILM)
- Star Tours (1987) (matte painter: ILM) (uncredited)
- Howard the Duck (1986) (matte artist: ILM visual effects unit)
- Star treck IV (1986) (assistant matte artist: ILM)
- The golden child (1986) (assistant matte artist: ILM)
- Dragon’s Lair (1984)(background artist)
- Space Ace (1983) Video game (background artist)

Yusei Uesugi

Biography:

“I started to work for ILM in 1989, as a traditional Matte Painter, on Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade. I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years, and some of my work can be seen in Die Hard 2, Ghostbusters 2, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, Star Wars episodes I, II and III, The Day After Tomorrow, Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, and many others. I also won an Emmy for my work on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, back in 1990.”

Matte painter Yusei Uesugi.

yuseiUsegi

Yusei Uesugi painting a matte for “Hook” 1993.

Y.Usegi

Usegi with a huge painting for Die Hard 2.

mattediehardUsegi
Filmography:

- Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)(digital artist: Industrial Light & Magic)
- Battleship (2012)(digital artist: Industrial Light & Magic)
- Avatar (2009)(digital artist: ILM)
- Star Trek (2009)(digital matte artist: ILM)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull(2008) (digital artist: ILM)
- Rush hour 3 (2007)(digital artist: ILM)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (digital artist: ILM)
- Eragon (2006)(digital artist: ILM)
- Poseidon (2006)(matte painter: ILM)
- Code Breakers(2005) (TV Movie) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- Harry Potter an the Goblet of fire(2005) (matte painter: ILM)
- Peter Pan(2003) (matte artist: ILM)
- The league of extraordinary Gentlemen (digital matte painter: ILM)
- Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (Video Game) (2002)(digimatte artist)
- Star Wars: Episodio II – The attack of the Clones(2002) (digital matte sequence supervisor: ILM)
- Impostor (2001)(lead digital matte artist: ILM)
- Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)(digital matte artist: ILM)
- Galaxy Quest (1999)(digital matte artist: ILM)
- Star Wars: Episodio I – The phantom Menace (1999)(digital matte artist: ILM)
- Deep rising. (1998) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- 101 dalmatians (1996)(Más vivos que nunca) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- The American President (1995) (digital matte painter)
- “Star Trek: Generations (1994)(digital matte painter)
- Forrest Gump (1994)(digital matte painter: ILM)
- Maverick (1994)(digital matte artist: ILM)
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)(digital matte painter: ILM)
- Jurasic Park (1993)(matte artist)
- Hook (1993) (matte artist)
- Young Indiana Jones (1993)(matte painter)
- Hook (1991)(matte artist)
- Switch (1991)(matte artist)
- The Doors (1990)(matte artist: ILM)
- Joe Versus the Volcano (matte artist)
- Back to he future II (1989)(matte artist: ILM)
- Die Hard 2 (1990)(matte art)
- Gostbusters II (1989)(matte art)
- Indianan Jones the last crusade (1989)(matte art)

Arturo Uranga

Biography:

Arturo Uranga is a Brasilian artist who has worked as art director, animator, Fx artist, producer and director.
At 1985, director Jorge Duran asked him if he could made a glass painting for his film “A Cor do Seu Destino”. Arturo said he had never tried, but he knew the theory from books and magazines, so he made the first matte painting at Brasilian Cinema.
Filmography:

- Brasília 18% (2006) art director
- O Trapalhão e a Luz azul (2000) (matte painting)
- No Coração dos Deuses (1999) (animator)
- Villa-Lobos – Uma Vida de Paixão (2000) (matte painter)
- Era Uma Vez… (1994) Director
- Princesa Xuxa e Os Trapalhões (1988) (matte painting)
- Noite (1985) art director
- A Cor do Seu Destino (1985 )(The colour of its destination) (matte painting)

Arturo Uranga painting the Eifell Tower on glass for the film “Villa lobos” (2000)
ArturoUranga1
arturotorreiffel

A foreground miniature and a matte painting for “Princesa Xuxa”

Xuxamatte XuxaMiniat

Mark Sullivan

Biography,

He started workin as matte painter for Jim Danforth Effects Associates doing matte painting for film and Tv series like Bringém back alive (1983)
“Getting to work as an assistant to Jim Danforth in the early 1980s was an incredible opportunity and learning experience. Later, I was able to work with some great people like David Stipes, Bob Bailey, Harry Walton, Steve, Charley and Edward Chiodo”
“The California visual effects industry was still small in the early to mid 1980s. I got the sense that almost everyone knew each other. Rocco knew Jim Danforth, and I met him when he paid a visit to Jim’s shop once. About the time I finished the work with David Stipes, I got a call from Rocco to work at Dream Quest, to help with BUCKAROO BANZAI and some television projects”

“I was very fortunate to get to work with Rocco Gioffre at a (now defunct) film effects company called DreamQuest, for a few years. Another fond memory is visiting the Universal matte department, in the mid 1980s. Syd Dutton very graciously spent an afternoon showing Rooco Gioffre and I all of the fantastic work he and Albert Whitlock had created there for many years. That was inspiring”

“Around early fall of 1988, I received a call from Scott Ross, ILM’s general manager. Except for some of the camera people, most of the matte department personnel had departed ILM that summer, for various reasons. I think it may have been one of those things where each person had his or her own reason for moving on to something else, but the fact that all were leaving at the same time probably cast an ominous tone that really wasn’t there”

“Around 1988 or ‘89, I recall John Knoll bringing in (to ILM) some impressive samples of photo retouches he had done with his Photoshop program. That was maybe a year or two before it was released commercially”

Mark Sullivan wnet to digital matte painting working at ILM and later at Svengali Visual effects and someother VFX houses as matte artist.

Mark Sullivan Site: http://www.digitalmatte.com/

 

Mark Sullivan working on a fantasy landscape painting for “Hook”.

MSullivan

hookMattetre

Painting an interior view of a warehouse for “The Hudsucker Proxy” 1994.

hudsuckerbSullivan-Proxy

Mark Sullivan at work on a painting- part of a giant rendering six feet tall and nineteen feet wide- that would eventually become the sprawling backdrop for the Rocketeer´s passage over the city. The movie was “The Rocketeer” 1991.

Sullivanpaint 

Filmography:

-Lawless (2012) (additional matte artist)
-The Tourist (2010) (matte artist)
-The Red Machine (2009)(ONI matte painting)
-The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) (matte painter: Svengali)
-Apocalypto (2006)(digital matte artist: Svengali Visual Effects)
-The passion of the Christ (2004) (matte artist)

- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) (matte painter)
- Star Wars: Episodio II – Attack of the Clones(2002) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- To Ease the Loss (2001)(Short) (matte artist)
- Mision to Mars (2000)(digital matte artist: ILM)
- Star Wars: Episodio I -The phantom menace(1999)(digital matte artist: ILM)
- The mummy (1999) (matte painter: ILM)
- Antz (1998) (additional digital matte painter)
- Pleasantville (digital matte paintings: Compound Eye)
- Starship Troopers (1997)(visual effects supervisor: Compound Eye)
- Nixon (1995)(digital matte paintings)
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)(matte artist)
- Wyatt Earp (1994)(matte painter)
- Toys (1994)
- Death Becomes Her (1992)(matte art)
- The public eye (1992)(matte art)
- Bugsy (1991) (matte artist)
- Hook (1991) (matte artist)
- Highway to Hell (1991) (matte artist)
- The Rocketeer (1991) (matte artist)
- Backdraft (1991) (matte artist)
- The Doors(1991)(matte artist)
- Robocop 2(1990)(matte artist)
- Dreams (1990)(matte artist)
- Catchfire(1990)(matte artist)
- Paint it black (1990)(matte artist)
- Abyss (1989)(matte artist)
- Ghostbusters II (1989)(matte painting supervisor: ILM)
- Indiana Jones and the last crusade (1989) (matte painting supervisor: ILM)
- The big picture (1989)(visual effects)
- Rain Man (1988)(matte painter)
- The Blob(1988) (stop-motion animator)
- The Night Train to Kathmandu (1988)(TV Movie) (matte artist)
- Killer Klowns from outer space (1988)(matte painter)
- Throw Momma from the Train (1988) (matte artist)
- Who´s that girl? (1987)(matte artist)
- Nadine (1987)(special visual effects)
- House II(1987)(matte paint-stop motion)
- Mi demonlover (1987)(matte artist)
- Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987) (matte artist)
- Miracles (1986) (matte artist)
- DARYL(1985)(matte artist)
- Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)(matte artist)
- Sahara (1983)(matte artist)
- Twilight zone: The movie (1983)(matte artist)
- Bring ‘Em Back Alive (1982-83) (Tv series)(matte artist)

Leigh Took

Biography.

Leigh Took has worked in the industry since 1978, starting as an apprentice in Pinewood’s matte painting department, working on films such as “Warlords of Atlantis”, and “Clash of the Titans” under matte painter Cliff Culley .
“I was fortunate enough to get a trainee position with the matte department at Pinewood on a film called Warlords of Atlantis (1978),” explains Leigh, “with a chap called Cliff Culley, who was one of the very few matte painters around in those days. I first got involved in miniatures working with Ray Harryhausen on Clash of the Titans (1981), making up little miniature sets, shooting them and combining those with matte paintings. All on film, using color separations and breaking film down to make new negatives, with a lot of in-camera effects creating things that you couldn’t normally achieve on a set. In those days, we would use front projection, back projection and latent image shots as well. It was a whole time of experimentation. Obviously, being before the digital age, it was all optical. We were constantly coming up with new techniques of how to achieve effects all the time. People such as John Dark and Kevin Connor were making films like Arabian Adventure (1979) and Warlords of Atlantis back-to-back. It was a good era for getting to experiment with effects and making models – to keep production costs down really.”
He then left Pinewood to go freelance to work with the late great Derek Meddings on Batman and shortly after that set up a mattes and miniatures facility at Bray Studios.

Years latter, he became Director of Mattes and Miniatures Visual Effects Ltd, based at Bray and Pinewood, leading a crew experienced in all aspects of designing, constructing and filming visual effects. His base at Bray Studios includes model and special effects workshops, motion control and matte studio, and these, with the digital facilities at Pinewood allow them to combine the best of traditional techniques with the new.

Leigh Took working on a glass painting for Chicago Joe and the showwgirl.

chicago1

Two more samples of  him paintng on glass for films and TV series.

EllisIsland1EllisIslandmatteFumanchu80LeighTookFumanchu80matte

Filmography:

20013- Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain (model and miniatures supervisor)
2009 – The One and Only (Motion control,Red camera,End titles)
2008 – Angels and Demons (Miniature Effects Supervisor)
2008- The Wolfman (Miniature Effects Supervisor)
2008- The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (Miniature Effects Supervisor)
2007- Inkheart (VFX Miniature Effects Supervisor)
2007- Peter Serafinavitzw Show (TV movie) SFX Supervisor
2007 – Victims (TV movie) Digital compositing
2007- Comedy Pilot (TV movie) Modelsor/Designer
2006 – Mutant Chronicles (Miniature Effects Supervis )
2006 – Stardust (VFX Miniature Effects Supervisor)
2006 – Highlander V (Miniature Effects Supervisor)
2006- Beam Me Up (Miniatures, in-camera effects)
2006- Da Vinci Code (Miniature Effects Supervisor)
2006 – World’s Greatest Storm (TV movie) Miniatures
2006 – Dom Joly (TV movie) Models
2005- Comic Strip Pampas Grass (TV movie) Special effects
2005- Ultimate Force (TV movie) Digital mattes
2005- The Descent (VFX and Miniatures Supervisor)
2005 – Naina (VFX and Miniatures Supervisor)
2005 – Thespian X (Models, Props, Digital mattes)
2004 – Ella Enchanted (Miniatures Effects supervisor)
2004- George and the Dragon (Title sequences, visual effects/design)
2004- Scary Sleepover (TV movie) FX Supervisor
2004- Planet Cook (TV movie) Visual effects
2004- Space Odyssey: Voyage Planets (TV movie) Visual effects
2003 – Dreamstreet (TV movie) Models
2003 – Happiness Thief (Digital matte painting)
2002 – Plot With a View (Miniatures Supervisor)
2002 – Resident Evil (Miniatures effects)
2002 -Solid Geometry (Visual effects)
2002 – The Gathering Storm (TV movie) Digital mattes
2001- Band of Brothers (TV movie) Miniature Supervisor
2000 – Tenth Kingdom (TV movie) Supervising mattepainter [digital]
1999- Guest House Paradiso (VFX Supervisor)
1998 – Velvet Goldmine SFX (Miniature effects)
1998- Lost In Space (VFX Miniature Supervisor)
1998- Enemy of the State (Digital matte painting)
1998- The Mall (Futureffects Berlin Matte painting [optical]
1997 – Sweeney Todd (TV movie) Matte painter
1997 – Oliver Twist (TV movie Disney) Matte painter
1997 – Potamus Park (TV movie) Scenic ArtistModels
1997- Amy Foster (Computer Film Co Matte painting)
1997- Apocalypse Watch ( Visual effects)
1996- Legend of Pinocchio ( Miniatures/animation supervisor)
1996- Midsummer Night’s Dream (Models, motion control)
1995- First Knight (VFX DMatte artist)
1996 – Treacle People (TV movie) Scenic Artist
1995- Story Store (TV movie) Comedy Store Scenic Artist
1995- Death Machine ( Vista Vision mattes visual effects)
1995- Floder III (Image Creations Amst. Mattes, motion control, design)
1995- Stick with Me Kid (Disney Props, artwork)
1994- A Thousand Roses (Image Creations, Amst Matte painting [optical]
1994 – Crackerjack (Magic Camera Co Matte painting [optical]
1994- Eat Your Words (TV movie) Scenic Artist, Sculptor
1993 – Cabbage Patch (TV movie) Famous Flying Films Scenic Artist
1993- Molly’s Gang (TV movie) Famous Flying Films Scenic Artist
1993- Hoffmans ( Matte painting [optical]
1993- Faraway so Close (Matte painting [optical]
1992 – Wings of Fame (VFX Brian Johnson Matte painting [optical]
1992- Year of the Comet (Matte elements)
1992- Carry On Columbus (Artwork)
1991 – Until the End of the World (Matte painting [optical]
1991- This Boy’s Story (Glass shot)
1991- The Amber Room (Futureffects, Berlin Matte painting [optical]
1991- The Long Day Closes (Glass shots)
1990- Spies (children’s) (TV movie for Disney) Mattes
1990 – Never Ending Story II (VFX Derek Meddings Matte painting supervisor)
1990- Garcia (Miniatures)
1990. Rainbow Thief (supervisor/matte painting)
1990. A Kiss Before Dying (Magic Camera Co Motion control)
1989. Baron Munchausen (Peerless Camera Co Matte painting Vista Vision)
1989 . Batman (VFX Derek Meddings Supervising matte artist)
1989- King of the Wind (Matte painting)
1989- Chicago Joe / Showgirl (Motion control, matte painting)
1987- Snow White (Animated title sequences, mattes)
1987- Frog Prince (Animated title sequences, mattes)
1978- 1985 Westbury Design Matte Artist, miniatures, animation

1986 – Lost Empires (TV series)
1986 -Peter the Great (TV series)
1985 – King Solomon’s Mines
1984 – Sahara
1984 – Ellis Island (TV series)
1984- Search for Atlantis (TV series)
1984- Last Days of Pompeii(TV series)
1984- First Olympics-Athens 1896 (TV series)
1983 – Octopussy
1983 -Reilly Ace of Spies (TV series)
1983- Savage Island
1983- The Keep
1982 – Kim
1982 – Hounds of the Baskervilles (TV series)
1981 – Clash of the Titans
1981- Das Boot
1981 – Cribb (TV series)
1980- Sea Wolves
1980- Lili Marlene
1980- Hawk the Slayer
1980- Lion of the Desert
1980- Witness for the Prosecution
1980- Star
1980- Watcher in the Woods
1979 – Warlords of Atlantis
1979 – Arabian Adventure
1979 – Spaceman and King Arthur
1979 – Bear Island
1979 – Fu Manchu
1979 – Cuba,
1979 – The London Affair
1979 – Ram Bell Ram
1979 – Sword of the Valiant
1979 – Tinker Tailor Soldier spy (TV series)
1978 – Murder by Decree
1975 – Last Days of Pompeii (TV series)
To see some more samples of his work, visit his web site: http://www.mattesandminiatures.com/index.asp

Or enjoy watching the fascinating documentary that British VFX artist Dennis Lowe made on Leigh Took:

http://www.zen171398.zen.co.uk/

Lucy Tanashian

Filmography:

- The Nome Prince and the Magic Belt (1996) (V) Art Director
- Toto Lost in New York (1996) (V) Art Director
- Virtual Oz (1996) (V) Art Director
- “Life with Louie” (1995) TV Series Art Director
- The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) (V) (key background design)
- Bébé’s Kids (1992) (background supervisor)
- The Prince and the Pauper (1990) (background artist) (as Lucy Tanashian)
- Dick Tracy (1990) (assistant matte artist: Buena Vista Visual Effects Group) (as Lucy Tanashian)
- The Making of ‘The Oz Kids’ (1996) (V) …. Art Director

Ellis “Bud” Thackery

Biography:
Date of birth 31 January 1903 Oklahoma, USA
Date of death 15 July 1990 Los Angeles County, California, USA.

Ellis “Bud” Thackery was an American cinematographer and FX artist.
In 1923, the family came to Hollywood, where Bud entered Manual Arts High School, and where he also got his first job. Bud was hired as a messenger boy at the old Warner Bros. Sunset Boulevard Studios.

In time, the studio told young Thackery that he could be promoted to become assistant to the “glass artist”- the man who painted and set up matte shots- if he would work during the day, and go to school at night. Bud accepted just in time to become the glass artist assigned to working on the original Desert Song. This film, shot on location near what would become the site of the film Beau Geste, was the first feature ever made on panchromatic film.

Two matte shots from Desert Song(1929)

desert songMattes
Starting as a “glass artist” Bud did much of the trick and special effects photography for such early vintage serials as Darkest Africa, Undersea Kingdom, The Vigilantes are Coming, Dick Tracy, Zorro Rides Again, The Lone Ranger, King of the Royal Mounted, Adventures of Captain Marvel, and others. Later, he stepped behind the camera to direct photography for such serial thrillers as King of the Mounties, G-Men vs. the Black Dragon, Dare Devils of the West, The Tiger Woman, Haunted Harbor, The Purple Monster Strikes, The Phantom Rider, The Crimson Ghost and many more.

Bud’s experience came hard, but quick. He first got behind the camera in 1927, when they taught him how to make matte shots. He was on location with Daryl Zanuck making Noah’s Ark, when the impresario noticed that young Thackery wasn’t working all the time. Zanuck quickly took care of the youngster’s spare time by assigning him to second unit camera when he wasn’t working on glass or shooting mattes.

Thackery joined the International Photographers Guild in 1928 and stayed at Warner Bros. long enough to work on some of the first sound films.

He was nominated for an Oscar along with Howard Lydecker, William Bradford and Herbert Norsch in 1941 for Best Effects, Special Effects in the film Women in War.

To read the full article:

https://www.cameraguild.com/AboutUs/memberspotlightcustom/member-spotlight-ellis-thackery.aspx

 

Filmography:

- The Wild Blue Yonder (1951) (special photography) (as Ellis F. Thackery)
- The Sea Hornet (1951) (special photography) (as Ellis F. Thackery)
- Down Dakota Way (1949) (special photographic effects)
- Women in War (1940) (special photographic effects) (as Ellis J. Thackery)
- Men with Steel Faces (1940) (special photographic effects)
- Born to Be Wild (1938) (special photographic effects) (as E. F. Thackery)
- Hearts in Bondage (1936) (special effects)
- The House of a Thousand Candles (1936) (special effects)
- The Fighting Marines (1935) (photographic effects) (uncredited)

 

Jean Pierre Trevor

Biography:

JP Trevor was born in London, and lived in France where he continued school. “But I had to leave because my parents were poor, so I started
painting around age ten.”As a teenager JP – his nickname is ‘Phoenix’ – exhibited in Europe and eventually USA, where he worked under his friend and mentor Harrison
Ellenshaw at Walt Disney Productions, California, doing his first mattes on Pete’s Dragon, Herbie and Star Wars.
Major collectors of his beautiful and powerful art include John Hancock III; Lewis Gilbert: film director of 007 MOONRAKER; John Howard Davies, producer: MONTY PYTHON; and The Honourable Idar Rimstead, former US Ambassador to the United Nations.
JP has produced major PR / advertising sets for prototype production cars in Detroit, and has received many awards for fine art & design, which include the coveted Lurzer Archiv & CCA awards (1992-93) for television commercials.
In 1992, he was asked to design ‘master’ scenes of Gotham City for the film BATMAN. Christies auctioned one of his conceptual oil paintings of Gotham City in 2002. In 1997, he was sent to Bosnia by WARCHILD to design an exhibition for Pavarotti’s £2 million Music Centre in Mostar, which was built to give new hope for the survivors.

In 1998, he was flown to Moscow to design a major rock musical for Russia’s leading star, LAIMA VAIKULE. The show, held next to the Kremlin, was dubbed ‘Best Concert Design by a Foreign Designer’ by Russian press.

In 2005, JP completed a fifteen by ten foot art-deco oil painting. ‘BERECINGUM – DECCANHAAM’ was commissioned by the local governing body to represent the history of Barking and Dagenham. A digital reproduction was unveiled by the Mayor. It was hailed as a “major triumph’, and is now permanently housed in the Town Hall.

JP’s most ambitious work is LEVIATHAN (2005) a thirty foot painting of an unknown city in the future that was completed in one hundred and ten days with no break. It was unveiled in London and received a standing ovation from two hundred people. JP’experience working under Harrison and with Warner Brothers on BATMAN 1 matttes, made it technically possible to create LEVIATHAN (valued by Eyestorm / Britart at £1M) by hand. Harrison saw the work and said “Very, very impressive.” He was pleased with his student.

For more information , images and and full biography, visit his web site:

http://www.thinkshapes.com/

Filmography:

1989 – Batman (Background and matte painting)
1988 – Stealing Heaven (matte artist)
1977 – Star Wars (matte painting )
1977 – Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (matte painting)
1977 – Pete´s Dragon (matte painting )

 

Gallery:
JP Trevor with the Gotham City painting made for Batman(1989)

Gotham_trevor1 Gotham_trevor3
Gotham city painting on glass. “Ten by six feet approx. Technical: spray painted matte white (aerosol), then ketch in pencil, finally in oil paint, and airbrushing some lights, haze. Area around top of city is scraped away with a blade, so a background or ‘plate’, can be inserted behind the glass matte as a ‘sky’ or a
composite.

Gotham_trevor4

On the BATMAN set they built scale model buildings to match my design and put them in front of the painting, added smoke and shot it.
I also did a painting of G.CITY that was one hundred feet long, although not an actual matte.”

Trevor_batman1
JP Trevor working on his one hundred foot canvas painting of GOTHAM CITY at Pinewood.

Trevor_classic

A sample of Trevor´s landscape painting.
Photos courtesy of J.P Trevor

Matte and miniatures at Ray Harryhausen films

This page is dedicated to matte paintings and miniatures at the movies of Ray Harryhausen, master of stop-motion animation.

Harryhausen himself made some glass paintings for his earlier movies. A good example could be his abandoned personal project of “Evolution”.  He was a great painter and illustrator, and probably could have become a really good matte painter but he focused his career on Stop-motion animation.

Evolution01

As far as I know, the only movie in which there was a matte painter credited was “Clash of the Titans”(1980) where Cliff Culley was responsible for supervising the miniatures and matte paintings.

The rest of the matte painters that contributed to Harryhausen films were uncredited, like Les Bowie, a matte painter who became all around FX master.

Under his supervision, some miniatures and matte paintings were made for movies like “First Men in the Moon” and” One Million Years B.C.”

At Les Bowie matte department were Ray Caple and Bob Cuff.

Harryhausen didn’t use matte paintings always; he favored also the use of model miniatures which were matted into the live-action set.

Most of the optical effects were done in England, at Shepperton Studios where they create some miniatures and matte paintings.

During the 50´s and ’60s, Wally Weevers was head of the visual effects department at Shepperton, and among his collaborators where matte artists like, Bob Cuff,  George Samuels,  Gerald Larn or Doug Ferris.

Some of the Harryhausen movies were filmed in Spain, and among his Spanish collaborators were Emilio Ruiz del Rio who painted some glass shot on location, and Francisco Prosper, constructor coordinator in charge also of building model miniatures.

I have been able to give credit to some artists thanks to the collaboration of professionals like Bob Cuff, Gerald Larn, John Grant, Doug Ferris, or  Emilio Ruiz, to whom I’m very thankful.

The beast from 20.000 fathoms (1952)

Warner Bros
Producer: Hal Chester; Jack Dietz
Director: Eugene Lourie
Written by: Lou Morheim, Fred Firburger
Based on a story by Ray Bradbury.
Special Visual Effects Created By: Ray Harryhausen
Art Director: Eugene Lourie
Director Of Photography: Jack Russell
Film Editor: Bernard W. Burton
Music by: David Buttloph
Miniature maker: Willis Cook

Lots of miniatures but not a single matte painting, as far as I know. Director Eugene Lourie was art director and FX expert. He used hanging miniatures very often. He didn’t favor the use of matte paintings.

fathoms1b fathomsMiniat

It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

Director: Robert Gordon
Cinematography by Henry Freulich
Art Direction by Paul Palmentola
Special effects: Jack Erickson
Special visual effects: Ray Harryhausen

There is an uncredited matte painting for a long view of San Francisco harbor. The tentacles creature was also painted.  Jack Erickson was the FX supervisor for Columbia films. There were not matte painters credited at Columbia films. They probably hired a freelance artist for the matte work.

beneath-the-seamatte

Animal World (1956)

Warner Bros
Directed by Irwin Allen
Produced by Irwin Allen
Cinematography by Harold E. Wellman
Art Direction by Bill Tuttle
Visual Effects by Willis H. O’Brien / Ray Harryhausen
Matte painting: Jack Shaw

Miniatures sets build by Harryhausen and matte paintings by Jack Shaw

animalWorld1 animalWorld2

 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Producer: Charles H. Schneer;
Director: Nathan Juran
Written by: Kenneth Kolb
Special Visual Effects Created By: Ray Harryhausen
Art Director: Gill Parrondo
Director Of Photography: Wilkie Cooper
Film Editors: Edwin Bryant, A.C.E.; Jerome Thoms, A.C.E.
Music by: Bernard Herrmann
Technicolor Color Consultant: Henri Jaffa
Matte painting: unknown
Miniature artist: George Lofgren
Set and model construction in Spain: Francisco Prosper
Scenic artist: Emilio Ruiz del Rio

Miniatures were made in London under Harryhausen’s supervision. Matte painting shots were stock footage by other films.  There were not mattes originally painted for that film.

7voyage05

This matte painting of Baghdad was not originally made for the Harryhausen film The 7th Voyage of Sinbad by Columbia Pictures.  In his biography book, Ray didn’t remember from what film it was taken.  It was a Universal film “The veils of Baghdad” (1953) Probably the matte painting was from Russell Lawson head of Universal matte department at that time.

There is another matte painting on this Harryhausen film that was originally made for another film. in this case is a coastal scene with a ship. That painting appears on a previous film, for Decameron nights (1953)

7th Voyage 2

The entrance cave was a set made on location by Francisco Prósper team, and the upper part was a miniature matted in by Harryhausen.

7th voyage filming2

7voyage03 7voyage04  7voyage06colosa1HarrySinbad58

The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)

Producer: Charles H. Schneer
Director: Jack Sher
Writing: Arthur A. Ross / Jack Sher
Original Music: Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography : Wilkie Cooper
Film Editing: Raymond Poulton
Art Direction: Derek Barrington / Gil Parrondo
Visual Effects: Ray Harryhausen
Matte painting: Unknown
Miniatures in Spain: Francisco Prosper
Scenic artist: Emilio Ruiz del Rio.

Some of the miniature work was done in Spain by Francisco Prosper team to be used during the filming. Some other models were built during postproduction in London. There is a matte shot that could be painting or a miniature matted in. Travelling mattes were done at Pinewood Studios. Probably the matte painting was done also at Pinewood matte department, at that time under Cliff  Culley.

Gulliver2Gulliver3 Gulliver4 gulliver5 gulliver6

Three images of the miniatures built in Spain. With Harryhausen is art director Gil Parrondo.

Gulliverminiat1 Gulliverminiat2 Gulliverminiat3

Mysterious Island (1961)

Columbia Pictures
Producer: Charles H. Schneer
Director: Cy Endfield
Screenwriter: John Prebble, Dan Ullman, Crane Wilbur based on the novel L’Ile Mysterieuse by Jules Verne
Editor: Frederick Wilson
Cinematographer: Wilkie Cooper, Egil Woxholt
Music director: Bernard Herrmann
Art design: Bill Andrews
Special effects: Ray Harryhausen
Art director: William C. Andrews
Matte artist: They were executed by the Shepperton Studios matte department, under Wally Veevers supervision. They would by painted probably by Bob Cuff and George Samuels, Alan Maley and Ivor Beddoes worked freelance for Shepperton Studios at that time, so maybe they also contributed.
Miniatures in Spain: Francisco Prosper

Miniatures were built at Shepperton Studios. Also, the matte paintings were done by the Shepperton matte department with Wally Veevers supervision. British matte artists Bob Cuff worked on those paintings. Some miniatures were also built in Spain by Francisco Prosper like the Nautilus cave. The black and white illustrations are the work of  Harryhausen.

islandbaloon islandcoastline

Matte painting at left,  and filming the set built at the location in Spain at right.

islandfacade islandlogchasm

Miniature built at Shepperton Studios. Ray with the balloon miniature.islandraybaloon Islandrockcave islandvolcano

Nautilus cave and Volcano miniatures built in Spain.

islandminiatures

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

Columbia Pictures a Morningside production
Producer: Charles H. Schneer
Director: Don Chaffey
Screenwriter: Jan Read, Beverley Cross
Editor: Maurice Rootes
Cinematographer: Wilkie Cooper
Music director: Bernard Herrmann
Art directors: Herbert Smith, Jack Maxsted, Toni Sarzi Braga
Special visual effects: Ray Harryhausen
Matte painting & miniatures: They were executed at the Shepperton Studios in England, under Wally Veevers supervision. They would by painted probably by Bob Cuff and George Samuels.

Mattes and miniatures were done at postproduction again at the Shepperton matte department under Wally Veevers. Bob Cuff was one of the matte painters on that show. Les Bowie contributed also with some FX and miniatures.

jason1 jason2 jason3a jason4a

The set of the Temple without the matte.

Jason-Set

First Men in the Moon (1964)

Producer: Charles H. Schneer;
Director: Nathan Juran
Written by: Nigel Kneale / Jan Read by the story of H.G.Wells
Special Visual Effects Created By: Ray Harryhausen
Art Director: John Blezard
Director Of Photography: Wilkie Cooper
Film Editors: Maurice Rootes.
Music by: Laurie Johnson
Matte painting & miniatures: Les Bowie Company, with Ray Caple and Bob Cuff, and Peter Melrose.
Text explanations by the book: Ray Harryhausen, an animated life.
” Shepperton studios were to be used for all the live-action photography, but because of the huge number of traveling mattes and miniatures to be produced, I realized I would require assistance. I approached Les Bowie, who has done some work on Jason and the Argonauts”

Matte paintings and miniatures were done by Les Bowie company. Ray Caple and Bob Cuff in charge of matte paintings. Kit West worked at matte and miniature photography.

Firstmen1 Firstmen2 Firstmen4

“The descending shaft that allowed sunlight to penetrate the world of Selenites was, in fact, a cardboard tube of approximately 24 inches diameter by about 10 feet long, and was shot horizontally against black.”

Firstmen5 Firstmen6 Firstmen7 Firstmen8 Firstmen9 Firstmen90 Firstmen91

Hary Harryhausen and Les Bowie with one of the miniatures.

Harry-Bowie

One of Les Bowie artist giving the last brush strokes to the Earth model, in front of a tabletop miniature.

Firstmenmoon_Bowie

One Million Years B.C. (1966)

Produced: Michael Carreras Hal Roach ..Aida Young
Directed: Don Chaffey
Writing: Michael Carreras
Original Music: Mario Nascimbene
Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper
Film Editing: Tom Simpson
Art Direction: Robert Jones
Visual Effects: Ray Harryhausen
Special Effects: George Blackwell
Matte paintings: Bob Cuff, Ray Caple under Les Bowie supervision.
Prologue designer: Les Bowie

Les Bowie company was in charge of matte painting and miniature FX with Ray Caple and Bob Cuff painting.

million1 million2 million3 million4 million5 million7

Valley of Gwangi. (1969)

Producer: Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen
Director: Gordon Hessler
Written by: Kenneth Kolb
Special Visual Effects Created By: Ray Harryhausen
Art Director: Gill Parrondo
Director Of Photography: Erwin Hillier
Film Editors: Henry Richardson
Music by: Jerome Moross
Matte painting: Gerald Larn, Doug Ferris

This time it was again Shepperton matte department in charge of matte paintings with Doug Ferris and Gerald Larn paintings and John Grant at camera work. Some miniatures were done in Spain by Francisco Prosper, and some others in London by Shepperton FX crew.

Text explanations by the book: “Ray Harryhausen, an animated life.”

For the Establishing Shot of the Forbidden Valley, they used the unusual rock formation of Ciudad Encantada near Cuenca,
with some more gigantic rocks matte painted at the upper part of the shot.
That matte painting was by Gerald Larn. The others by Doug Ferris, both at Shepperton matte department.

GwangiValeymatte

“The first shot of the balloon and canopy was through a gateway for which I used a miniature of the balloon suspended on a wire 10-12 feet from the camera. Matching up the perspective in the camera, I carefully fitted it to look as though it was part of the full-sized curtain and base.”

gwangi006

“For the high shots, the balloon was a matte painting combined with the real curtain”

Gwangi009

“For the low shots inside the arena, I used a matte painting of the balloon and canopy”

Gwangi007

“The exterior of the burning church was part real,  part miniature. The upper section with the flames was a miniature matched with the lower section”

Gwangi008

Golden Voyage of Sinbad. (1974)

Columbia Pictures
Producer: Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen
Director: Gordon Hessler
Written by: Brian Clemens
Special Visual Effects Created By: Ray Harryhausen
Art Director: Fernando Gonzalez
Director Of Photography: Ted Moore
Film Editor: Toy Watts
Music by: Miklos Rosza
Special Make up: Colin Arthur.
Glass shots: Emilio Ruiz del Rio
Miniatures: Francisco Prosper

Text explanations by the book: Ray Harryhausen, an animated life

Golden01 Golden02
“The Temple of the Oracle of All knowledge. The 39-inch miniature was beautifully constructed and mounted on a large table by Francisco Prosper and his crew. Because Koura demolishes the building, we constructed it in small brick-like sections so that when shot at high speed it would seem to disintegrate outwards like large stone blocks.”

Golden03 Golden04 goldenminiat

simbad2b

“The exterior of the Temple of Kali was, in fact, a 32-inch high miniature into which the actors would be later added (sandwiched between the temple and the foreground miniature foliage) by means of a travelling matte”

The traveling mattes were done at London under Vic Margutti’s supervision.

Golden Voyage Sinbad-Margutti TM

Some other miniatures that were matted at Postproduction.

Golden05 Golden06

Emilio Ruiz del Rio and Ray Harryhausen with one of  Emilio´s “on location”  glass shots for the city of Marabia.

Golden00

Golden_Emilio_Ray

Another Emilio Ruiz del Rio´s cut out painted miniature of the city, mounted in front of the camera with the full-size set of Sinbad´s ship, built miles from the sea at the Verona Studios, near Madrid in Spain. The painting was on two cut out aluminum pieces. The city at right and some buildings at left.

GoldenVoyage-Ruiz GoldenVoyageEmilioFX

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. (1977)

Columbia Pictures
Producer: Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen
Director: Sam Wanamaker
Written by: Beverly Cross
Based on a story by Ray Harryhausen.
Special Visual Effects Created By: Ray Harryhausen
Additional Visual effects: Les Bowie
Art Director: Fernando Gonzalez /Fred Carter
Director Of Photography: Ted Moore
Film Editor: Roy Watts
Music by: Roy Budd
Special Make up: Colin Arthur.

Les Bowie helped Harryhausen on building some miniatures that were matted in during postproduction.

Comments by the book “An animated life, by Ray Harryhausen”

Eyetiger1
“The shots of the city of Charak were not, as some people believe, paintings. For some reason, I produced all these shots myself using real locations and making composites that included models”.

Ray and Charles Schneer with some miniatures from the film.

EyeTiger Miniatures

“In the long shot, the real buildings of Medina on Malta were matted in above the walls of Avila and combined with 8-inch high miniatures of minarets and domes to give it an Arabian architecture.”

Eyetiger4

“The exterior of Zenobia´s Palace was a 16-inch model matted into the Almeria coastline, with the actors standing on rocks. The moon (which was unused footage from Golden Voyage) and the mist were both double printed over it.”

Eyetiger2Eyetiger3

There are some reused matte paintings and some other miniatures probably by Les Bowie.

EyetigermIniat Eyetigerminiat2 EyetigerMiniat3

Strangely there is a reused matte painting from another film. “Scott of the Antarctic” (1948) The original matte was painted by Geoffrey Dickinson.

EyeTiger-matteScot

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Producer: Charles H. Schneer/ Ray Harryhausen /John Palmer
Director: Desmond Davis
Writing: Beverley Cross
Original Music: Laurence Rosenthal
Cinematography : Ted Moore
Film Editing: Timothy Gee
Production Design: Frank White
Art Direction:Giorgio Desideri / Fernando Gonzalez / Peter Howitt / Don Picton
Costume Design: Emma Porteus
Special visual effects creator: Ray Harryhausen
Special makeup effects: Colin Arthur
Blue screen technician: Dennis Bartlett
Special miniatures and matte painting: Cliff Culley
Special opticals: Roy Field / Frank Van der Veer
Animator assistant: Jim Danforth / Steve Archer
Matte cameraman: Martin Body (uncredited)
Model maker: Colin Chilvers / Janet Stevens
Floor/physical effects, and miniatures:  Brian Smithies
Prosthetics technician: Nick Maley
Matte and miniature camera: Neil Culley
Miniature makers at Culley´s team: Terry Adlam, Rodney Fuller, Ray Hanson, Leigh Took, Peter White, Mark Woollard

Cliff Culley was the supervisor of matte and miniature effects with Leigh Took assistance. Colin Chilvers and Janet Stevens as model makers. Miniature makers at Culley´s team: Terry Adlam, Rodney Fuller, Ray Hanson, Leigh Took, Peter White, Mark Woollard. Matte and miniature camera: Neil Culley

Animation legend Ray Harryhausen with the miniature city of Argos, with a painted backing behind him.

titans1

The miniature city and the painted backing composited with the real sea.

Titans01

Real location in Malta with miniatures matted in.

Titans02

“The set all ready to be flooded and you can just see Neil Culley behind the high-speed camera.” Terry Adlam

Titansfx2TitansFX1

“This image shows the crew preparing the model prior to the tidal wave. You can just see on the right-hand side of the photo the two ‘tip tanks’ and the chute that the water travelled down.
The amount of work and detail that went into this model was amazing, and so was the resulting shot and all with no CGI!!!” Terry Adlam

Titans03

“Most of the miniatures were breakaways, right down to the columns and the temple facade were made in Cliff’s workshops. I remember that one of my jobs was making all the roof tiles for the main building. These had to be made separately so that some would fall off when the water hit the buildings. The buildings were made of various materials ranging from wood, plaster, and rubber. I also remember setting this shot one weekend when it poured down with rain all the time, but come the Monday when we shot it, as you can see the sun shone.” Terry Adlam.

Titans04 Titans05

The actors were filmed in front of a blue screen and composited latter into the miniature by Roy Field.

titans3a

Some other images showing miniatures composited with live-action elements.  miniature of Mount Olympus with a painted backing by Cliff Culley.

Titans08clash titans miniature.

Some other miniatures composited with live-action elements were made under the supervision of Brian Smithies.

Titans06 Titans07

Filmed on the Spanish Location of El Torcal de Antequera, the same miniature was matted in from different angles.  That miniature was also made by Brian Smithies.  The last image is the real location,  where some other movies were filmed like “The Deserter” (1971) with also Cliff Culley matte paintings.

Titans09 Titans090 Titans091paisaje-del-torcal[1]

The left side of the island was a matte painting addition with a temple. Ray adds fog effect at postproduction to improve the composition.

Titans093


Robert Stromberg

Biography:

Robert Stromberg is an American special effects artist, designer and filmmaker. Stromberg’s extensive credits include major blockbuster films such as James Cameron’s Avatar, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and most recently, Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful, the first two earning him Academy Award wins for Best Art Direction.

Stromberg, the son of filmmaker William R. Stromberg and the brother of composer William T. Stromberg, started his career in the late ’80s and worked as matte artist on the horror comedy Meet the Hollowheads (1989),and   the adventure movie Journey to the Center of the Earth (1989) He begun his career as matte painter at Illusion Atrs, under Syd Dutton and Bill Taylor. He made the transition to digital painting at middle 90´s still at Illusion Arts. He later has worked for many other VFX houses as Digital Backlot, CafeFX, or Crazy Horse Effects.

Robert Stromberg with a painting for Star Trek: The Next Generation

robstromberg2

Filmography:

- Life of Pi (2012)(visual effects: Crazy Horse Effects)
-The hunger games(2012) (concept artist – as Robert Stromburg)
-Boardwalk Empire (TV Series)(2011) (visual effects supervisor – 10 episodes, 2010) (visual effects designer – 8 episodes)
-Water for Elephants (2011)(matte painter: Crazy Horse Effects)
-The Way Back (2010)(visual effects designer: Visual Symphony)
-Angel Camouflaged (2010)(visual effects supervisor)
-The Pacific (2010)(TV Mini-Series) (visual effects designer – 4 episodes)
-Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps(2010)(matte painter: Crazy Horse Effects)
-Shutter Island (2010)(visual effects designer – uncredited)
-2012 (2009)(matte artist)
-Creationin (2009)(visual effects designer: Crazy Horse Effects)
-The road (2009)(visual effects design consultant: Crazy Horse Effects)
-G.I. Joe (2009)(digital matte artist: CIS Hollywood)
-Grey Gardens (2009)(TV Movie) (aerial matte painting supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-Four Christmases (2008)(visual effects designer: Digital Backlot)
-Tropic Thunder (2008)(visual effects designer: Digital Backlot)
-John Adams (2008)(TV Mini-Series) (visual effects designer – 4 episodes)
-The Golden Compass (2007)(matte painting supervisor: Digital Backlot) / (visual effects supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-There Will Be Blood (2007)(visual effects designer)
-3:10 to Yuma (2007)(visual effects supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-Evan Almighty(2007)(matte painting supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)(visual effects conceptual consultant: Digital Domain) / (visual effects design)
-The last Mimzy(2007)(matte painting supervisor)
-Ghost Rider(2007)(matte painter: CafeFX)
-The good shepherd(2006)(matte painting supervisor)
-The good German (2006)(matte painting supervisor: CIS Hollywood)
-Men in Trees (2006)(TV Series) (visual effects supervisor – 1 episode)
-The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift(2006)(visual effects supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-The Pan´s laberynth (2006)(matte painting supervisor)
-Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (post-production) (visual effects supervisor)
-Walk the Line (2005) (post-production) (visual effects supervisor)
-The Aviator (2004) (visual effect supervisor)
-The Forgotten (2004) (matte artist)
-Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) (digital matte painting supervisor)
-The Terminal (2004) (visual effects supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) (digital matte painting supervisor)
-House of D (2004) (matte painting supervisor)
-Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) (visual effects designer)
-Seabiscuit (2003) (digital matte painting supervisor)
-Hollywood Homicide (2003) (digital matte painter: SPI)
-Identity (2003) (visual effects supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-Men in Black II (2002) (matte artist: SPI)
-Kate & Leopold (2001) (visual effects supervisor)
-15 Minutes (2001) (matte painting supervisor: Digital Backlot)
-Cast Away (2000) (matte paintings)
-What Lies Beneath (2000) (matte painting artist)
-Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) (matte painting supervisor: Digital Backlot
-Patch Adams (1998) (digital matte painter)
-Daylight (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
-Star Trek: First Contact (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Art)
-Courage Under Fire (1996) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
-Dragonheart (1996) (matte paintings) (uncredited)
-The Birdcage (1996) (matte artist)
-From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) (effects supervisor: Illusion Arts)
-Star Trek: Voyager – Caretaker (1995) (TV) (matte artist)
-Speechless (1994) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
-Fatherland (1994/I) (TV) (digital matte paintings: Illusion Arts) (visual effects supervisor: Illusion Arts)
-The Shadow (1994) (matte artist)
-Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) (matte artist)
-Addams Family Values (1993) (visual effects supervisor)
-The Age of Innocence (1993) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
-A Far Off Place (1993) (additional visual effects)
-Fortress (1993) (matte artist) (as Robert R. Stromberg)
-A Few Good Men (1992) (matte shots)
-Cape Fear (1991) (matte artist: Illusion Arts)
-The Butcher’s Wife (1991) (matte artist)
-Shattered (1991) (matte artist)
-Frankenstein Unbound (1990) (matte artist)
-A Nightmare On Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989) (matte paintings) (uncredited)
-”Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987) TV Series (matte artist) (episode “A Matter of Time”)

-Journey to the Center of the Earth (1989)(matte artist)
-Meet the Hollowheads (1989)(matte artist)

La duquesa de Benamejí (1949)

Director: Luis Lucia
Cinematography: Theodore J. Pahle
Art director: Pierre Schild
Matte painting: Pierre Schild
Backdrop painting: Enrique Salvá / Emilio Ruiz

Tilt down camera on a matte painting with a small set on the lower side of the frame.

benameji.Schild1 benameji.Schild2 Benameji.Schild3

Matte painting of clouds around the man.

Benameji.Schild4

Schild matte painting of rock formations

Benameji.Schild5 Benameji.Schild6 Benameji.Schild7 Benameji.Schild8

 

Two samples of backdrop paintings by Enrique Salvá and Emilio Ruiz.

Benameji.Backing2Benameji.Backing1

Pierre Schildtnetch “Pedro Schild”

Biography:
Russian born art director, he moved to France where he worked on films like Abel Gance Napoleon (1927).
Britsh matte painter Walter Percy Day painted mattes for some of his films Napoleon(1926) and Miguel Strogoff (1926).  When Percy Day returnet to England, Schild started to paint mattes for Frech films.
Pierre Schild moved to Spain running away from the II World War, where he  continued his career as art ditector and Special effects artist  executing  matte paintings  and hanging miniatures for his films. He changed his name as Pedro Schild.

Pierre Schild painting an unidentified matte. (photo from the book “Special effects artists” by Rolf Giesen)

PSchildneck

Filmography:

- Amore a prima vista (1958)
-Carlota (1958) (as Pedro Schild)
-Conte Max, Il (1957)
-La herida luminosa (1956)
-Cruz de mayo (1955)
-Marcelino pan y vino (1955) (matte shots)
-Cubana en España, Una (1951)
-Balarrasa (1951)
-El ultimo caballo (1950) (Art.D. matte shots)
-La Duquesa de Benamejí (1949) (Art.D.matte painting)
-Noche en blanco, Una (1949)
-Heroes del 95 (1947) (matte shots)
-Leão da Estrela, O (1947)
-Camões (1946)(Art.D. matte shots)
-Maria Fernanda la jerezana (1946) (matte shots)
-Mantilla de Beatriz, La (1946)
-Tierra sedienta (1945)
-Inês de Castro (1944)(Art.D.matte paintings)
-Testamento del virrey, El (1944)
-Torre de los siete jorobados, La (1944) (Art.D.matte shots)
-Chuflillas (1944)
-Luna de sangre (1944)
-Manolo Reyes (1944)
-Fiebre (1943)
-Sucedió en Damasco (1943)(Art.D.matte shots)
-A la lima y al limón (1942)
-Parrala, La (1942)
-Rosa de África (1941)
-Verbena (1941)
-Pepe Conde (1941) (matte shots)
-Héroe a la fuerza (1941)
-Millones de Polichinela, Los (1941)
-Marianela (1940)
-Florista de la reina, La (1940) (Art.D.matte shots)
-Dernière jeunesse (1939) Last Desire
-Angélica (1939) Blood Red Rose (USA)
-Raphaël le tatoué (1939)
-Ernest le rebelle (1938)
-Disparus de Saint-Agil, Les (1938) (as P. Schild)
-À Venise, une nuit (1937)
-François Premier (1937)
-Hercule (1937)
-Bateliers de la Volga, Les (1936)
-Josette (1936)
-Un de la légion (1936)
-Ferdinand le noceur (1935)
-Jim la houlette (1935)
-Mascotte, La (1935)
-Retour au paradis (1935)
-Scandale, Le (1934)
-Comte Obligado, Le (1934)
-Cavalier Lafleur, Le (1934)
-The Merry Monarch (1933)
-Deux Monsieur de Madame, Les (1933)
-Aventures du roi Pausole, Les (1933) The Adventures of King Pausole)
-Ma femme… homme d’affaires (1932)
-Âge d’or, L’ (1930) (as Schildknecht)
-Femme d’une nuit, La (1930)
-Un chien andalou (1929) (uncredited)
-Napoléon (1927) (as Pierre Schildnecht)
-Michel Strogoff (1926)
-Boy (1926) (as Pierre Schildknecht)
-Más allá de la muerte (1924)

 

 

Gallery:

Pierre Schild in France.

He collaborated with Spanish director Luis Buñuel  on films like “Un chien Andaluo” and “L´Age D´Or´” for the last one he used some miniatures for the exterior view of  a castle and a foreground miniature of interior ceiling.

L'Age.D'Or-Schild L'Age.D'Or-Schild1

For the film Les Disparus de Saint Agil(1938) he also made use of miniatures and matte paintings.

Les disparus de St Agil Les disparus de St Agil1

matte painting from the film Hercule (1937)

Hercule-Schild

Pedro Schild  in Spain.

El ultimo caballo (1959) The cityscape at the upper part was a matte painting.

ultimocaballo copia

Matte painting from Heroes del 95. 1947.

HeroesSchildmatte

Hubert Von Seidlein

 

German artist Hubert Von Seidlein worked as a matte painter during the early 90´s at some German films like Win Wenders “Until the end of the World”.

Filmography:
- 10,000 BC (2008) (miniature construction: Magicon)
- Raumschiff Surprise – Periode 1(2004)(model painter) Dreamship Surprise:Period1
- Luther (2003) (matte painting artist)
- Anatomie 2 (2003) (senior modelmaker) Anatomy 2
- The Patriot (2000) (senior modelmaker)
- Aimée & Jaguar (1999) (matte painter)
- Schlaraffenland (1999) (model maker: model unit) Paradise Mall
- The Thirteenth Floor (1999) (senior model maker) (as Waggi v. Seidlein)
- An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) (animatronic engineer)
- In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993) (matte painter) Faraway So Close!
- Bis ans Ende der Welt (1991)(matte painter) Until the End of the World (USA)
A matte painting from “Bis ans Ende der Welt”” (91)

SeidleinMatte

Albert Maxwell Simpson.

Biography:

Provided by Federico Magni

He born Albert Maxwell Simpson in California July 15, 1893 and passed away in Glendale, California, August 12, 1980.
A month ago I’ve received three obituaries on Simpson from the National Film Information Service of the AMPAS. The obituaries were published in Variety Daily (August 21), The Hollywood Reporter (August 20) and the Los Angeles Times (August 25).
Since the obituaries contain infos I’ve never seen before, I think they came directly from his family. The biggest surprise was to find that he worked in ‘King Kong’, according to the LA Times and Variety Daily. It’s the first time I see this information: usually the artists cited for ‘King Kong’ are Mario Larrinaga and Byron L. Crabbe, and sometimes we can find also Juan Larrinaga and Henri Hellick.
The articles report he started his career in 1915, painting backdrops for vaudeville theaters, before entering in motion picture business. He painted mattes for DW Griffith ‘Birth of a Nation’ (1916, besides the pioneering work of Norman Dawn this is the oldest movie I know employing matte painting technique), De Mille ‘The Ten Commandments’ (1926) and ‘In Old Arizona (1928, the first Fox talkie, filmed outdoors).
In 1937 Simpson joined Jack Cosgrove’s facility at Selznick company to work on ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’. Later on he teamed with Cosgrove, Fitch Fulton and Jack Shaw for the shots of Tara and Atlanta in ‘Gone With the Wind’ (1939) and painted Manderley mansion for Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’ (1940).
As reported in Craig’s book, Clarence Slifer had always words of appreciation for Simpson’s ability for blending live action with the painting.
After Mario Larrinaga left RKO to join Warner matte department, Simpson was often called on and painted mattes for ‘The Devil and Daniel Webster’ (1942), ‘The Enchanted Cottage’ (1945), ‘Bedlam’, ‘Crack Up’, ‘Sister Kenny’ (all 1946) and the ill-fated ‘The Conqueror’ (1956) starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward.
He was also available for Jack Cosgrove’s calls, working in ‘Meet John Doe’ (1941, Warner Bros.), ‘The Pride of the Yankees’ (1942, Goldwyn), ‘Duel in the Sun’ (1946, Selznick). Another credit is the John Parker production ‘Dementia’ (1953 but released in 1955).
When RKO closed in 1957 Linwood Dunn moved the effects people and equipment to his company Film Effects of Hollywood, so Simpson painted mattes for ‘The Great Race’ (1965) and ‘Hawaii’ (1966).
He also served as president and v.p. of Local 790 of the Motion Picture Illustrators and Matte Artists.

Filmography:

 

- Hawaii (1966) (matte artist) (as Albert Maxwell Simpson)
- The Great Race (1965) (matte artist)
- From the Earth to the Moon (1958) (special camera effects) (as Albert M. Simpson)
- The Conqueror RKO (1956) (matte artist)
- Dementia (1955) (special photographic effects)
- Sister Kenny (1946)(matte artist)
- Bedlam (1946) (matte artist)
- Crack Up (1946) (matte artist)
- The Enchanted Cottage(1945) (matte artist)
- The Devil and Daniel Webster (1942) (matte artist)
- The Pride of the Yankees (1942) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- Cat people ( 1942) RKO (matte artist)
- Rebecca (1940) Selznick (matte artist) (uncredited)
- Meet Joe Doe (1941)Warner Bros (matte painter) (uncredited)
- Swiss Family Robinson (1940) RKO (matte artist) (as Albert Maxwell Simpson)
- Gone with the Wind (1939) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- The prisones of Zenda(1938) (matte painter) (uncredited)
- In Old Arizona (1928, the first Fox talkie, filmed outdoors)(matte artist)
- The Ten Commandments (1926)(matte artist)
- Birth of a Nation’ (1916)(matte artist)

Gallery:

Cat people. 1942

Catpeople1

“Getting damned hard to please these “B producers” memoed veteran RKO technician artist Al Simpson after Lewton requested a change in a matte painting for cat people

Swiss Family Robinson. 1940.

SFRobinson1 SFRobinson2 SFRobinson3 SFRobinson4

Bedlam . 1946.

The film begun with a zoom into a matte shot, with a minimun.

Bedlam1 Bedlam2 Bedlam2a Bedlam2b

Two more mattes from the same film.

Bedlam3 Bedlam4

 

Two matte paintin gs from The Conqueror. 1956.

Theconqueror1 TheConqueror2

 

Matte paintings from The great race 1965. made at Lingwood Dunn´s Films Effects of Hollywwod.

greatrace4 greatrace5 greatrace6 greatrace7greatrace90greatracematte

Clyde Scott

Landscape painter, illustrator. Born in Bedford, Iowa on January 24, 1884. Scott studied at the Boston Art School and with Richard Andrews, Edward Kingsbury, and E. Feton Brown. From 1910 he worked in San Francisco for the Commercial Art Company while living across the bay in Mill Valley. Settling in Los Angeles about 1930, he was a special effects matte artist at the 20th Century Fox Studios from 1933 until retirement in 1950. He died in Los Angeles on October 6, 1959.

Clyde Scott landscape painting.

clydeScott

Emil Kosa Senior

 

Emil Kosa Sr. was born in Czechoslovakia in 1876. Kosa worked with his father making marionettes for his theater. He moved to Paris to work as an assistant to his longtime friend and renowned Czech painter Alphonse Mucha. In Paris he met his first wife, Jeanne Mares Kosa, a French pianist at the Paris opera who gave birth to his first son Emil Kosa Jr. in 1903. Three years later she died of tuberculosis.

By 1924 he had settled in Los Angeles with his son, who was following in his father’s foot steps in becoming a great painter.
Kosa Sr worked at T. C. Fox matte painting department under Fred Sersen.

One of Emil Kosa Senior art paintings.

EmilKosaSnr

George Samuels

Biography:

George Samuel was head of matte painting and constructor at Shepperton FX department during the early 50´s under supervision of Wally Veevers. Before that, he worked under Walter Percy Day. As  British FX technician Cliff Richardson remembers “ At that time (1947) Poppa day was at Shepperton. He ran his department with Wally Veevers and the Samuels brothers, Ted and George. They handled all the matte paintings”    From the book Movie Magic by John Brosnan.

His brother Ted Samuels (physical effects) became head of FX department at Shepperton studios.

Some biographical information from George and Ted Samuels family:

George with Wally Veevers was commissioned to work on movies at Columbia Pictures, New York… (sadly at this moment in time I haven’t the information as to which movies)They departed from London on PAN-AM Airways to New York on 17th July 1946 for a lengthy stay of three months…
They were accommodated at the famous St. Regis Hotel on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street, New York…this hotel was next door to the then Columbia Pictures Building.

George also purchased the home/house that was owned and lived in by the famous Madam Tussuad… it was called The Hawthorns in Croxley Green, London… the house was sold to him by the Tussuad family. There was an art studio beside the house in which Madam Tussuad made her waxwork images…this is where George would make miniature props and paintings for the movies he was involved in. His brother Ted would also work with him in his studio at times.

Thanks to Jackie Stokes.

An article that mentioned that trip to U.S. of George Samuels and Wally Veevers.  It look like the purpose it wasn’t to work on any specific film, but to  improve FX techniques.

(Thanks to Federico Magni who found those articles and sent it to me)

motionpicturedai60

Filmography:

- Heavens Above! (1963) (model photography – uncredited, travelling matte – uncredited)
- The Pure Hell of St. Trinian’s (1961) (Special Effects)
- The Smallest Show on Earth (1957) (special processes – uncredited)
- She Played with Fire (1958) (Special Effect)
- The Green Man (1956) (special effects)
- The bells of St. Trinian´s (1954) (Special effects uncredited)

Richard III (1955) (Special effects uncredited)
- The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953) (special effects)
The beggar´s opera (1953) (special effects)
- Laughing Anne (1953) (special effects)
- Gift Horse (1952) (trick photography)
- The Lady with the Lamp (1951) (special effects)

Gallery:

George Samuels  working on a painting for The bells of St Trinian´s” (1954)

George SamuelsThe Belles Of St Trinian's 1954-1The Belles Of St Trinian's 1954-2

Two matte painting shots from “The pure hell of St Trinian´s” (1961)

HellStTrinians1 HellStTrinians2

 

Two matte shots from The Gift Horse.

The GiftHorse2 The GiftHorse4

Two matte pantings by George Samuels from the film The Green man (1956)

THE GREEN MAN1 THE GREEN MAN2

Joan Suttie

Biography:

Probably she was one of the painters trained by Walter Percy Day at Denham Studios during the mid 40´s

Filmography

- The Inheritance “Uncle Silas”(1947) (painted mattes)
- Fame Is the Spur (1947) (matte painter)
- Oliver Twist (1948) (special effects)

Gallery.

Uncle silas (1947)

unclesilas2 unclesilas

Robert Scifo

 Biography:

1968-1969. I started Scenic Artwork for CBS Studios in Hollywood, painting sets for Carol Burnet, Red Skelton, Smothers Brothers, Jim Nabors, Glen Campbell, and others.

1970. The first Scenic Backings for a film were as an assistant at Columbia Studios on “A Walk In The Spring Rain”.

1971 to 1974. I worked at independent Scenic shops on Amusement Park rides and Theater, for Disney, R L Grosh, and Sons, and Sid and Marty Kroft.

1975. I worked at Warner Brothers scenic department on several films which I can’t recall right now other than the 1976 “A Star is Born”.

1977-1978. Independent Scenic.

1979. I left Scenic Art to work with John DeCuir Senior at WED (Disney Amusement Park Division). That work ended when John left and they kept me as an illustrator for EPCOT. I worked at Disney (WED) the amusement park division during the late 70’s and early 80’s: after that, I worked at Disney Studio in Burbank.  Lou arrived at WED during the early 80’s as a Supervisor.  He was also working with Frank Van der Veer as a Matte Painter and Supervisor of Effects.  Lou asked Frank to hire me as his assistant since he was busy at WED.  Lou liked my work so he let me do the paintings for Flash Gordon, George Washington and The Bounty. 

While working at WED in the last few years I met Lou Litchenfield who asked me to assist him on his ongoing work with Frank Van der Veer. Lou trusted me to do the work at Van de Veers alone, so I did “Flash Gordon” and “George Washington”  alone with him giving approval.  An interesting note is that Lou would walk in before filming them with a small dish of only black paint and white paint and a small brush to add smears and dots if he wanted to “bring them alive”.

1984-1985. I went to Disney Studios to work on Return to OZ.

1986-1987. Dreamquest hired me as head of the Matte Department.

1992. Super Mario Brothers – started paintings traditionally. While painting traditionally, I was interested in learning digital painting. At some point, I reworked the traditional paintings on a Macintosh with Photoshop.

1993 to 2013. Worked as an independent in my home studio while also helping Illusion Arts, ILM, Hammerhead, Zoic and others from my home studio.

Robert Scifo with a painting for the film “Return to Oz” (1985)

Scifo-Oz1

Robert Scifo and Erik Brevig at Dreamquest Images.

Bob Scifo and Erik Brevig Dreamquest 1988 BobScifo Dreamquest 1988

Filmography:
- The book of Eli (2010)(matte paintings: Hammerhead Productions)
- Zombieland (2009)(matte painter: Zoic Studios)
- The Mummy; Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)(matte artist: Illusion Arts – as Bob Scifo)
- John Adams (TV Mini-Series)(2008) (matte painting supervisor – 7 episodes)

- Drillbit Taylor (2008)(matte artist: Illusion Arts – as Bob Scifo)
- The bucket list(2007)(visual effects: Illusion Arts – as Bob Scifo)
- Married life (2007)(matte painter: Gray Matter Visual Effects)
- 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)(visual effects: Hammerhead Productions)
- Dreamgirls (2006) (matte painter: Gray Matter Visual Effects)
- Blood Diamond (2006) (visual effects: Illusion Arts) (as Bob Scifo)
- The Hoax (2006) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- Miami Vice (2006) (matte painter: Illusion Arts) (as Bob Scifo)
- You, Me and Dupree (2006) (matte artist: Illusion Arts Inc.) (as Bob Scifo)
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) (matte artist: Illusion Arts) (as Bob Scifo)
- Ask the Dust (2006) (matte painter: Double Edge Digital)
- Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) (digital matte painter)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) (matte painter: Illusion Arts / Studio C, Los Angeles) (as Bob Scifo)
- Casanova (2005) (matte artist: Illusion Arts) (as Bob Scifo)
- Lords of Dogtown (2005) (matte painter: Gray Matter)
-The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) (digital matte painter: Gray Matter FX)
- Secret Window (2004) (digital matte painter)
- X2 (2003) (matte painter: Rhythm & Hues)
- Kate & Leopold (2001) (matte painter) (as Bob Scifo)
- From Hell (2001) (matte artist: illusion arts) (as Bob Scifo)
- Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) (matte artist: Optical Illusions)
- “Storm of the Century” (1999) (mini) TV Series (visual effects matte artist)
- Beloved (1998) (digital matte paintings: D.Rez Hollywood) (as Bob Scifo)
- The Winter Guest (1997) (digital matte paintings)
- Mulholland Falls (1996) (3d digital artist: D-Rez Hollywood) (as Bob Scifo)
- Fatherland (1994/I) (TV) (digital matte paintings: Illusion Arts) (as Bob Scifo)
- Little Big League (1994) (digital matte painter) (as Bob Scifo)
- Speed (1994) (computer graphics artist: SPI) (as Bob Scifo)

- Super Mario Bros. (1993) (matte artist)
- Homeward Bound (1993)(matte artist)
- Freejack (1992) (matte artist: DQI)
- Final Analysis ( 1992) (matte artist: DQI)
- Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) (visual effects chief matte artist: DQI)
- Defending Your Life (1991) (matte artist: DQI)
- Shadow makers (1990) (matte artist: DQI)
- The Exorcist III. (1990) (matte artist: DQI)
- Total recall (1990) (matte artist: DQI)
- The Abyss (1989) (matte artist: Dreamquest Images)
- Warlock (1989) (matte artist: DQI)
- Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) (matte artist: DQI)
- Big Business (1988) (matte artist: DQI)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) (matte artist: DQI)
- The Seventh Sign (1988) (matte artist: DQI)
- Moonwalker (1988) (matte artist: DQI)
- The Blob (1988) (matte artist: DQI)
- Predator (1987) (matte artist: DQI)
-  The Lost Boys (1987) (matte artist: DQI)
- Outrageous Fortune (1987) (visual effects. Matte painting)
- Space Camp (1986)(matte painting artist. Vander Veer photo effects)
- My Science project (1985) (matte artist. Disney)
- Return to Oz (1985) (matte artist. Disney)
- George Washington (1984) (TV series) (matte painter. Vander Veer photo effects)
- The Bounty (1984) (matte painter. Vander Veer photo effects)
- Flash Gordon (1980)(matte painter. Vander Veer photo effects)

 

- A Star is Born (1976) (Scenic Baking artist)
- A Walk In The Spring Rain (1970) (Scenic Baking artist)

Gallery:

I want to thanks Robert Scifo for letting me show photos of his original paintings.

Predator(1987)

Predator-BR 1

Predator

Original plate and first sketch.

Predator Plate 1987 Predator Sketch 1987

The Blob (1988)

The_Blob.1

Full frame painting by Scifo.

The Blob

Homeward Bound (1993)

Homeward Bound

Return to Oz (1985)

Return to Oz1

The Lost Boys(1987)

Lost Boys matte1b

 

Some Illustrations he made during his time working at EPCOT. As an interesting note: In the Moroccan Illustration, The second person from the left is Robert Scifo.  The Architect representing Morocco asked for his team and the top people at WED to be the people in the illustration.

EPCOTcenter MoroccoEpcot Portfolio Illustration-1 Portfolio Illustration-4 Portfolio Illustration-7

Jiri Stamfest

Biography;

Jiri Stamfest was Born 1950 in Brandýs nad Labem, Czech Republic.
He studies arts and got his degree at the Fakulty of Education of the Charles University in Prague
Since 1972 he made external art participation in production animated films, graphic, artist( Kratky film Praha),
At 1988 he joined Barrandov Studios as a designer and visual effects specialist using traditional tricks for visual effects as matte painting and hanging miniatures.
Since 1998 till now Jiri Stamfest is working for UPP (Universal Production Partners) in Prague as a visual effects supervisor, designer and matte painting specialist – digital technology.

To see more samples of his work, visit his wed site:

http://www.stamfest.wz.cz/stam.html

Filmography:

2012- Red Tails (digital effects artist: UPP)
2011- Season of the Witch (digital matte paint artist)
2010- The Invited (matte artist)
2010- The The pillars of the Earth (TV Mini-Series) (senior matte painting artist – 8 episodes)

2009- The nutcracker in 3D (matte artist)
2009- 2012 (matte painter)
2009- Pandórum (senior matte painter: UPP)
2009- Tetro (matte artist – uncredited)
2009- The International (matte painter)
2008- The Andromeda strain(TV Mini-Series) (matte artist)
2008- The lucky ones (matte painter)
2007- Lednice (Short) (visual effects)

2007 – Youth Without Youth (matte artist)
2007 – “The Company” (mini) TV mini-series (matte artist)
2006 – The Year Without a Santa Claus (TV) (digital matte artist)
2006 – Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (digital matte painter: UPP)
2006 – Fallen (TV) (matte artist: digital painter)
2006 – The Illusionist (matte painter)
2006 – Flight 93 (TV) (matte artist: digital painter)
2006 – Tristan + Isolde (matte artist)
2005 – Snow Wonder (TV) (matte artist: digital painter)
2005 – Everything Is Illuminated (matte artist)
2005 – “Revelations” (mini) TV mini-series (matte artist: digital painter)
2004 – “Frankenstein” (mini) TV mini-series (matte painter)
2004 – AVP: Alien vs. Predator (matte artist: digital painter)
2004 – “The Grid” (mini) TV mini-series (matte artist: digital painter)
2004 – ‘Salem’s Lot (TV) (matte artist: digital painter)
2003 – Hitler: The Rise of Evil (TV) (matte artist: digital painter)
2003 – “Children of Dune” (mini) TV mini-series (matte artist: digital painter)
2003 – Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (TV) (matte artist: digital painter)
2002 – Zatracení (matte artist: digital painter) The Damned (International: English title)
2002 – Young Arthur (TV) (matte artist: digital painter)
2001 – Mach, Sebestová a kouzelné sluchátko (computer graphics artist) (effects animator) aka Max, Sally and the Magic Phone (International: English title)
2001 – The Zookeeper (matte artist: digital painter)
2001 – Rebelové (animation) (digital artist) The Rebels (Europe: English title)
2000 – Pocetí mého mladsího bratra (animation) (digital artist) aka The Conception of My Younger Brother (International: English title)
1999 – The Talented Mr. Ripley (matte artist: digital painter)
1999 -Co chytnes v zite (animation) (optical effects) aka In the Rye (Canada: English title)
1999 Bunker – Eine todsichere Falle, Der (TV) (animation) (visual effects designer) The Last Bomb (International: English title)
1998 – Operation Noah (TV) (miniature gaffer) (model maker)
1997 – Nejasná zpráva o konci sveta (visual effects artist) aka An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World (USA)
1997 – Konto separato (visual effects artist)
1997 – Lotrando a Zubejda (visual effects artist) aka Ruffiano and Sweeteeth (International: English title)
1997 – Zdivocela zeme (visual effects artist)
1995 – Divoké pivo (visual effects artist)
1994 – Nexus 2.431 (visual effects artist)
1994 – V erbu lvice (visual effects artist)
1994 – Nesmluvená setkání (TV) (matte painter)
1992 – Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge (TV) (visual effects artist) aka Snow White
1992 – Kacenka a strasidla (animation) (visual effects artist)
1992 – Kacenka a zase ta strasidla (animation) (visual effects artist)
1991 – reonovy duch (animator) (visual effects artist)
1991 – O zapomnetlivém cernoknezníkovi (animation) (visual effects artist)
1990 – Uf – oni jsou tady (animation) (visual effects artist)
1990 – Vandronik (TV) (animation) (visual effects artist) aka O Janovi a podivuhodnem pøíteli (Czech Republic)
1989 – Pan Samochodzik i praskie tajemnice (animation) (visual effects artist) Mr. Samochodzik and the Secrets of Prague
1989 – Podzemelye vedm (visual effects artist) aka The Witches Cave
1988 – Cirkus Humberto (TV series) (matte painter)

Gallery:

- Nexus 2431 (1994)

NEXUS_01c NEXUS_02c

 

Stamfest was responsible not only for the glass paintings, also the for painting the miniatures and backings.

NEXUS_01dNEXUS_02d

 

They also used foreground miniatures.

NEX05 NEX07

- Zdislava z Lemberka aka V erbu lvice(1994)

verbulvice-dokr1 verbulvice-dokr2
- Podzemelye vedm aka The Witches Cave (1989)

Witches_Cave_05Witches_Cave_01Witches_Cave_04

- Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge (TV) aka Snow White (1992)

SNEHURKA_01c SNEHURKA_02c

Ettore Serbaroli

Biography:

Ettore Serbaroli was born in Italy 1881; he started working with Italian portrait painter and muralist Cesare Maccari. At 26 years old, he went to Mexico to execute some mural works at The Palacio de las Bellas Artes. With the Mexican revolution he moved to San Francisco with his Mexican wife, were he made paintings and murals for the Panama Pacific international Exposition. He also was required to paint embellishment on the ceiling at Randolph Hearts fabulous castle at San Simeon. That makes him get in contact with some people at film industry, and he got an offer to work at First National Pictures. In 1927 he moved to Hollywood and started his
career as portrait artist for films. He also contributed paintings scenic backgrounds, murals and collaborating with FX department doing occasionally works at matte painting.
He worked at RKO, Warner Bros, Paramount and T.C.Fox until late 40´s, when he focused his painting career into ecclesiastical artwork. He executed mural and paintings for more than a dozen California churches, unitl his death at 1951.

(Biographical information and pictures thanks to his grandson Joseph Serbaroli Jr.)
Full article about Ettore Serbaroli and more images at: http://www.artdirectors.org/sites/art/information/Perspective/Perspective_2008_Oct_Nov.pdf

Filmography:
1928 – The Shepherd of the Hills. (First National. Portrait of Marian Douglas as shepherd girl.)
1930 – Dixiana. (RKO Studios. Portraits, Stilllifes, murals, stage backdrops, and other works.)
1931 – Transgression. ( RKO Studios. Repro portraits of Winterhalter’s Napoleon & Eugenie.)
1931 – The Bargain. (First National Pictures. Portrait of Una Merkel.)
1932 – So Big. (First National. Reproduction of Mary Ann Goulding portrait and 2 others.)
1932 – They Call It Sin. (First National Pictures. Two very large classic portraits of women.)
1933 – Mystery of the Wax Museum. (Warner Bros. Two background murals in wax museum.)
1933 – Ever in My Heart. (Warner Bros. Backdrop in garden. Mary Ann Goulding portrait.)
1933 – Footlight Parade. (Warner Bros. Portrait of President Roosevelt, and other work.)
1935 – Dante’s Inferno. (20th Century-Fox. Portraits: Alexander, Virgil, Salome, Cleopatra.)
1935 – Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Warner Brothers. Stage backdrops.)
1935 – The Littlest Rebel. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Pen & ink for title frame of film.)
1937 – Lloyds of London. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Oil painting in casino. Large map.)
1937 – Heidi. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Pen & ink portraits Shirley Temple, Arthur Treacher, Helen Westley, Sidney Blackmer, Jean Hersholt, Thomas Beck, Mary Nash.)
1937 – Café Metropole. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Murals, portraits and decorative work in café.)
1938 – Suez. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Pen & ink portrait of Loretta Young as Eugenie. Pen & ink of the Stock Certificate for the Suez Co.)
1939 – The Little Princess. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Full-length portrait of Queen Victoria. British Coat of Arms and background templates in opening & closing frames.)
1939 – The Rains Came. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Portraits: Tyrone Power as Major Safti, H.B.Warner as the Maharajah, & Maria Ouspenskaya as the Maharani. Matte shots. Academy award to Fred Sersen for effects.)
1939 – The Hound of the Baskervilles. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Ralph Forbes portrait as Sir Hugo Baskerville. Five other portraits.)
1944 – Experiment Perilous. (RKO Radio Pictures. Portrait of Hedy Lamarr as Allida Bedereau. Academy award to Darrell Silvera for interior decorations.)
1944 – Wilson. (Twentieth Century-Fox. Portraits of George Washington, Martha Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson. Full-length reproductions of the originals that reside in the East Room of the White House. Also portraits of William Howard Taft, Benjamin Franklin and others.
Academy award to Thomas Little for production design.)

 

 

Gallery:

1. Portrait for “The Hound of Baskervilles ” (1939)
baskerville

2. “two Pen & inks for HEIDI (1937) and for THE LITTLEST REBEL (1935).”

TempleHeidi

3. Matte shot fo “The rains came” (1939). The film earned the Award for Special Effects to head of department Fred Sersen.

EttoreSerbaroli_rains

4. Portrait of Bette Davis and Darryl Zanuck.

Davis_Zanuck

David Stipes

David Stipes teaches in Phoenix, AZ as instructor in the Visual Effects major, and currently teaching basic matte painting theory and history

DavidStipes
David Stipes photo is courtesy of Rainbow Studios, Phoenix, AZ.

David has a wonderful web site full of information and pictures of his career on Visual effects, very recommendable.

http://www.davidstipes.com/

David Stipes working on a painting . The final saucer shots  below are from “V-The Final Battle” the second “V” mini series. David Stipes did the painting work, the plate supervision / photography and the compositing.

DStipes_painting

Vfinalbattle Vfinalbattle2

Filmography:

-”Enterprise” (2001) TV Series (visual effects supervisor) (episodes 1.06, 1.08)
- “Star Trek: Voyager” (1995) TV Series (visual effects supervisor) (pilot episode) (seasons 1-2)
- Star Trek: Voyager – Caretaker (1995) (TV) (visual effects supervisor)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation – All Good Things… (1994) (TV) (visual effects supervisor)
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993) TV Series (visual effects supervisor) (seasons 5-7)
- Intruders (1992) (TV) (visual effects)
- The Lawnmower Man (1992) (visual effects: David Stipes Productions) (uncredited)
- Flash III: Deadly Nightshade (1992) (V) (visual effects supervisor)
- Arena (1991) (visual effects supervisor: David Stipes Productions)
- “The Flash” (1990) TV Series (visual effects supervisor)
- The Flash (1990) (TV) (visual effects supervisor)
- Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) (visual effects photography)
- Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) (motion control operator)
- Anything to Survive (1990) (TV) (visual effects: David Stipes Productions) (uncredited)
- Circuitry Man (1990) (matte paintings)
- Get Smart, Again! (1989) (TV) (visual effects: Universal Hartland Visual Effects) (uncredited)
- Deadly Weapon (1989) (visual effects supervisor)
- ” Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987) TV Series (visual effects supervisor) (seasons 6-7)
- The Pink Chiquitas (1987) (visual effects supervisor)
- Night of the Creeps (1986) (visual effects supervisor: David Stipes Productions)
- Real Genius (1985) (visual effects supervisor)
- The Stuff (1985) (visual effects)
- Creation of the Universe (1985) (TV) (visual effects supervisor)
- The Jupiter Menace (1984) (visual effects: David Stipes Productions)
- “V: The Final Battle” (1984) (mini) TV Series (visual effects supervisor)

- The Ice Pirates (1984) (visual effects matte paintings: David Stipes Productions)
-V (1983) (TV) (visual effects supervisor)
- “The Thorn Birds” (1983) (mini) TV Series (visual effects) (uncredited)
- Rocketship X-M (1950) (effects camera operator: rocket effects) (1982 revised version)
-Creepshow (1982) (visual effects supervisor: David Stipes Productions)
- “Tales of the Gold Monkey” (1982) TV Series (visual effects supervisor)
- “Darkroom” (1981) TV Series (visual effects supervisor) (episode “Siege of 13 August”)
- Caveman (1981) (visual effects)
- “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (1981) TV Series (visual effects supervisor) (uncredited)
- “Galactica 1980″ (1980) TV Series (visual effects) (uncredited)
- “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” (1979) TV Series (visual effects)
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) (visual effects) (as David Stripes)
- Battlestar Galactica (1978) (TV) (visual effects) (uncredited)
- Curse of the Black Widow (1977) (TV) (visual effects) (uncredited)
- Equinox (1970) (visual effects) (uncredited)
- “Davey and Goliath” (1960) TV Series (animator)

 

Superman (1978)

Director: Richard Donner
Cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth
Production Design by John Barry
Supervisor of mattes & composites: Les Bowie
supervisor of optical visual effects: Roy Field
Supervisor & director of special effects: Colin Chilvers
Supervisor of model effects: Derek Meddings
Zoptic special effects: Zoran Perisic
Director of process photography: Denys N. Coop
Travelling matte supervisor: Dennis Bartlett
Matte artist: Doug Ferris / Ray caple
Assistant matte artist: Liz Lettman
Matte camera operator: Peter Hammond
Matte camera operator: Peter Harman
Matte camera assistant: Keith Holland
Process systems: Charles Staffell
Flying systems & process projection: Wally Veevers
Additional model effects: George Gibbs
Illustrator: Ivor Beddoes

 

 

The matte painting work was made under veteran FX master Les Bowie supervision. Les Bowie painting on glass.

Bowiesuperman
The final composition.

super_1

Many of the Fortress of solitude long views were painted by Les Bowie, with probably the help pof Ray Caple.

Superman_5 Superman_6 superI-1.

Les Bowie matte painting with a miniature section of a building with a faling helicopter.

Superman-after Superman-before

Other of the matte paintings made under Les Bowie.

superman-paint

Some other matte paintings

Superman06 copia Superman09 copia

 

A foreground miniature of rocks falling with a painting mountains at the right.

 

Superman093 copia Superman095 copia

 

Derek Meddings miniature planet Earth

superI-2

 

Derek Medding painting his planet Earth rotating model used on several films.

Meddingsplanet

 

 

Enrique Salvá

Biography:
Enrique Salvá worked as scenic artist and backdrop painting during the 30´s and 40´s. Then art director Sigfredo Burman who learned the glass painting technique at UFA Studios Germany, told him about that trick and Enrique started to paint on glass at 1943. He took Emilio Ruiz del Rio under his tutelage during the 40´s and early 50´s. He also worked as art director. Died on a car accident at late 50´s.

Enrique Salvá at left with Emilio Riuz (right) on the sets of Alba de America. Below, the final image with the painting.

Alba-Enrique-Emilio2
Filmography :
- Cabo de hornos, (1957) (matte painting) /Cape horn.
- Educando a papá (1955)
- Para siempre amor mío (1955) (matte shots)
- Un dia perdido (1954)
- La patrulla(1954)
- Como la tierra (1954)
- Cabaret (1953)
- Maleficio (1953)
- Andén, El (1957) (matte painting)
- Manchas de sangre en la luna (1952) Come Die My Love
- Cielo negro (1951) / Black sky
- Sin uniforme( 1950) (matte shots)
- La guitarra de Gardel (1949)
- La revoltosa (1949) ( matte shots)
- Mañana como hoy (1948) Amanhã Como Hoje (matte shots)
- Brindis a Manolete( 1948)
- Hoy no pasamos lista(1948)
- la esfinge maragata (1948)
- Dulcinea (1947) (matte shots)
- Cuando llega la noche (1946) (matte shots)
- tres espejos (mattepaint) (1946)L Vajda
- El doncel de la reina (1946) (matte paint) Cesar Fernandez Ardavin
- El abanderado (1943) (matte shots)

Gallery:

Mountain scape  matte painting for the film “Cape Horn” (1957)

Cabo.de.hornos

Matte painting of the upper part of the building for “El Anden” (1957)

El Andén52
Matte painting for “La revoltosa” (1949)

revoltosa

Matte painting for the film Dulcinea(1947)

salvaDulcinea

Matte painting for Cuando llega la noche(1946)

Salva_noche

Jesse Silver

Biography:
(Provided by Jessie Silver)

My very first matte painting job was done for Linwood Dunn on a version of Things To Come which starred Jack Palance. If I remember correctly, I did that movie in 1978 or 79.

David is correct about my having done matte paintings that used aluminum cutouts as a base, it was for a TV film titled “The Secret War Of Jackie’s Girls” (1980).

The director had worked with an Spanish matte painter who used this approach to doing live-on-location matte paintings rather than the traditional glass because this approach shortcut any risk of exposing the reflection of the camera in the scene. I would make a sketch on a sheet of paper that was glued to the aluminum sheet. I then used saws and files to shape the aluminum before painting it. In order to create the sketch in the correct size I needed to calculate the position of the camera relative to the background elements that needed to be changed, calculate the depth of field based on the lens to be used for the shot so that I could figure out where to place the matte painting, and create a scale for the painting from the result of those calculations. To put it mildly, this technique was complicated and no one else in town wanted to deal with it. That’s how I got my start, taking a job no one else wanted. All of the paintings worked well enough.

Doing this procedure under the time constraints of a television show was challenging, but it worked quite well. I still have the village painting, which I kept as a souvenir. My favorite was the array of Spitfires that I painted. We had one Spitfire that taxied into the scene in the foreground and the others (painted) looked as though they were parked next to the runway in the midground and distance. We were concerned that the painting would cut off the spinning prop of the real Spitfire, but when we saw the dailies you couldn’t tell at all. Sometimes you get lucky. I actually finished that painting about 10 minutes before we shot as I hadn’t seen the actual location until the morning of the shoot and couldn’t paint the groundplane colors. To make that shot, I created a mockup in my office at Universal by using a survey of Chino airport and a model of a Spitfire which was 1/4 inch to the foot. Using the plane’s scale, I approximated the position of the camera. I placed the model plane on a desk that had been covered with a plan drawing of the airport runway and positioned a still camera on a tripod, raising it so that the center of the lens was about 20 feet (in the same 1/4″ to the foot) above the ground (desktop). Between these I placed a piece of clear cell, upon which I had scratched a grid, to stand in for the position of the painting relative to the camera and the subject. Using that as a guide, I made a full-scale drawing of the squadron, repositioning the model after roughing out each plane. This gave me a line up of planes. I glued the drawing to the aluminum sheet and cut out the planes, then painted them. I needed to rely on my art director to give me the sun’s position for the scheduled time of the shot. When I arrived at Chino airport the following morning, I was delighted to see that the painting blended into the perspective of the location almost perfectly. I then painted in the grass tones. After the shot was completed, I walked back to the car and laid down on the rear seat and went to sleep with my legs hanging out. Someone was kind enough to gently tuck me in and shut the door. I hadn’t slept for 48 hours at that point.

My work for “Something Wicked This Way Comes” involved more than matte paintings. The movie had been entirely shot on sound stages with few interiors. When I was assigned to work on a revised version for release, my first job was sketching “inspiration sketches” for a new opening montage of fall exteriors. My sketches were then sent to Ray Bradbury for his use in writing the opening monologue. Based on Ray’s selections, we took a crew to Vermont to scout and shoot locations that matched the subject matter of my sketches as well as locations for the matte painting plates.

As far as my filmography, there are a number of films that I worked on for which I did not get a credit and some that I wish I hadn’t been given a credit…

To see some samples of his work, visit his website at:

http://silverimageservice.com

Jessie Silver painting a landscape for the movie “Something Wicked this way comes” 1983.

JSilver

Silver working on a background painting for the film Tron.

Jesse Silver TRON

Filmography:

- Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007) (V) (color)
- “Tom and Jerry Tales” (2006) TV series (background artist: / titles) (unknown episodes)
- Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006) (V) (background artist)
- The Karateguard (2005) (background artist: titles) (color artist)
- Kangaroo Jack: G’Day, U.S.A.! (2004) (V) (background artist)
- “Duck Dodgers” (2003) TV series (CGI assistant production manager) (unknown episodes)
- The Core (2003) (visual effects art supervisor)
- Eight Crazy Nights (2002) (digital background artist)
- The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000) (matte painting supervisor: MetroLight Studios)
- Here on Earth (2000) (digital effects matte painter: Rhythm & Hues)
- Forces of Nature (1999) (matte artist)
- Basketball (1998) (visual effects supervisor)
- Doomsday Rock (1997) (TV) (matte artist)
- Mimic (1997) (matte artist)
- Conspiracy Theory (1997) Warner Digital Studios) (matte supervisor)
- Batman & Robin (1997) Warner Digital Studios) (matte artist)
- Rosewood (1997) (visual effects supervisor)
- Vegas Vacation (1997) Warner Digital Studios) (matte artist)
- My Fellow Americans (1996) Warner Digital Studios) (illustrator) (matte artist)
- Mars Attacks! (1996) Warner Digital Studios) (matte artist) (visual effects matte department supervisor)
- Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension (1996) (digital background/compositing)
- Theodore Rex (1995) (matte artist) (visual effects supervisor)
- Little Princess, A (1995) (visual effects supervisor)
- Woodstock 25th Anniversary Edition (1995) (digital paintbox restoration supervisor: Jimi Hendrix Voodoo sequence)
- It Runs in the Family (1994) (matte painting supervisor)
- Wagons East (1994) (matte artist)
- Coneheads (1993) (matte artist) (matte painting supervisor)
- Super Mario Bros. (1993) (matte artist) (storyboard artist)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) (matte artist)
- Tommyknockers, The (1993) (TV) (matte artist)
- Water Engine, The (1992) (TV) (matte artist)
- Afterburn (1992) (TV) (matte artist)

“Afterburn – Wide shot – with the exception of the first three planes on the left and the first two, maybe three, planes on the right, all of the other planes are painted.  So are parts of the buildings, and the distant landscape including the cityscape.  The painting was done on masonite and composited using an ancient matte painting camera that allowed for projection of the image onto the board, and for bi-pack when compositing.  The sky was added in later when we added in the plane flying overhead.” J. Silver

Afterburn1

- Freejack (1992) (matte artist)
- Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) (matte artist)
- Mobsters (1991) (matte artist)
- Plymouth (1991) (TV) (matte artist)
- .Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) (visual effects matte department)
- .Total Recall (1990) (matte artist)

-Time bomb(1990) (matte painting)

timebomb
- Fire and Rain (1989) (TV) (location plate shoot supervisor) (matte artist)
- “Lonesome Dove” (1989) (mini) TV Series (matte artist) (visual effects superv)

- Moonlighting (1988) (Tv series) S-5 Episode 1 “A bomb with a view”

Moonlighting – Everything in the shot, with the exception of the actors and the slope that they’re walking on, is a matte painting.  If I recall correctly, they were shot against green screen.

moonlighting. S5.ep1
- “Amerika” (1987) (mini) TV Series (matte artist) (visual effects matte painting)
- Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987) (storyboard artist)
- .Alice in Wonderland (1985) (TV) (production illustrator)
- King Solomon’s Mines (1985) (storyboard artist)

- Murder she wrote (1985) TV series. Episode : Sing a song of Murder.

Muder she wrote1 murder she wrote2

“As I recall, I painted them for Garber Green and they were composited at a small facility in Santa Monica that I think was owned by John Scheele.  More Guerilla matte paintings!  The set up was pretty rudimentary, which made getting a line up a fairly hit or miss proposition.  The prism used to project the plate from the camera onto the masonite or glass was not solidly anchored, which would cause the position of the projected plate to shift.

I had a couple of days to paint each one, little to no time for wedging and finessing, as there was precious little budget for the work.  It looks like the line up on one of them is pretty far off.  I’ll plead innocence as I didn’t handle the compositing.  Fun days! ”
- Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) (matte artist)
- Tron (1982) (background painting supervisor)
- The Secret War Of Jackie’s Girls (1980) (matte painting)
- The shape of things to come (1979) (matte painting)

Cliff Silsby

Biography:
A painter and etcher, Clifford Silsby was born in New Haven, Connecticut (1896) and died in Los Angeles(1986). He studied in Paris at the Academy Julian and the Ecole des Beaux Arts. For many years, he was a special effects artist for motion pictures in Hollywood and New York and lived primarily in California from 1912 to 1962. He was the adopted son of Wilson Silsby.
Clifford Silsby worked as matte painter at T.C.Fox Studio under Fred Sersen, and at Warner Bros FX Stage 5, under Lou Lichtenfield.
All his work during these years remain uncredited.
At the sixties he joined Linwood Dunn Company, Film Effects of Hollywood.

Filmography:

- The Great Race (1965) (matte artist)
- It is a mad mad mad mad World (1963) (matte painting)

Detail of Cliff Silsby working on a painting for “Mad World” (63)

MadWorldSilsby
The final painting.

MadWorldpaint

Charles Stoneham

Biography:

From Martin Body:

” I can tell you that he first worked as a matte painter at Pinewood Studios – he was employed in the general stores there and painted as a hobby. Cliff Culley, the in-house matte painter at the studio saw Charles’ work and gave him a job. Cliff was a very good painter, particularly of fine detail, and he trained Charles in the finer points of matte painting.

When Pinewood closed down its optical/matte painting department in the early ’70′s, Charles got a job as a milkman and later moved to Bude, in Cornwall. It was, I think, on Dark Crystal in 1981/82 that Roy Field asked him to come back do some matte painting work. After that, he worked on other films like ”A Christmas Carol” – the version starring Edward Woodward (I think it was a TV film). On the projects involving Roy Field (who also used to work with Cliff Culley) Charles was usually employed by the production company making the film, but probably also carried out some work for Optical Film Effects and Field Films. “

Charles Stoneham painting the sky and some buildings in a view of Calcutta for “Gandhi”

CStoneham

- Filmography:

- Return to OZ. (1985)(matte art)
- Superman III (1983)(matte art)
- Supergirl (1984)(matte art)
- A Christmas Carol (1984) (matte artist)

Christmas_carol
- Gandhi (1983)(matte art)
- Dark Cristal (1982)(matte art)
- Britannia Hospital (1982) (matte artist)

BritHospital1 BritHospital2 BritHospital3

Paul Swendsen

Photos and biographical information courtesy of Paul Swendsen.

Biography:

A native San Franciscan, artist Paul Swendsen studied fine arts as well drama and a good dose of science. He began his film carrier at Colossal Pictures after directors saw his hyperrealist paintings. Later, he worked closely with Francis Ford Coppola to create the 1930’s style murals for his film Tucker. Matte artists from Lucas Film’s ILM watched him paint and he was asked to join the matte department for Willow (Ron Howard).
Between films at ILM he painting book covers and so began his friendship with Arthur C. Clarke (2001 A Space Odessy, Rendezvous With Rama…). After meeting Clarke in Sri Lanka he continued traveling around the world eventually illustrating the covers for all of Clarke’s works as well as other Sci Fi authors.
The first American in 50 years to work at the Babelsberg Studio (DEFA) in former East Germany teaching visual effects, he is a director, visual effects supervisor, and matte artist, combining traditional film knowledge with cutting edge visual effects techniques. Recently after 10 years in Europe he was back in the theater directing The Day Tim Stood Still which he co-wrote and co-produced with Welsh actor Carlton Bunce. The Sci-Fi pre-Big Bang spoof opened in Munich.

To see more, visit his site:

http://www.matteart.com/

Paul Swendsen painting a castle for the film “Willow” .

Paulswend2
A mountain landscape painted for the film “Georgino” (1994)

Paulswend1

Films include:
In Europe:
Babel, Le Bossu, La Femme du Cosmonaute, Assassin(s), Washington Square, Witch Way Love, Le Huitieme Jour, Total Eclipse (Rimbaud-Verlaine), Une Femme Française, Marie De Nazareth, Antartida, L’Emigre, Mina Tanenbaum, Giorgino, Die Freischutz, Die Tigerin,

In America:
Final Analysis, Tucker A Man And His Dream, The Doors, Jacob’s Ladder, Ghost, Kurosawa’s Dreams, The Abyss, The Burbs, Roger Rabbit, Willow.
He probably holds the record for being the most uncredited matte artist in the business.

Bio-filmography:

Member, I.A.T.S.E. local 16/ Member, Visual Effects Society (VES)
Member, Commission Supérieure Technique De L’Image Et Du Son (CST)

BOOKS
2005 Indiens d’Amazonie – Les premières explorations 1820-1930 (Editions La Découverte)
Restoration of over 170 photographs
2004 Explorateurs Photographs-Territoires Inconnus 1850-1930 (Editions La Découverte)
Restoration of over 160 photographs

DIRECTING
2003 The Day Tim Stood Still : Play (director, co-writer and co-producer) Das Schloss Theater, Munich
1999 Porsche Fantasy : clip for art exposition (writer, director and producer)
1993 Shortcuts to Enlightenment, clip for musical group Yes No Maybe

VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR & MATTE ARTIST
Supervision of visual effects, Matte painting, development and or preproduction visual conception for the following films :

L’EST, Paris, France
1999 Vercingetorix, directed by Jacques Dorfman (visual effects supervisor)
1998 Babel, directed by Gerard Pullicino (visual effects supervisor / matte painter)

EX MACHINA, Paris, France
1998 Le Bossu, directed by Philippe De Broca (plate supervisor / matte painter)
1997 La Femme du Cosmonaute, directed by Jacques Monnet (matte painter)
1997 Assassin(s), directed by Mathieu Kassovitz (visual effects supervisor / matte painter)
1997 Washington Square, directed by Agnieszka Holland (matte painter)
1997 Witch Way Love, directed by René Manzor (matte painter)
1996 Le Huitième Jour, directed by Jacko Van Dormael (matte painter)
1996 Tout Doit Disparaître, directed by Philippe Muyl (matte painter)
1996 Rimbaud-Verlaine, (Total Eclipse), directed by Agnieszka Holland (matte painter)
1994 Une Femme Française, directed by Regis Vargnier (matte painter)
1994 Marie De Nazareth, directed by Jean Delannoy (matte painter)

EXCALIBUR, Paris, France
1995 Antartida, directed by Manuel Huerga (matte painter)
1994 L’Emigre, directed by Youseff Chahine (matte painter)
1994 Mina Tanenbaum, directed by Martine Dugowson (matte painter)
1994 Giorgino, directed by Laurent Boutonnat (matte painter)
1994 Die Freischutz, directed by Ildiko Enyedi (visual effects supervisor / matte painter)

CINEMAGIC, Defa Studios, Potsdam (Berlin), Germany
1992 Die Tigerin, directed by Karen Howard (matte supervisor and instructor)

COLOSSAL PICTURES, San Francisco, California
Various commercials

INDEPENDENT PROJECTS, California
1992 Final Analysis, directed by Phil Joanou (muralist)
1988 Tucker, A Man And His Dreams, directed by Francis Ford Coppola (muralist)

INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC (I.L.M.),Lucas Films LTD. San Raphael, California
1991 The Doors, directed by Oliver Stone (concept paintings)
1990 Jacob’s Ladder, directed by Adrian Lyne (preproduction conceptual design)
1990 Ghost, directed by Jerry Zucker (matte painter)
1990 Kurosawa’s Dreams, directed by Akira Kurosawa (concept paintings)
1989 The Abyss, directed by James Cameron (concept paintings)
1989 The ‘Burbs, directed by Joe Dante (matte painter)
1988 Roger Rabbit, directed by Bob Zemeckis (model painting)
1988 Willow, directed by Ron Howard, (matte painter)

ILLUSTRATION
Book covers for Bantam Spectra :
A Fall of Moondust (Arthur C. Clarke)
Burster (Micheal Capobianco)
Ghost From The Grand Banks (Arthur C. Clarke)
Glide Path (Arthur C. Clarke)
Imperial Earth (Arthur C. Clarke)
Iris (William Barton & Micheal Capobianco)
More Than One Universe (Arthur C. Clarke)
Rendez Vous With Rama (Arthur C. Clarke)
The City And The Stars (Arthur C. Clarke)
The Deep Range (Arthur C. Clarke)
The Foutains of Paradise (Arthur C. Clarke)
The Garden of Rama, Rama II, (Arthur C. Clarke & Gentry Lee)
The sands of Mars (Arthur C. Clarke)
Tides of Light (Gregory Benford)
What Might Have Been – vol 1 Alternate Empires (edited by Gregory Benford & Martin H. Greenberg)
What Might Have Been – vol 2 Alternate Heroes (edited by Gregory Benford & Martin H. Greenberg)
What Might Have Been – vol 3 Alternate Wars (edited by Gregory Benford & Martin H. Greenberg)

FINE ART PAINTING, EXPOSITIONS
• Rencontre Art & Porsche – Group show – Galerie Art Saint-Gilles, Paris
• Grass Series 1, Grass Series 2 – New Masters Gallerie, Carmel California
• Eye Candy – Folsom St. Gallery, SanFrancisco

COMMERCIAL DESIGN
• Publicity for : Revlon, Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Rochas,…
• Film poster : The Proprietor for Merchant Ivory Productions

LECTURE, TEACHING
• Institut Nationale de l’Audiovisuel (INA), Paris, 2003
• Ecole Nationale Supérieure Louis Lumière (ENSLL), Paris, 2002
• Ecole Européenne Supérieure d’Animation (EESA),Paris, 2002
• Cannes 2000, CST, Conférence « The future of visual effects in cinema »
• Imagina 1999, lecture « Matte painting and esthetics in cinema »
• Conference Les Rencontres Europeennes de la Jeune Creation Numerique 1999, lecture « Matte painting
and esthetics in cinema »
• FEMIS (school of cinema in Paris)1997, course : Decor by Computer
EDUCATION
• 1985 M.A. equivalence & teaching credential, California Community Colleges.
• 1978 B.A., Art Plastics, San Francisco State University, Deans list.
Subjects : Art, Physics, Astronomy, Radio Theater, Stage Acting
• 1976 A.A.,City Colledge of San Francisco.
Subjects : Art, Architecture, Photography

Fred Sersen

Biography:

Fred Sersen was born Ferdinand Sersen, February 24, 1890, in Czechoslovakia. His first credited film was A Connecticut Yankee (1931). In 1937 he recreated the 1871 Great Chicago Fire on the screen for the movie In Old Chicago.
Fred Sersen was an American cinema special effects artist working mainly at 20th Century Fox Studios from the 1930′s to the 1950′s with credits in over 200 movies. He won two Academy Awards for Best Effects, Special Effects (photographic), in 1940 for The Rains Came, and in 1944 for Crash Dive. An artificial lake created for the former movie was named in his honor.
He died December 11, 1962 in Los Angeles, California.

“American special-effects maestro Fred Sersen spent the bulk of his motion picture career at 20th Century-Fox. Under the aegis of Darryl F. Zanuck, Fox earned a reputation of turning out lavish productions at the lowest possible cost. To convey a sense of grandeur, Fox needed a special effects department head who could create the illusion of vast landscapes, huge palaces and natural disasters where none actually existed. Sersen served up the goods with his first important assignment, In Old Chicago (1938), where with a seamless blend of miniatures, glass shots, travelling mattes and process screens, the city of Chicago realistically went up in flames for nearly two reels. While Fred Sersen garnered Academy Awards for The Rains Came (1939) (which included an outsized flood) and Crash Dive (1942), he was equally craftsmanlike on all studio projects, big or small. To Fred Sersen can go credit for the canal building sequences in Suez (1938), the climactic conflagration in Hangover Square (1945), the wood-resistant baseball in It Happens Every Spring (1949), the arrival of Klatu’s spacecraft in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), the sinking of the title vessel in Titanic (1952), and the bizarre closing gag in The Bullfighters (1945), wherein Laurel and Hardy were transformed into living skeletons! In honor of this indispensable but unsung genius, the huge 20th Century-Fox backlot lake originally built for 1939′s The Rains Came — and utilized right up to 1961′s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea — was named Sersen Lake.” Biography by Hal Erickson

T.C.Fox matte department in the 1950s. From Left To right: Ray Kellogg, Lee Leblanc, Cliff Silsby, Emile Kosa Jr, departament head Fred Sersen with the cigar, and Max De Vega.

 studiosersen

Sersen with some of his artists painting on glasses.

sersenglasspainting

Fred Sersen won the Academy wars Oscar for best FX for two films, Crash Dive (1944) and The rains came (1939)

FredSersen

Filmography:

Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) (visual effects supervisor: Sersen tank) (uncredited)
20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) (visual effects supervisor: second unit) (uncredited)
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953) (special photographic effects)
Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1953) (special photographic effects)
Lydia Bailey (1952) (special photographic effects)
The Pride of St. Louis (1952) (special photographic effects)
With a Song in My Heart (1952) (special photographic effects)
5 Fingers (1952) (special effects) (uncredited)
Viva Zapata! (1952) (special photographic effects)
Red Skies of Montana (1952) (special photographic effects)
The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951) (special photographic effects)
Elopement (1951) (special photographic effects)
Fixed Bayonets! (1951) (special effects)
Let’s Make It Legal (1951) (special photographic effects)
Golden Girl (1951) (special photographic effects)
Anne of the Indies (1951) (special effects)
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951) (special photographic effects)
Love Nest (1951) (special effects)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) (special photographic effects)
People Will Talk (1951) (special effects)
The Guy Who Came Back (1951) (special photographic effects)
Meet Me After the Show (1951) (special photographic effects)
David and Bathsheba (1951) (special photographic effects)
The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) (special photographic effects)
As Young as You Feel (1951) (special photographic effects)
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell (1951) (special photographic effects)
Take Care of My Little Girl (1951) (special photographic effects)
The Frogmen (1951) (special photographic effects)
The House on Telegraph Hill (1951) (special photographic effects)
Half Angel (1951) (special photographic effects)
Follow the Sun (1951) (special photographic effects)
On the Riviera (1951) (special photographic effects)
I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951) (special effects)
Rawhide (1951) (special photographic effects)
Bird of Paradise (1951) (special effects)
Fourteen Hours (1951) (special photographic effects)
You’re in the Navy Now (1951) (special effects)
I’d Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) (special effects)
Call Me Mister (1951) (special photographic effects)
The 13th Letter (1951) (special effects)
Halls of Montezuma (1951) (special photographic effects)
For Heaven’s Sake (1950) (special effects)
American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950) (special photographic effects)
The Jackpot (1950) (special effects)
All About Eve (1950) (special photographic effects)
Two Flags West (1950) (special effects)
I’ll Get By (1950) (special photographic effects)
Mister 880 (1950) (special effects)
No Way Out (1950) (special photographic effects)
Broken Arrow (1950) (special photographic effects)
Stella (1950) (special effects)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) (special effects)
The Gunfighter (1950) (special photographic effects)
Panic in the Streets (1950) (special photographic effects)
Love That Brute (1950) (special effects)
A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) (special effects)
The Big Lift (1950) (special effects)
Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) (special photographic effects)
Wabash Avenue (1950) (special photographic effects)
Under My Skin (1950) (special effects)
Mother Didn’t Tell Me (1950) (special photographic effects)
Three Came Home (1950) (special effects)
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) (special photographic effects)
Twelve O’Clock High (1949) (special photographic effects)
Dancing in the Dark (1949) (special photographic effects)
Whirlpool (1949) (special photographic effects)
Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949) (special photographic effects)
Prince of Foxes (1949) (special photographic effects)
Everybody Does It (1949) (special photographic effects)
Thieves’ Highway (1949) (special photographic effects)
Father Was a Fullback (1949) (special effects)
Pinky (1949) (special photographic effects)
I Was a Male War Bride (1949) (special photographic effects)
Slattery’s Hurricane (1949) (special effects)
Sand (1949) (special photographic effects)
Come to the Stable (1949) (special effects)
House of Strangers (1949) (special photographic effects)
You’re My Everything (1949) (special photographic effects)
It Happens Every Spring (1949) (special photographic effects)
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949) (special effects)
Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949) (special effects)
The Fan (1949) (special effects)
Mother Is a Freshman (1949) (special photographic effects)
Down to the Sea in Ships (1949) (special effects)
Yellow Sky (1949) (special photographic effects)
A Letter to Three Wives (1949) (special photographic effects)
Chicken Every Sunday (1949) (special effects)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948) (special photographic effects)
That Wonderful Urge (1948) (special effects)
When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948) (special effects)
The Snake Pit (1948) (special photographic effects)
Apartment for Peggy (1948) (special photographic effects)
Cry of the City (1948) (special effects)
Road House (1948) (special effects)
The Luck of the Irish (1948) (special effects)
That Lady in Ermine (1948) (special effects)
The Walls of Jericho (1948) (special effects)
Deep Waters (1948) (special effects)
The Street with No Name (1948) (special photographic effects)
The Iron Curtain (1948) (special effects)
Give My Regards to Broadway (1948) (special effects)
Fury at Furnace Creek (1948) (special effects)
Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948) (special effects)
Sitting Pretty (1948) (special photographic effects)
Call Northside 777 (1948) (special photographic effects)
You Were Meant for Me (1948) (special photographic effects)
Captain from Castile (1947) (special photographic effects)
Daisy Kenyon (1947) (special effects)
Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) (special photographic effects)
Forever Amber (1947) (special photographic effects)
Nightmare Alley (1947) (special effects)
The Foxes of Harrow (1947) (special effects)
I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now (1947) (special photographic effects)
Kiss of Death (1947) (special photographic effects)
Thunder in the Valley (1947) (special effects)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) (special effects)
Moss Rose (1947) (special photographic effects)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Homestretch (1947) (special photographic effects)
Carnival in Costa Rica (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Late George Apley (1947) (special photographic effects)
Boomerang! (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Brasher Doubloon (1947) (special photographic effects)
13 Rue Madeleine (1947) (special photographic effects)
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) (special photographic effects)
My Darling Clementine (1946) (special photographic effects)
Wake Up and Dream (1946) (special photographic effects)
The Razor’s Edge (1946) (special photographic effects)
Margie (1946) (special photographic effects)
Home, Sweet Homicide (1946) (special photographic effects)
If I’m Lucky (1946) (special photographic effects)
It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dog (1946) (special effects)
Centennial Summer (1946) (special photographic effects)
Smoky (1946) (special photographic effects)
Anna and the King of Siam (1946) (special photographic effects)
Somewhere in the Night (1946) (special photographic effects)
Do You Love Me (1946) (special photographic effects)
Strange Triangle (1946) (special effects)
Cluny Brown (1946) (special photographic effects)
Dragonwyck (1946) (special photographic effects)
The Dark Corner (1946) (special photographic effects)
Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946) (special effects)
Sentimental Journey (1946) (special photographic effects)
Claudia and David (1946) (special effects)
Behind Green Lights (1946) (special effects)
Colonel Effingham’s Raid (1946) (special effects)
Shock (1946) (special photographic effects)
The Spider (1945) (special photographic effects)
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) (special photographic effects)
The Dolly Sisters (1945) (special photographic effects)
Three Little Girls in Blue (1945) (special photographic effects)
Fallen Angel (1945) (special photographic effects)
Thunderhead – Son of Flicka (1945) (special effects)
The House on 92nd Street (1945) (special photographic effects)
State Fair (1945) (special photographic effects)
Within These Walls (1945) (special photographic effects)
The Caribbean Mystery (1945) (special photographic effects)
A Bell for Adano (1945) (special photographic effects)
Captain Eddie (1945) (special photographic effects)
Junior Miss (1945) (special photographic effects)
Nob Hill (1945) (special photographic effects)
Don Juan Quilligan (1945) (special photographic effects)
Molly and Me (1945) (special photographic effects) (uncredited)
Where Do We Go from Here? (1945) (special photographic effects)
The Bullfighters (1945) (special photographic effects)
The All-Star Bond Rally (1945) (special effects)
Diamond Horseshoe (1945) (special photographic effects)
A Royal Scandal (1945) (special photographic effects)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) (special effects)
Hangover Square (1945) (special effects)
Doll Face (1945) (special photographic effects)
Winged Victory (1944) (special effects)
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) (special photographic effects)
Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944) (special effects)
Something for the Boys (1944) (special photographic effects)
Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944) (special effects)
Laura (1944) (special photographic effects)
Greenwich Village (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Big Noise (1944) (special photographic effects)
In the Meantime, Darling (1944) (special photographic effects)
Sweet and Low-Down (1944) (special effects)
Wilson (1944) (special effects)
Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944) (special effects)
Wing and a Prayer (1944) (special photographic effects)
Take It or Leave It (1944) (special photographic effects)
Home in Indiana (1944) (special photographic effects)
Ladies of Washington (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Eve of St. Mark (1944) (special effects)
The Bermuda Mystery (1944) (special effects)
Pin Up Girl (1944) (special photographic effects)
Tampico (1944) (special effects)
Buffalo Bill (1944) (special photographic effects)
Four Jills in a Jeep (1944) (special effects)
The Purple Heart (1944) (special effects)
Jane Eyre (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Sullivans (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Lodger (1944) (special effects)
Lifeboat (1944) (special photographic effects)
The Fighting Lady (1944) (special photographic effects: maps)
The Gang’s All Here (1943) (special effects)
The Song of Bernadette (1943) (special photographic effects)
The Dancing Masters (1943) (special photographic effects)
Stormy Weather (1943) (special effects)
Happy Land (1943) (special photographic effects)
Guadalcanal Diary (1943) (special photographic effects)
Paris After Dark (1943) (special effects)
Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1943) (special effects)
Wintertime (1943) (special photographic effects)
Holy Matrimony (1943) (special effects)
Heaven Can Wait (1943) (special photographic effects)
Bomber’s Moon (1943) (special photographic effects)
Jitterbugs (1943) (special photographic effects)
Coney Island (1943) (special photographic effects)
They Came to Blow Up America (1943) (special effects)
Crash Dive (1943) (special photographic effects)
Hello Frisco, Hello (1943) (special effects)
The Moon Is Down (1943) (special effects)
Claudia (1943) (special effects)
The Black Swan (1942) (special photographic effects)
How Green Was My Valley (1941) (special photographic effects) (uncredited)
A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) (special effects coordinator)
Brigham Young – Frontiersman (1940) (special effects)
Little Old New York (1940) (special effects)
The Blue Bird (1940) (special effects)
Young People (1940) (second unit director) (uncredited)
The Rains Came (1939) (special effects scenes stager)

One of the drawings Fred Sersen made before embarking upon the complex photographic effects for “The Rains Came”

sersen1

- Suez (1938) (special effects)
- In Old Chicago (1937) (special effects)
- Under Two Flags (1936) (special effects) (uncredited)
- Dante’s Inferno (1935) (technical staff) (as Fred M. Sersen)
- A Connecticut Yankee (1931) (special effects)
- The Big Trail (1930) (settings)

Jack Shaw

 

Jack Shaw worked as matte artist for Selznick Studios with Jack Cosgrove for more than one decade. He later went to Warner bros where he painted matted un till he committed suicide after finishing his work for The animal World (1956)
Jack Shaw (right) and cameraman Roy Seawright line up an original-negative matte painting shot.

jshaw

 

Filmography:

- The Animal World (1956) ( matte artist)
- Portrait of Jennie (1948 ) (matte painter)
- Mighthy Joe Young (1949)(matte artist)
- Bad Men of Tombstone (1949) (special effects)
- Suspense(1946)(spec effects)
- Duel in the Sun (1946) (matte painter – uncredited)
- Since you wnet away (1944) ( matte painter)
- One million BC (1940)(matte artist)
- Gone with the wind (1939)(matte artist)
- Swiss Miss (1938) (matte artist uncredited)
- Prisoner of Zenda (1937) (matte painter)

Emilio Ruiz del Rio

Biography:

Emilio Ruiz del Río, was born in Madrid, Spain in 1923.
In 1942 he started to work at Chamartin Studios in Madrid as assistant of scenic painter  Enrique Salvá, a well-known landscape painter, who became scenic artist and later on art director.

For the next few years Enrique Salvá and his young assistant shared the work painting scenic backdrops and glass paintings. At the 40´s they worked at more than 10 films by year, it was an exciting, wild and crazy experience painting always under pressure, always running from one to another studio. Salvá was the fastest and most wanted background painter, and Emilio was forced to learn fast, how to paint bakings and glasses.

It was in 1955 during the filming of “La cruz de Mayo” when Emilio discovered a new system. He had just completed a painting of a cityscape on a huge sheet of glass. When Emilio arrived to the studio at the morning, he found the glass cracked. Probably caused by the extreme cold during the night. They did not have time to prepare a new glass, so Emilio asked the construction team to help him cut a wooden silhouette of the city. He then painted the required scenic effect over the masonite surface. The shot was a huge success and Emilio immediately saw the advantages of using the painted cut out rather than the old glass shot. There wasn’t the problem of unwanted reflections showing up on the sheet of glass, and it was more easily set up and lighter to handle. Emilio thought about some other material lighter than the wood and finally came up with the idea of using a thin aluminium cut out piece. From then on, depending on the requirements of the production he used both techniques, glass and aluminium cut out, the last one more often mostly because was a cheaper and easy to handle one.

When the Italian producer Italo Zingarelli came to Spain to supervise the exterior shooting of his films at thge late 50´s , he saw one of Emilio’s on location paintings and became aware of the extremely useful he could be for his next epic projects. During a decade, Emilio Ruiz worked with him  travelling for Europe, painting miniatures in Italy, Yugoslavia, Hungry, etc, for sword and sandal and war movies like “The Last Days of Pompeii” (1959), “Legions of the Nile” (1960), “The Colossus of Rhodes” (1961) or “The Invincible Seven” (1963).
These were years of fast painting and learning by doing hundreds of in camera trick shots. He began to explore new ways to give realism and movement to some of his paintings. He started to make armies of small soldiers silhouettes glued over hidden belts, moved by a crank. For a Roman Circus shot, he included hundreds of small rubber figures in a cut out painting, moved along with hidden wires. He also provided armies and vehicles moving through miniatures and squadrons of airplanes painted on a moving sheet of glass, for war movies.

Emilio’s filmography was full of international names like Mann, Lean, Cukor, Annakin, Vidor, Buñuel, Welles, Lester, Siodmak and Kubrick. He also worked on some of the films of Ray Harryhausen, painting backdrops on the early ones and in camera glass shots for the last Sinbad films. He collaborate at the epic films produced by Samuel Bronston in Spain.

It was during these years after the huge experience working on the cheap low budget Italian films when he begun to get involved in some projects on a big or medium budget where they required his skills, and he could use foreground miniatures instead of the painting cut out, which was cheaper.

In Spain, he collaborated with Juan Piquer Simon on a series of fantasy and adventure films – generally made on a low budget. Piquer counted on with some other professionals of equal talent of Emilio, like Francisco Prosper. (Prosper, although was specialised on three-dimensional miniatures, he also made some matte paintings by himself)

In the early 80´s, Emilio had another lucky encounter with an Italian producer; this time was Dino de Laurentiis who came to Spain for the shooting of the first Conan film.
Emilio Ruiz was commissioned to build the miniatures. Due to the ample budget, he used foreground model miniatures for most of the shots and only made used of glass shots for some fast solving solutions.

De Laurentiis was so satisfied with his work; the he embarked him on his next futuristic epic project, Dune. Emilio Ruiz went to Mexico for almost one year to make the most big and spectacular foreground miniatures he had made to date.

During the last two decades, he kept working with his traditional techniques providing glass paintings, cut out miniatures and foreground models for Spanish, French, Italian and American films. With the advent of the digital era, he became probably the last practitioner of the old art of glass painting in the world. When all the matte painters around the world were forced to put aside their brushes for the digital palette, Emilio kept alive the tradition of the old pioneers, like Norman Dawn or Percy Day.
Some of his last contributions were “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” (2004), or “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006)

In 2007, he was asked to collaborate on a documentary on his life and career. It was during the filming of the documentary “El ultimo truco”(2008) when he became ill and died at the age of 84, some weeks after filming his last foreground miniature and cut out painting trick.

19 years old Emilio Ruiz  begun at Chamartin  film Studios art department.

1942E.Ruiz

A young Emilio Rioz (right) with his mentor Enrique Salvá (left) in front of the sets for Alba de America.  The final painting below.

Alba-Enrique-Emilio2

 Emilio Ruiz at 1959 painting a glass shoot for Legionsof the Nile.

1959LegionsNile

For the Italian War film Dirty Heroes (1967) Emilio painted several in camera tricks.

1967Dirty Heroes

One of the many Foreground miniatures that Emilio and his team made for Conan (1982)

ConanEmilioR4 copia

One of the last painting of Ruiz del Rio, for the film Luz de Domingo (2007)

Emilio-Luzdomingo1

Emilio-luzdomingo2NewYork02

Summarised Filmography:

1942 Goyescas
1942 Rojo y negro
1943 El abanderado
1943 Ídolos
1944 Inés de Castro
1944 El clavo
1945 Los últimos de Filipinas
1945 Espronceda
1946 El crimen de la calle Bordadores
1946 Cuando llegue la noche
1946 La pródiga
1947 Fuenteovejuna
1948 Locura de amor
1948 Don Quijote de la Mancha
1949 La Duquesa de Benamejí
1950 Agustina de Aragón
1950 Pequeñeces
1951 Alba de América
1951 La leona de Castilla
1951 Ronda española
1952 El andén
1952 Amaya
1953 El beso de Judas
1954 El indiano
1954 Aventuras del barbero de Sevilla
1955 La cruz de mayo
1955 Mister Arkadin
1955 Alexander the great
1956 Embajadores en el infierno
1957 Robinsón (Un petit coin de paradis)
1957 The pride and the passion
1957 The Sword and the Cross
1958 John Paul Jones
1958 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
1958 The warrior and the slave girl
1959 The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
1959 Salomon and Sheba
1959 Legions of the Nile
1960 El Cid Anthony Mann
1960 Spartacus
1961 King of Kings
1961 The Colossus of Rhodes
1962 Medusa Against the Son of Hercules
1962 The Invincible Gladiator
1962 Cleopatra
1963 55 days in Pekín
1963 The fall of the Roman Empire
1963 Samson and the Mighty Challenge
1964 El fabuloso mundo del circo Henry Hathaway
1965 Doctor Zhivago
1965 Battle of the Bulge
1965 Chimes at midnight
1966 Return of tyhe seven
1966 Lost command
1967 Dirty heroes
1967 Custer of the West
1968 Villa rides
1969 Krakatoa
1969 Patton
1969 The royal hunt of the sun
1970 The horsemen
1970 The great white hope
1970 cannon for Córdoba
1971Nicolás and Alexandra
1972 Treasure island
1972 Marco Antonio and Cleopatra
1973 The héroes
1973 The golden voyage of simbad
1974 The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue
1975 Zorro
1975 The wind and the lion
1976 The Loves and Times of Scaramouche
1977 Where Time Began
1978 The inglorious bastards
1978 The Humanoid
1979 Operación Ogro

1979 Fortunata y Jacinta (tv Series)
1979 Supersonic man
1981 Conan the barbarian
1981 Mystery on Monster Island
1982 Pieces
1982 Iron master
1983 The Pod People
1984 Dune
1984 Conan the destroyer
1985 Cat’s eye
1985 Red Sonja
1986 Tai-Pan
1986 Maximun overdriv
1987 Space island
1987 Slugs: the movie
1987 Million dollar mystery
1989 The rift
1990 Navy Seals
1990-91 La Révolution française
1991 Requiem por Granada
1992 Acción mutante Alex de la Iglesia
1992 Cristopher Columbus: The discovery
1995 S.P.Q.R.: 2,000 and a Half Years Ago
1995 Deserto di fuoco (TV series)
1997 Territorio comanche
1998 La niña de tus ojos
1999 Nadie conoce a nadie
2000 Girl from Río
2001 The Devil´s blackbone
2001 El embrujo de Shanghai
2002 Guerreros
2002 Soldados de Salamina
2003¡Buen viaje, excelencia!
2005 The bridge of San Luis rey
2006 Pan´s laberynth
2007 Teresa, el cuerpo de Cristo
2007 Luz de domingo José Luis Garci
2008 La mujer del anarquista
2008 El ultimo truco: Emilio Ruiz.

Full gallery is not available yet, but you can visit the old Site:

http://galeon.com/fxespana1/Ruiz/EMILIORUIZ-GAL.html

 

Matte paintings and miniatures around the World

Although in the United States and in England is where the fields of special effects have been developed in a more forceful way, also in other countries they have carried out all kinds of VFX work.  Matte glass paintings and miniatures tricks have been in use since the early 40´s all around the World.

On this page, I will be adding Countries, Movies, and Technicians as I will get to know and learn about them. If anyone has some piece of information related to some country or artist, I would love to hear about it.

The history of matte painting in the United States is so huge that it is almost impossible to show on a single site.  For the British matte painting on films, I have created a summarized timeline.

Argentine

Australia

 Brazil

Canada

Czech Republic

Egypt

Philippines

France

Germany

India

Italy

Japan

Mexico

Romania

Spain

Russia

United Kingdom

United States

Candelario Rivas

Biographical information and pictures from his family tribute site: http://www.pgmagallanes.com/CRivas/index.htm

Biography: Born on February 2, 1877, in the city of Zacatecas, Mexico. From his childhood, he was an exceptionally gifted artist. He learned the techniques of mural paintings so fast that with 17 yeast old was assigned to paint a mural into the Zacatecas cathedral.
In those days, it was routine for the Catholic Church to commission large murals and other artworks to adorn their houses of worship. Rivas would work for several years sometimes, executing large paintings on religious subjects. His first such commission, in fact, came when he was only 17, and was well enough received that he was able to make a very good living this way until he was 45.
In 1923, the violence in Mexico forced him to leave the country and settle in L.A.
Rivas’ life in California was considerably different as he learned that American churches rarely hired artists to do original work. Besides murals, Candelario often painted for the studio large estate-type portraits for the wealthy, particularly in the Los Angeles area. Candelario Rivas repeatedly refused to work for the Hollywood movie studios. But on one occasion, with work hard to come by, he accepted a week long commission to paint a castle with pastels on a three by four foot blackboard. It was a last- minute requirement by MGM, and he received a handsome fee worth about three months rent ($100). The studio was pleased with the pastel work and it was used in the movie The Wizard of Oz as the wicked witch’s castle. Soon after, he was offered a full-time job. Not easily persuaded by money, Candelario declined the offer and told his family that he would have lost his soul in the corruption of the film industry.
He continued to do religious paintings when he could, but the commissions were rarely as large as those in Mexico.
He passed away suddenly from a heart attack on June 29, 1949

Filmography: – The Wizard of Oz( 1939) (matte painting, Castle)Wizard_of_Oz

Portrait of actress Constance Bennet (lefts) and Janet Gaynor (right)

CandelarioPort

Some samples of his mural paintings.

candelario1 candelario2

 

Edward C. Rogers

Biography:
According to The ASC Treasury of Visual Effects by George E. Turner ” High quality glass shots were being made in England as early as 1912 by Edward Charles Rogers, who had been a set designer and scenic artist for the stage.” He worked  for producer Charles Urban as art director and VFX supervisor.

Filmography:

- The poppies of Flanders (1927) ( background painting)

 

Rick Rische

Rick Rische started at Introvision VFX company as matte painter. He later went to Skotack brothers company 4Ward productions, and then matte world as digital matte artist.

Filmography:

- Star Trek: Into darkness (2013)(matte painter: Pixomondo – uncredited)
- After Earth (2013)(visual effects art director: Pixomondo)
- Hugo (2011) (visual effects art director: Pixomondo)
- Hereafter (2010)(matte artist: Scanline VFX – uncredited)
- The last Airbender (2010)(matte artist: ILM)
- Shutter Island (2010) (matte artist: The Syndicate)
- 2012 (2009/I) (matte artist: Uncharted Territory)
- Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (2009) (matte painter)
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) (matte painter)
- Speed Racer (2008) (matte artist: Digital Domain)
- Live Free or Die Hard (2007) (matte painter: The Orphanage)
- Night at the Museum (2006) (matte artist: Rhythm & Hues) (as Richard Rische)
- 300 (2006) (matte artist: Hydraulx)
- Superman Returns (2006) (matte artist: Rhythm & Hues) (texture artist: Rhythm & Hues)
- The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D (2005) (digital matte artist: Hydraulx)
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004) (matte painting supervisor: The Orphanage)
- Peter Pan (2003) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) (matte artist: ILM)
- Stuart Little 2 (2002) (digital matte artist: SPI)
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) (digital matte artist: ILM) (uncredited)
- Impostor (2002) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- Kate & Leopold (2001) (digital matte artist) (as Rick Riche)
- The Mummy Returns (2001) (lead matte artist: ILM)
- The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- Sleepy Hollow (1999) (digital matte painter: ILM)
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- The Mummy (1999) (matte painter: ILM) (as Richard Rische)
- Deep Impact (1998) (digital matte artist: ILM)
- Titanic (1997) (matte artist: 4-Ward) (uncredited)
- The great Los Angeles Earthqauke(1997)(TVM)(matte painter)

RischeEartquake
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996) (matte artist: Matte World Digital) (uncredited)
- Tank Girl (1995) (matte painter: 4-Ward Productions)
- Clifford (1994) (matte artist)
- Free Willy (1993) (matte painter)
- Dracula (1992) (matte artist: 4-Ward) (uncredited)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) (matte painter: 4-Ward Productions)

RischeT2
- Cast a deadly spell (1991)( matte artist 4-Ward productions)
- Darkman (1990) (matte artist: Introvision)
- Tremors (1990) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- Driving Miss Daisy (1989) (matte painter: Introvision) (uncredited)
- Adventures in Babysitting (1987) (matte painter)

Jack Rabin

Biography:
Date of birth 18 March 1914
Date of death 25 May 1987

Jack Rabin begun in 1937 at Selznick International Pictures under Jack Cosgrove, doing matte paintings, miniatures and opticals. He later was four years at FX departement of Warner Bros, and then go to T. C. FOX.
He joined with Irving Block, who created most of Hollywood’s special effects extravaganzas of the 1950s, including KRONOS and CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON. His partner Irving Block was an accomplished matte painter, Jack Rabin was probably in charge of matte photography and composition.

 

Filmography:

Eating Raoul (1982) (opticals)
The Bees (1978) (special effects)
Avalanche (1978) (opticals)
Fighting Mad (1976) (titles & opticals)
Jackson County Jail (1976) (optical effects)
Tunnel Vision (1976) (opticals)
‘Sheba, Baby’ (1975) (titles & opticals)
Friday Foster (1975) (titles & opticals)
Return to Macon County (1975) (opticals)

The Atomic Submarine (1959) (special effects designer and creator)
“Men Into Space” (1959) TV Series (special effects)
The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959) (special photographic effects)
Behemoth, the Sea Monster (1959) (special effects)
The Last Mile (1959) (special effects)
Monster from Green Hell (1958) (special photographic effects)
The Mugger (1958) (special effects)
Murder by Contract (1958) (photographic effects)
Thundering Jets (1958) (visual effects supervisor)
Fort Bowie (1958) (photographic effects)
Macabre (1958) (special effects)
Cop Hater (1958) (special photographic effects)
God’s Little Acre (1958) (special photographic effects)
Desert Hell (1958) (special photographic effects)
War of the Satellites (1958) (special effects)
The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957) (special effects creator)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957) (TV) (special effects)
Hell Bound (1957) (special effects)
The Invisible Boy (1957) (special effects)
Copper Sky (1957) (optical effects)
The Girl in Black Stockings (1957) (special photographic effects)
“Have Gun – Will Travel” (1957) TV Series (special photographic effects)
Bop Girl Goes Calypso (1957) (special effects)
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll (1957) (special effects creator)
Kronos (1957) (special effects)
Revolt at Fort Laramie (1957) (special photographic effects)
War Drums (1957) (special effects)
Men in War (1957) (special photographic effects)
Pharaoh’s Curse (1957) (special effects)
Voodoo Island (1957) (special effects)
Tomahawk Trail (1957) (photographic effects)
Plunder Road (1957) (photographic effects)
Back from the Dead (1957) (optical effects)
The Unknown Terror (1957) (optical effects)
Bayou (1957) (photographic effects)
The Black Sleep (1956) (photographic effects)
The Killing (1956) (photographic effects)
Crime Against Joe (1956) (photographic effects)
The Black Whip (1956) (special effects)
The Women of Pitcairn Island (1956) (photographic effects)
The Wild Party (1956) (special photographic effects)
The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) (special effects)
Quincannon – Frontier Scout (1956) (photographic effects)
The Broken Star (1956) (special effects)
World Without End (1956) (special effects)
Three Bad Sisters (1956) (special effects)
“Gunsmoke” (1955) TV Series (optical effects) (1955-1959)
The Night of the Hunter (1955) (special photographic effects)
The Big Combo (1955) (special photographic effects)
Suddenly (1954) (photographic effects)
Shield for Murder (1954) (special photographic effects)
Bait (1954) (titles & optical effects)
Top Banana (1954) (title and effects)
Dragon’s Gold (1954) (special effects)
World for Ransom (1954) (optical effects) (as J. Rabin)
Beachhead (1954) (photographic effects)
War Paint (1953) (photographic effects)
Invaders from Mars (1953) (matte artist) (optical effects)
Paris Model (1953) (special effects)
Cat-Women of the Moon (1953) (special effects)
I, the Jury (1953) (special effects) (as J. Rabin)
The Neanderthal Man (1953) (special effects)
Robot Monster (1953) (special photographic effects)
The Moon Is Blue (1953) (special effects)
Port Sinister (1953) (special effects)
Stolen Identity (1953) (special effects)
The Star (1952) (special effects)
Invasion USA (1952) (special effects)
“Ramar of the Jungle” (1952) TV Series (titles and opticals)
Flight to Mars (1951) (special effects) (uncredited)
The Man From Planet X (1951) (optical effects) (uncredited)
Unknown World (1951) (special effects) (as J. R. Rabin)
Rocketship X-M (1950) (special photographic effects designer)
Reign of Terror (1949) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
Home of the Brave (1949) (special effects) (as J.R. Rabin)
Red Stallion in the Rockies (1949) (special art effects)
In This Corner (1948) (special art effects)
Man from Texas (1948) (matte effects)
Let’s Live a Little (1948) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
He Walked by Night (1948) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
The Amazing Mr. X (1948) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
Northwest Stampede (1948) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
The Noose Hangs High (1948) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
Raw Deal (1948) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
Adventures of Casanova (1948) (special effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
T-Men (1947) (special art effects)
Repeat Performance (1947) (special art effects) (as Jack R. Rabin)
Lost Honeymoon (1947) (special art effects)

Lewis Wood Physioc

Biography:

Date of birth 30 June 1879 South Carolina, USA.
A graduate of the College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts in Raleigh, NC, American cinematographer Lewis H. Physioc began his screen career as scenic artist and technical director of Cameraphone, an early sound system. Also at various times associated with Edison and, like his younger brother Wray Physioc, with Pathé Freres, Physioc later became a cameraman and cinematographer with Famous Players (then later Paramount), Goldwyn, and Selznick, photographing such films as Seven Keys to Baldpate (1917), The Glorious Lady (1919), and Upstairs and Down (1919). In the 1920s, he functioned as cinematographer for producer Harry Garson and, in the sound era, worked extensively with visual effects, helping to develop the technique known as matte painting. Physioc remained in the film industry at least through the 1940s.At 1939 he was art teacher at the University of Southern Califonia, who among other techniques, demostrated the use if matte paintings, and glass shots. One of his students was Ray Harryhausen.
Confusingly, he has at various times been billed Lewis H. Physioc, Louis J. Physioc, and Lewis W. Physioc; his official bio reads Lewis W. Physioc.
He created the eagle logo for Republic Pictures as well as painting landscapes and designing magazine covers. He also worked in oil paints as a landscape artist.

Date of death 16 January 1972Los Angeles County, California, USA.

The classic 1922 cover, illustrated by Lewis Physioc, ASC.PhysiocCover

Two paintings by Lewis Physioc.

physioc1Physioc2

sr17_spencebennet-painting

Filmography:

Out California Way (1946) as Matte Paintings
That Brennan Girl (1946) as Matte Paintings
Stagecoach to Denver (1946) as Matte Paintings
Santa Fe Uprising (1946) as Matte Paintings
Affairs of Geraldine (1946) as Matte Paintings
Plainsman and the Lady (1946) as Matte Paintings
The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (1946) as Matte Paintings
Roll on Texas Moon (1946) as Matte Paintings
Earl Carroll Sketchbook (1946) as Matte Paintings
The Last Crooked Mile (1946) as Matte Paintings
I’ve Always Loved You (1946) as Matte Paintings
The Invisible Informer (1946) as Matte Paintings
G. I. War Brides (1946) as Matte Paintings
The Inner Circle (1946) as Matte Paintings
My Pal Trigger (1946) as Matte Paintings
Red River Renegades (1946) as Matte Paintings
Specter of the Rose (1946) as Matte Paintings
Rendezvous with Annie (1946) as Matte Paintings
Night Train to Memphis (1946) as Matte Paintings
Conquest of Cheyenne (1946) as Matte Paintings
Man from Rainbow Valley (1946) as Matte Painting
Traffic in Crime (1946) as Matte Paintings
One Exciting Week (1946) as Matte Paintings
In Old Sacramento (1946) as Matte Paintings
The El Paso Kid (1946) as Matte Paintings
Passkey to Danger (1946) as Matte Paintings
Valley of the Zombies (1946) as Matte Painting
Rainbow Over Texas (1946) as Matte Paintings
Sun Valley Cyclone (1946) as Matte Paintings
Murder in the Music Hall (1946) as Matte Paintings
Home on the Range (1946) as Matte Paintings
The Undercover Woman (1946) as Matte Paintings
Alias Billy the Kid (1946) as Matte Paintings
The Catman of Paris (1946) as Matte Paintings
Song of Arizona (1946) as Matte Paintings
Sheriff of Redwood Valley (1946) as Matte Paintings
The Madonna’s Secret (1946) as Matte Paintings
Days of Buffalo Bill (1946) as Matte Paintings
Crime of the Century (1946) as Matte Paintings
Gay Blades (1946) as Matte Painting
Along the Navajo Trail (1945) as Matte Paintings
The Cherokee Flash (1945) as Matte Paintings
An Angel Comes to Brooklyn (1945) as Matte Paintings
Don’t Fence Me In (1945) as Matte Paintings
The Cheaters (1945) as Matte Paintings

- The Beast of Borneo (1934)Cinematographer
- The Midnight Patrol (1932)Cinematographer
- Call of the Circus (1930)Cinematographer
- The Viking (1928) (associate artist)
- God of Mankind (1928) (as Louis Physioc)Cinematographer
- The blood ship (1927) (matte artist uncredited)
- The No-Gun Man (1924)Cinematographer
- The Millionaire Cowboy (1924)Cinematographer
- Thundering Dawn (1923) (as Louis Physioc)Cinematographer
- The Glorious Lady (1919) (as Lewis Physioc)Cinematographer
- The Spite Bride (1919)Cinematographer
- Upstairs and Down (1919)Cinematographer
- A Perfect 36 (1918) (as Louis Physioc)Cinematographer
- Peck’s Bad Girl (1918)Cinematographer
- The Claw (1918)Cinematographer
- The Reason Why (1918)Cinematographer
- The Knife (1918)Cinematographer
- The Antics of Ann (1917)Cinematographer
- Bab’s Burglar (1917)Cinematographer
- Bab’s Diary (1917)Cinematographer
- The Long Trail (1917)Cinematographer
- A Girl Like That (1917)Cinematographer
- A Coney Island Princess (1916)Cinematographer
- The Kiss (1916)Cinematographer
- Rolling Stones (1916)Cinematographer
- When Rome Ruled (1914) (scenic artist)

Ralph Pappier

Biography:

Ralph Pappier born at 1914, Shanghai, China. At 1936 he moved to Bueno Aires, Argentina where he developed a carrer as art director and director.
Making use of his artistic skills, he also was responsible for the special effects at most of his films. He used very often glass painting shots, which in Argentinas is called “pintura completiva”. He died at 1998, in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Filmography as art director:

Último payador, El (1950)
Aventuras de Jack, Las (1949)
Otra y yo, La (1949)
Pobre, mi madre querida (1948)
Serpiente de cascabel, La (1948)
Precio de una vida, El (1947)
Cumparsita, La (1947) The Little Parade
Madame Bovary (1947)(matte painting)
Hijos del otro, Los (1947)
Romance musical (1947)
Cumbres de hidalguía (1947)
Camino del infierno (matte painting)
María Rosa (1946)
Cabalgata del circo, La (1945) Circus Cavalcade (USA)
Cuando la primavera se equivoca (1944) When Spring Makes a Mistake(matte painting)
Su mejor alumno (1944) His Best Pupil ( special effects)
Eclipse de sol (1943) Eclipse of the Sun
Cuando florezca el naranjo (1943) When the Orange Tree Flowers(matte painting)
Hijos artificiales, Los (1943) Artificial Sons
Tres hombres del río (1943) Three Men of the River
Guerra gaucha, La (1942) The Gaucho War(matte painting)
Gran secreto, El (1942)
En el viejo Buenos Aires (1942)
Viejo Hucha, El (1942) The Old Skinflint
Cruza (1942)
En el último piso (1942)
Yo quiero morir contigo (1941)
I Want to Die with You (International: English title)
Cura gaucho, El (1941)The Gaucho Priest (International: English title)
Mozo número 13, El (1941)
Quinta calumnia, La (1941)The Fifth Column (International: English title)
Volver a vivir (1941)
Chingolo (1940)
Carga de los valientes, La (1940)Only the Valiant (USA)
Encadenado (1940)
Hijo del barrio, El (1940)
Chingolo (1940 ) (matte painting)
The bridge and part of the vegetation was painted on glass for “Chingolo” (1940)

Chingolo40
Corazón de turco (1940)
Prisioneros de la tierra (1939) Prisoners of the Land (USA: informal English title)
Atorrante (1939)
Nativa (1939)
…Y los sueños pasan (1939)

Director:

Esquiú, una luz en el sendero (1965)
Allá donde el viento brama (1963) Donde el viento brama (Argentina)
Delito (1962)
Operación G (1962)
Festín de Satanás, El (1958)
Morocha, La (1958)
Caballito criollo (1953) Native Pony (
Escuela de campeones (1950)
Último payador, El (1950)
Pobre, mi madre querida (1948)
Pródiga, La (1945) (co-director) (uncredited)The Prodigal Woman

Andrew Probert

Biography:

Andrew Probert’s artistic career began on the small screen, designing the robotic Cylons for the original “Battlestar: Galactica”, moving on to the big screen as a major design contributor for “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”, working to update the overall look of Starfleet ships & hardware. This led to a number of television and feature-film projects, including “Airwolf”, “Streethawk”, and “Back to the Future”. In 1987, Probert’s last Hollywood project proved to be the one for which he is most well known: “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.
In 1989, Probert joined Walt Disney Imagineering, designing various themepark rides & attractions. Years later, he entered the video game industry working with Spectrum Holobyte, Sega, Perpetual Entertainment, and Lucid.

To know more visit his site:

http://www.probertdesigns.com/

Andrew Probert at work, doing some illustrations for the paintings that Matthew Yuricich latter painted on glass for Star Treck the movie 1979.

AProbert1

Some other illustrations that he made for Star Treck the movie 1979.

Probertdesign1 Probertdesign2

Two matte paintings that Probert painted for the Star TreckTV Series.

Probertmatte1a probertmatte2a

Filmography:

- Tin Men (1987) (production illustrator)
- Back to the Future (1985) (production illustrator)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (production illustrator) (as Andrew G. Probert)
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (production illustrator)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987) TV Series (consulting senior illustrator)
- Battlestar Galactica (1978) (TV) (additional artwork)

Frank Ordaz

Biography:
Extract from his web site.http://ordazart.com/

From age 10 Ordaz studied with famed California master artist Theodore Lukits, a renowned art instructor.
Ordaz attended the University of Southern California on an art scholarship. After two years he then transferred to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena to study illustration.
Upon graduation in 1980 Ordaz was highly recommended for a job with Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), working for filmmaker George Lucas in Northern California. There Ordaz did background matte paintings for specialized movie production effects and worked on films like “ET”, “The Wrath of Khan”, “Return of the Jedi” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, rubbing shoulders with well-known actors, musicians, directors and working with a talented production staff.
Ordaz even had a small bit part in Indiana Jones. He won an Emmy for his work as part of a team of artists working on the 1985 television movie, “Ewok — The Battle of Endor.”
Leaving movie work, and self-employed, his award-winning paintings and illustrations have been used in a line of Christian books, professional sports posters, specialty greeting cards and even a line of jigsaw puzzles.
He is currently involved in a portrait project for the U.S. Air Force, and teaching painting classes for children and adults along with painting portraits for clients out of his new studio Downtown.
Frank Ordaz with a painting for “The ewok Adventure.

Ordazimage

Frank Ordaz working at ILM matte department. The painting was made for “Return of the Jedi” 1983.

FrankOrdaz

Again painting a matte for the Star Treck series, this time for Star Treck IV 1987.

ordaz
The final shot. Only the ramp and the area below the Klingon battle cruiser with some members of the Enterprise crew were included in the live action plate. The rest is the painting by Frank Ordaz.

ordazpaint

Filmoghraphy:
- All I Want for Christmas (1991) (matte artist)
- Star treck IV(87)Matte art)
- Howard the Duck (1986) (matte painting supervisor (ilm visual effects unit))
- The goonies(85)(matte artist)
- Enemy mine(85)(matte artist)
- The Ewok adventure (1984) (matte painting)
- Star treck III Search of Spick (1984) (matte painting)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (matte artist)
- Starman (1984) (matte artist)
- The neverending Story (1984)
- Return of the Jedi (1983) (matte painting artist)
- Star treck II The wrath of Khan (1982)( matte painting)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) (matte painting artist)

Willis O´Brien

The master of stop-motion animation Willis O´Brien, out of economic necessity, made matte paintings at some moments of his career for RKO and Paramount during the fourties.

This self-portrait in the make-up of Rembrandt is the last known picture of O´Brien. It was made as agift to Don Weed of Films Effects Studio, Hollywood, during the trick work and animation for ” It´s amad, mad, mad, mad world”.

Obrienportrait

Two matte paintings for “Going my way”

myway myway2

Paintings  and matte effects for The dancing pirate.

DancingPirate dancingPirate1 dancingpirate2 dancingPirate3
Matte painter filmography:

- The dancing Pirate(1936)(matte effects supervisor)
- Going my way (1942)
- The bells of St. Mary´s(1945)
- The miracle of the bells (1948)

Steven Archer

Biography:

In 1976 Archer met Ray harryhausen showing him soime stop motion animation test. That meeting isnpired him to get a job in Special effects. ” I contacted Cliff Culley, a specialist in matte paintings at Pinewood studios. He had worked on several Bond films and was then creating many matte paintings for The Pink Panther Strikes Again. I contacted him and he very kindly offered me work as an assistant which entailed doing a variety of jobs such as painting the reverse sides of main titles on glass, occasional touching up of matte paintings and painting nearly two hundred cels for the disappearance of the UN building in The Pink Panther Strikes Again. This latter job could be called my first professional animation assignment” Some years later he worked as Harryhausen assistant for Clash of the titans. He then got some other stopmotion animation assignements for films like Krull or Neverneding Story.

Steve Archer with Derek Meddings and with Ray Harryhausen.

S.Archer S.Archer-Ray

Filmography:

1990 The gate 2 (dimensional animation – as Steve Archer)
1984-90 Spitting Image (tv Series) (dimensional animation)
1984 The nerverending Story (animator: motion control unit)
1983 Krull (animator)
1981 Clash of the Titans (assistant to Ray Harryhausen)
1977 The Pink Panther Strikes Again (matte artist assistant)

Mike Pangrazio

Biography .

After graduating high school Pangrazio worked as scenic artist for a
television network[which?], which was a euphemistic term for “bucket
boy”, as he was charged with cleaning paint buckets, dirty brushes and
other menial tasks. He subsequently performed these tasks for a small
Hollywood effects studio, before he met Joe Johnston of Industrial
Light & Magic. It was through him that he was hired in 1978 at ILM.
Lacking any experience, Ralph McQuarrie, who taught him the craft of
matte painting, learning the trade in about three years. he worked at
ILM fropm 1978 to 85
After leaving ILM, Pangrazio co-founded Matte World Digital with Craig
Barron in 1988. Barron and Pangrazio continued to work with the crew
at ILM on notable matte-painting scenes in several classic feature
films.
In 2004 Pangrazio returned to the film industry and joined the world’s
number one visual effects studio Weta Digital in New Zealand as Art
Director.
Michael Pangrazio working on a painting for “Willow”.

Mpangrazio

Mike giving the last touches to a painting made for “The young
Sherlock Holmes”.

pangrazio

Michael Pangrazio joined ILM to start working at Empire Strikes Back
mattes.

MPangrazio2

Filmography:

- Man of steel(2013) (digital effects crew: Weta Digital)
- The Hobbit: An unexpected journey(2012) (senior art director: WETA
Digital)
- Prometheus (2012)(production/data resource department: Weta
Digital)
- The Warrior’s Way(2010) (visual effects art director: Weta Digital)
- The Lovely Bones (2009)(visual effects art director: Weta Digital)
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)(art director, visual effects:
Weta Digital)
- The Water Horse (2007) (matte painting supervisor: Weta Digital)
- 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) (visual effects art director:
Weta Digital)
- Bridge to Terabithia (2007) (visual effects art director: Weta
Digital)
- Eragon (2006) (visual effects art director: Weta Digital)
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) (digital effects artist: Weta Digital)
- King Kong (2005) (art director: Weta Digital)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) (matte painter: The
Orphanage) (uncredited)
- Sin City (2005) (matte painter: The Orphanage) (as Mike Pangrazio)
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) (matte painter: The
Orphanage) (as Mike Pangrazio)
- Catwoman (2004) (matte painter: ESC Entertainment)
- Shadow, The (1994) (special visual effects supervisor)
- Clear and Present Danger (1994) (matte artist supervisor)
- City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994) (matte artist
supervisor: Matte World)
- Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993) (matte artist supervisor)
- Hocus Pocus (1993) (special visual effects supervisor)
- Far Off Place, A (1993) (special visual effects supervisor)
- Ghost in the Machine (1993) (visual effects supervisor of matte
painting)
- Malice (1993) (matte artist supervisor)
- Demolition Man (1993) (matte artist)
- A Far Off Place (1993) (special visual effects supervisor)
- Sommersby (1993) (matte artist supervisor) (uncredited)
- Dracula (1992) (matte artist supervisor: Matte World)
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) (matte painting supervisor)
- Batman Returns (1992) (visual effects supervisor: Matte World)
- Far and Away (1992) (matte artist supervisor)
- Captain Ron (1992) (special visual effects)
- Leaving Normal (1992) (matte artist supervisor)
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) (matte artist
supervisor: Matte World)
- All I Want for Christmas (1991) (matte artist supervisor)
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) (matte artist supervisor)
- Flight of the Intruder (1991) (matte artist supervisor)
- Avalon (1990) (matte artist supervisor)
- Darkman (1990) (matte artist supervisor)
- Arachnophobia (1990) (matte artist supervisor)
- RoboCop 2 (1990) (matte artist supervisor) (uncredited)
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) (matte artist supervisor)
- By Dawn’s Early Light (1990) (TV) (special visual effects
supervisor)
- Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) (matte artist supervisor)
- Prancer (1989) (matte artist supervisor: Matte World)
- The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) (matte artist supervisor)
(uncredited)
- Willow (1988) (matte artist)
- Harry and the Hendersons (1987) (matte artist) (uncredited)
- Empire of the Sun (1987) (additional optical effects)
- Labyrinth (1986) (matte artist supervisor: ILM) (uncredited)
- The golden boy (1986)(matte art)
- Enemy Mine (1985) (matte artist supervisor)
- Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) (matte artist supervisor)
- The Goonies (1985) (matte artist supervisor) (uncredited)
- Explorers (1985) (matte painting supervisor)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (matte painting
supervisor)
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) (matte painting
supervisor)
- The NeverEnding Story(1984) (matte painting supervisor)
- Starman (1984) (matte painting supervisor)
- Return of the Jedi (1983) (matte painting supervisor)
- The Dark Crystal (1982) (matte paintings)
- Poltergeist (1982) (matte painting supervisor: ILM)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) (visual effects matte painting
supervisor)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (matte artist)
- Dragonslayer (1981) (matte artist)
- Empire Strikes Back, The (1980) (matte artist)

Joseph Natanson

Biography:

Joseph Natanson, a Polish-born artist, who died in Rome at aged 94, began life as a Surrealist painter before being recruited in 1947 to do the special effects for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s film “The Red Shoes”.
He then became part of the Shepperton matte painting department in London.

Natanson was dispatched to Italy a number of times in the early 1950s, to participate in various international co-productions at Cinecitta in Rome, the new “Hollywood on the Tiber”

This followed Natanson’s move in the early 1950s from London to Italy, where he collaborated with many leading Italian filmmakers, including Vittorio De Sica, Sergio Leone, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Franco Zeffirelli, as well as numerous other visitors to Cinecitta, from John Huston to Joseph Mankiewicz.
In the end, he was involved in more than 80 films, the last of them Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Name of the Rose”.

His principal task was painting and filming “matte-shots”, miniature scenes and additional elements on glass, that were blown up by the camera to create magnificent backdrops cityscapes, vistas and details that would have been prohibitively expensive to construct, or impossible to engineer and co-ordinate while shooting the main action.

Long before the use of computerized effects, Natanson had ingenious tricks of the trade; for Mankiewicz’s “Cleopatra”, using a castle in the sea near Anzio as a point of view, he managed, with the landscape artist Mary Bone, to create a vast panorama of ancient Alexandria. However, after a delay in filming, when Elizabeth Taylor was indisposed, he noticed that due to a change in the weather, the distant chain of the Italian Apennines, until then shrouded in mist, had suddenly become startlingly visible. The sets were hastily repainted.

The read more about that Cleopatra story follow that link.

Natanson in 1946 in London.

natanson46

Filming a matte-shot for Shepperton FX department.(1954)

natanson54

Joseph Natanson with Federico Fellini

natanson-fellini

Natanson painting in his studio.

natanson-painting2

Filmography.
- La montagna di diamanti (1991)
- The name of the Rose (1986)
- Guerrieri dell’anno 2072, I (1984) (optical effects and miniatures)
- Casanova ( 1976)
- Fantozzia (1975) White collar blues
- Abe Sada (1975) A woman calla be sada
- Simona (1975)
- Lo chiameremo Andrea (1972) we will call him andrew
- brother sun sister moon. (1972)
- A girl in Australia (1971)
- Giu la testa (1971)
- The kremlin letter (1970)
- La torta in cielo (1970) cake in the sky
- Satyricon. (1969)
- Frailuen doctor (1969)
- La tenda rossa (1969) the red tent
- Dillinger e morto (1969)dillinger is dead
- La nonna e’ morta (1969)Oh grandmother is dead
- Ruba il prossimo tuo a fine pair (1969)
- Queimada (1969)
- Witches, The (1969) (special effects)
- Avventure di Ulisse (1968) The adventures of Ulysses
- Histoires extraordinaires (1968) (optical effects) (segment “Toby Dammit”)
- Tre passi nel delirio (1967) (special effects)
- Il Fischo al naso (1967) (special effects) the seventh floor
- La cintura di castita (1967)(special effects)
- Arabella (1967) (special effects)
- Arriva Dorellik (1967) (special effects)
- Reflection in a golden eye (1967)
- Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maesta (1967) Master stroke
- Uccellaci e uccellini (1966) hawks and sparrow
- The cavern (1966) (Special effects)
- Cast a giant shadow.(1966)(matte shots)
- Caccia alla volpe (1966)/ After the Fox (1966) (USA)(special effects)
- Mark Donen agente Z7 (1966) (special effects)
- Se tutte le monde del mondo (1966) (special effects) kiss the girsl and make them die
- Grande colpo dei sette uomini d’oro (1965) seven goleen man strikes again
- Les complexes (1965)
- Sette contra la morte (1965) (special effects) the cavern
- Montagna di luce, La (1965) / Temple of a Thousand Lights (USA)(special effects)
- Saul e David (1964) saul and David
- Belle famiglie, Le (1964) (special effects)
- Ercole sfida Sansone (1963)
- My son the hero(1963) (Spec effects)
- L’eroe di babilonia (1963) (special effects)
- Imperial Venus (1963)
- Cleopatra (1963) (special effects)
- The four days of Napoles 1962
- The nun of monza 1962
- Il Tiranno di Siracusa (1962)
- Boccaccio’70 (1962) (special effects)
- Arrivano i titani (1962) / The Titans (USA)(special effects)
- Le sette folgori di Assur (1962) (special effects)
- Giulio Cesare, il conquistatore delle Gallie (1962) (matte shots)
- Madame Sans-Gêne (1962)
- Ponzio Pilato (1962)
- L’ira di Achille (1962)
- Nefertiti, regina del Nilo (1961)
- Francis of Assis i (1961) (Spec effects)
- Le Triomphe de Michel Strogoff (1961)
- Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi (1961) (matte shots)
- Triunph of Maciste (1961 (matte shots)
- Il Ladro di Bagdad (1961)
- Il sepolcro del Re (1961)
- La Dolce Vita (1960)
- The Giant of metropolis (1960)(special effects)
- Ciociara, La (1960) (Two woman) (matte artist)
- Regina delle Amazzoni, La (1960) (special effects) Colossus and the Amazon Queen (USA)
- Contessa azzurra, La (1960) (special effects)
- Teseo contro il minotauro (1960) (matte shots)
- I Cosacchi (1960)
- La donna dei Faraón (1960) The pharaoh´s woman
- Giuseppe venduto dai fratelli (1960)
- Il Rossetto (1960)
- Archimède, le clochard (1959)
- Ferdinando I. re di Napoli (1959)
-  Sheba and the Gladiator  (1959) (special effects)
- Herod the  Great (1959) (special effects)
- Suor Letizia (1957)
- Sigfrido (1957)
- Il Corsaro della mezzaluna (1957) Pirate of the Half Moon
- Marcia nuziale weeding march (1956)
- Helen of Troy (1956) (special effects)
- Casta diva (1954) (special effects)
- Madame Butterfly (1954) (special effects)
The love of three Queens (1954) (special effects)
- Eterna Femmina (1954) (special effects)
- Symphony of Love (1954) (special effects)
- Ulisse (1954)
- Casa Ricordi (1954)
- I cavalieri dell’illusione (1954)
- Maddalena (1954)
- Lucrèce Borgia (1953)
- Puccini, (1953) (special effects)
- The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1952) (special effects)
- The Red Shoes. (1947) (pictorial effects)

 


Warren Newcombe

Biography:

Warren Newcombe is possibly one of the most ‘seen’ artists of all time. During his prolific career as a special and visual effects designer and painter in Hollywood he created VFX for a staggering 175 films between 1925 and 1957. These include such great classics as ‘Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ (1941), ‘Tortilla Flat’ (1942), ‘Easter Parade’ (1948), ‘Annie Get your Gun’ (1950), ‘Showboat’, ‘An American in Paris’ (1951) and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (1952). He also acted as the Director of Set Painting for ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Warren Newcombe received Academy Awards for Special Effects in both 1945 and 1948.
During this time, Warren Newcombe also produced a number of outstanding paintings and original lithographs. He had studied art in Boston at the Normal Art School under Joseph De Camp and graduated in 1914. He moved to New York City shortly thereafter and made his living as a commercial artist and portraitist.

Newcombe first appeared in Los Angeles in 1918 and in 1924 he became associated with D. W. Griffith and his Mamaroneck studio. He began his long association with Mertro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios the following year.
Warren Newcombe’s paintings and lithographs cover a wide range of themes from landscapes to still lifes and figure studies. His original lithographs today are in many public collections including the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City. None, however, is quite as delightful as his 1937 lithograph, Anna Karenina in Hollywood, where an actual filming set is portrayed. From the wonderful 1930′s equipment and the two-dimensional props and sets, to the portrayals of the director and his bored assistants, this is a vital record of Hollywood history as well as a great work of art. The actress under the lights playing Anna Karenina is none other than Greta Garbo.

 

Warren Newcombe, was head of matte department at MGM Studios from the 1920´s until  his retirement at 1957

newcombe3

 

A matte painting from “Easter parade” at MGM matte department.
From left to right sound man and inventor O.L. Dupy, assistant studio head William Spencer, visual effects cameraman Mark Davis, matte department supervisor Warren Newcombe, and camera operator Bob Roberts57

NEWCOMBEmatte

 

 

Filmography:

- Raintree County (1957) (special effects)
- Designing Woman (1957) (special effects)
- Forbidden Planet (1956) (special effects)
- Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956) (special effects)
- Opposite Sex, The (1956) (special effects)
- Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) (special effects)
- Teahouse of the August Moon, The (1956) (special effects)
- It’s Always Fair Weather (1955) (special effects)
- Love Me or Leave Me (1955) (special effects)
- Guys and Dolls (1955) (special effects)
- Glass Slipper, The (1955) (special effects)
- I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955) (special effects)
- King’s Thief, The (1955) (special effects)
- Trial (1955) (special effects)
- Deep in My Heart (1954) (special effects)
- Long, Long Trailer, The (1954) (special effects)
- Rose Marie (1954) (special effects)
- Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) (special effects)
- Brigadoon (1954) (special effects)
- Executive Suite (1954) (special effects)
- Green Fire (1954) (special effects)
- Her Twelve Men (1954) (special effects)
- Valley of the Kings (1954) (special effects)
- Story of Three Loves, The (1953) (special effects)
- Kiss Me Kate (1953) (special effects)
- .Dream Wife (1953) (special effects)
- Actress, The (1953) (special effects)
- Naked Spur, The (1953) (special effects)
- Julius Caesar (1953) (special effects)
- Band Wagon, The (1953) (special effects)
- Cry of the Hunted (1953) (special effects)
- Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) (special effects)
- Give a Girl a Break (1953) (special effects)
- Remains to Be Seen (1953) (special effects)
- Young Bess (1953) (special effects)
- Merry Widow, The (1952) (special effects)
- Plymouth Adventure (1952) (special effects)
- Above and Beyond (1952) (special effects)
- Scaramouche (1952) (special effects)
- Singin’ in the Rain (1952) (special effects)
- Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) (special effects)
- Belle of New York, The (1952) (special effects)
- Desperate Search (1952) (special effects)
- Girl in White, The (1952) (special effects)
- Pat and Mike (1952) (special effects)
- Prisoner of Zenda, The (1952) (special effects)
- Talk About a Stranger (1952) (special effects)
- Washington Story (1952) (special effects)
- It’s a Big Country (1951) (special effects)
- American in Paris, An (1951) (special effects)
- Across the Wide Missouri (1951) (special effects)
- Texas Carnival (1951) (special effects)
- Royal Wedding (1951) (special effects)
- Go For Broke! (1951) (special effects)
- People Against O’Hara, The (1951) (special effects)
- Great Caruso, The (1951) (special effects)
- Three Guys Named Mike (1951) (special effects)
- Show Boat (1951) (special effects)
- Angels in the Outfield (1951) (special effects)
- Law and the Lady, The (1951) (special effects)
- Light Touch, The (1951) (special effects)
- No Questions Asked (1951) (special effects)
- Painted Hills, The (1951) (special effects)
- Red Badge of Courage, The (1951) (special effects)
- Shadow in the Sky (1951) (special effects)
- Strip, The (1951) (special effects)
- Tall Target, The (1951) (special effects)
- Three Little Words (1950) (special effects)
- Crisis (1950) (special effects)
- Yellow Cab Man, The (1950) (special effects)
- Bribe, The (1949) (special effects)
- Challenge to Lassie (1949) (special effects)
- Barkleys of Broadway, The (1949) (special effects)
- Little Women (1949) (special effects supervisor)
- Malaya (1949) (special effects)
- In the Good Old Summertime (1949) (special effects)
- .Madame Bovary (1949) (special effects)
- On the Town (1949) (special effects)
- Secret Garden, The (1949) (special effects)
- Stratton Story, The (1949) (special effects)
- Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) (special effects)
- Easter Parade (1948) (special effects)
- B.F.’s Daughter (1948) (special effects)
- Hills of Home (1948) (special effects)
- Southern Yankee, A (1948) (special effects)
- Sun Comes Up, The (1948) (special effects)
- Tenth Avenue Angel (1948) (special effects)
- Three Musketeers, The (1948) (special effects)
- Sea of Grass, The (1947) (special effects)
- Beginning or the End, The (1947) (special effects)
- Cass Timberlane (1947) (special effects)
- High Barbaree (1947) (special effects)
- High Wall (1947) (special effects)
- Hucksters, The (1947) (special effects)
- If Winter Comes (1947) (special effects)
- Romance of Rosy Ridge, The (1947) (special effects)
- Harvey Girls, The (1946) (special effects)
- Bad Bascomb (1946) (special effects)
-.Hoodlum Saint, The (1946) (special effects)
- My Brother Talks to Horses (1946) (special effects)
- Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) (special effects)
- Yearling, The (1946) (special effects)
- Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) (special effects)
- Clock, The (1945) (special effects)
- Adventure (1945) (special effects)
- Sailor Takes a Wife, The (1945) (special effects)
- Son of Lassie (1945) (special effects)
- Valley of Decision, The (1945) (special effects)
- Weekend at the Waldorf (1945) (special effects)
- Yolanda and the Thief (1945) (special effects)
- Kismet (1944) (special effects)
- Gaslight (1944) (special effects)
- Dragon Seed (1944) (special effects)
- Mrs. Parkington (1944) (special effects)
- White Cliffs of Dover, The (1944) (special effects)
- Guy Named Joe, A (1943) (special effects)
- Above Suspicion (1943) (special effects)
- Cross of Lorraine, The (1943) (special effects)
- Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) (special effects)
- Lassie Come Home (1943) (special effects)
- Madame Curie (1943) (special effects)
- I Married an Angel (1942) (special effects)
- Tortilla Flat (1942) (special effects)
- Mrs. Miniver (1942) (special effects)
- Reunion in France (1942) (special effects)
- Tennessee Johnson (1942) (special effects)
- Yank at Eton, A (1942) (special effects)
- Smilin’ Through (1941) (special effects)
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) (special effects)
- Billy the Kid (1941) (special effects)
- Feminine Touch, The (1941) (special effects)
- Two-Faced Woman (1941) (special effects)
- Wizard of Oz, The (1939) (director of matte painting staff) OZMatte
- China Seas (1935) (special effects)
- Mask of Fumanchu(1932)

maskFumanchu
- America (1924) (matte painter)

Grahame Menage

Biography:

Menage earned his chops in theatre, with formal training coming from such prestigious institutions as the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. From there he went on to create scenery for the Welsh National Opera and the National Theatre in London. He then worked as a scenic artist for over three dozen film productions. Now, Menage is bringing his thirty-plus years experience to bear on the private sector, painting in homes, restaurants and hotels around the world.

To know more about the artist and see more samples of his work: http://www.grahamemenage.com/

Filmography:

2012 Madea’s Witness Protection (scenic foreman)
2012 American reunion (mural artist)
2012 21 Jump Street (scenic artist: theater scenery)
2012 Joyful Noise (mural artist)
2011 X-Men: First class (scenic artist: Georgia)
2007 Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (TV series) (scenic artist – 1 episode)
2006 Glory road (scenic artist)
2004 Secret Passage (scenic artist)
2003 Chaos and Cadavers (scenic artist)
2003 Chromiumblue.com (scenic artist)
2002 ChromiumBlue.com (TV series) (scenic artist – 6 episodes)
2002 FeardotCom (scenic artist)
2001 The musketeer (lead scenic artist)
2000 Gladiator (scenic artist – uncredited)
1998 Babe: Pig in the City (scenic artist)
1998 Enemy of the state (scenic artist)
1997 Firelight (scenic artist)
1997 The wings of the dove (scenic artist – uncredited)
1989-1994 Tales from the crypt (TV series) (scenic artist – 13 episodes)
1994 Pie in the Sky (TV series) (scenic artist – 10 episodes)
1992 Split second (scenic artist)
1987-1991 Inspector Morse (TV series) (scenic artist – 12 episodes)
1991 King Ralph (scenic artist – uncredited)
1989 Traffik (TV mini-series) (scenic artist – 1 episode)
– The Farmer (1989) (scenic artist)
1985 Enemi mine (scenic artist: Hungary & Iceland)
1985 The Bride (scenic artist)
1984 Squaring the Circle (TV movie) (scenic artist)
1983 The dresser (scenic artist)
1983 The hunger (scenic artist)
1982 Pink Floyd The Wall (scenic artist)
1981 Time Bandits (scenic artist – uncredited)

Gallery:
painting on a crane for “Secret passage”

secret passage

Scenic baking for “The musketeer”

the musketeer

Scenic baking for “Bridget Jones; the edge of reason”

bridget jones the edge of reason

A glass painting made for a commercial.

grahame2

 

Steve Mitchell

Biography:

Steve Mitchell worked as scenic artit many years under notable scenic painter Brian Bishop. He also executed some matte painings, and cut out painting tricks. He has been painting mattes traditionally during the last years.

Steve Mitchell working on a huge scenic painting for the film Inkheart.

Steve-Mitchell-InkHeart-

To see samples of his scenic and matte art: http://www.stevemitchellscenicartist.co.uk/

Filmography:

2011 The Eagle (scenic painter: Hungary)
2010 Leap Year (scenic artist)
2008 The Brothers Bloom (scenic artist)
2007 Elizabeth: The Golden Age(scenic artist)
2007 Sunshine (scenic painter)
2005 The Honeymooners (scenic artist)
2005 Egypt (Tv series) (matte painting)
2004 Wimbledon (scenic artist)
2004 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers ( matte artist)
2004 Stage Beauty (scenic artist)
2003 Johnny English (scenic artist)
2002 In América (scenic artist)
2002 About a Boy (supervising scenic artist)
2002 The Count of Monte Cristo(scenic artist)
2001 The lord of the rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(scenic artist – uncredited)
2001 Spy Game (scenic artist)
2001 Band of brothers (TV mini-series) (scenic artist – Matte painting)- 1 episode)
2001 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (scenic artist)
2001 Blow Dry (scenic artist)
2000 Vertical Limit (scenic artist)
2000 102 Dalmatians (scenic artist)
2000 Gen 13 (video) (storyboard clean-up)
2000 Gangster No. 1 (scenic painter)
2000 What’s Cooking? (set designer)
1999 The End of the Affair (scenic artist- Matte artist)
1999 Onegin (scenic artist)
1999 The End of the Affair
1999 Mansfield Park (scenic artist)
1999 Entrapment (scenic artist)
1998 Dancing at Lughnasa (scenic artist)
1998 The Man with Rain in His Shoes (scenic artist)
1998/I Night Train (scenic artist)
1997 The Man Who Knew Too Little (scenic artist)
1997 The saint (scenic artist)
1996 Moll Flanders (scenic artist)
1996 The Boy from Mercury (scenic artist)
1992 Into the West(scenic artist)
1985 Oliver Twist (TV mini-series) (scenic artist)
1983 Spyship (TV series) (scenic artist – 1 episode)
– Episode #1.6 (1983) (scenic artist)
1981 Artemis 81 (scenic artis)

 

Gallery:

Matte painting of a forest painted with oils for Tv series ” Band of brothers”

bandBrothers

Matte painting for the film “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers”

S_Mitchell

Matte painting for  The End of the Affair

S-Mitchell-affair

 

Louis McManus

Biography:
Born in Mexico on May 31, 1898. McManus settled in Los Angeles in 1920. For 20 years he worked as an artist for Cinema Research. He died in Glendale, CA on April 17, 1968.

During the 1930s, McManus worked primarily as an editor and edited many films and shorts, including those featuring Laurel and Hardy and the Our Gang characters. He joined Hal Roach studios where he worked alongside editor Howard A. Smith. They shared editorial work on the Laurel  & Hardy  series of short comedy films  “Our Gang”

Mcmanus also worked as a visual effects artist, designer, and matte painter. He is best known as the designer for the appearance of the Emmy award statuette and symbol for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

48-EmmyPrototypePainting_200px

Louis McManus’ Statuette Prototype.

Louis (Luis Manuel ) McManus – a matte artist from Hal Roach Studios who painted with Jack Shaw on SWISS MISS and others. Also worked with John Fulton and Cosgrove as a painter on JOAN OF ARC in ’48 and many tv series for Howard Anderson such as UNTOUCHABLES and the film JACK GIANT KILLER. Also did design and illustration work, and also art painting for galleries.

louis-manuel-mcmanus-san-pedro-harbor-1943-oil-painting-7077

San Pedro harbor. Oil painting 1943.

Filmography as a matte painter:

- The Addams Family (1964) (Tv series) (matte painting)
- The Untouchables (1959- 62) (TV series)
- Jack the giant Killer (1962)
- Joan of Arc (1948)
- Swiss Miss (1938)
The Addams family house that appears throughout all subsequent episodes is a matte painting enhancing the original house, commissioned from artist Louis McManus.

21-chester-place3 matte-finished

Peter Melrose

Biography:

From an interview at ‘Little Shoppe of Horrors’ magazine:

“I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be an artist, and, eventually, against strong opposition from my parents who were against the idea of art as a career, I took the entrance examination and went to Art College. At that time I had absolutely no idea of a career in films – in fact, I was aiming very much towards a career in advertising. But as luck would have it, towards the end of my art course my work was noticed at an exhibition by a man who worked in films, and he offered me a job. He ran what was really a small SPFX department producing main titles for films, which was part of the J.Arthur Rank organization. In those days, a main title was nearly always a special effect. The title appeared ‘out of the sea’, ‘blew away in the desert sands’ or ‘spun out of the sky’ – or something like that. So in a way, I learned the rudiments of producing visual effects and about cine cameras because it was one of my jobs to load and unload the cameras”.

Melrose went later to work at Shepperton Studios as a scenic artist and matte painter under Wally Veevers. He remained painting background and glasses until the middle eighties. He did some matte paintings using an early version of Paintbox for BBS´s TV series The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (1981)

” Steve Begg”
I met Peter Melrose on a commercial that was being directed by Gerry Anderson in the mid-eighties. Peter was the art director on that but did do a foreground glass shot as well. I was doing stop-motion on it.
I seem to remember him telling me that he was one of the first people to use ‘Paintbox’ to do mattes for TV. I think he said he’d done some of the mattes on the BBC’s ‘Tripods’ series using it.
I next met him on Aliens, were Bob Skotack had brought him on to do the matte-painting of the Earth seen in the ‘Gateway’ hospital seq.
He seemed a nice guy and was keen to talk about his past work.

Images gallery.

Peter Melrose in the background left painting a glass for Roman Polansky film “Dance of the Vampires”.

evansmelroseP.Melrose

Peter Melrose was commissioned by Robert Skotak to make a painting of Planet Earth for that shot on James Cameron’s Aliens

aliens-skotak

aliensl-matte1

matte painting from The trail of the Pink panther.

Painting backdrop for The Lion in Winter.

The.Lion.in.Winter. Melrose Scenic

Melrose backdrop painting for The Blue max

BlueMax3 BlueMax1

Filmography:

- Puss in boots (1988) ( matte painting)
- Aliens (1986) ( matte painting)
- Legend (1986) (Scenic artist)
- The Mission (1986) (scenic art director)
- Supergirl (1984) (scenic artist)
- The last days of Pompeii (TV Mini-Series) (miniatures builder)(1984)
Superman III (1983) (matte artist)

- Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) (matte artist)
- The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (1981) (matte artist)
- Frankenstein: the true story (1973) (matte artist)

frankitrue6frankitrue5frankitrue1

- The Final Programme (1973)(matte artist)
- Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) (matte artist)
- Macbeth (1972) (scenic artist)
- Follow Me! (1972) (scenic artist) (uncredited)
- Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)(scenic artist)

- Fiddler on the Roof (1971) (scenic and matte artist) Left image is a matte painting (upper part of the frame) enlarging the set. The right image of the cemetery was filmed into Pinewood Studios using a large painted backdrop.

Fiddler.on.the.Roof. matte1 Fiddler.on.the.Roof.Scenic backdrop

- When dinosaurs ruled the earth (1970) (matte painting)
- Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) (matte painting)
- Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)(matte painting)
- The Best House in London (1969)(matte painting)
- The Leon in Winter (1968) (scenic artist)
- The battle of Britain (1968) (scenic artist)

- Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) (matte artist)

Dracularisen2 Dracularisen3 Dracularisen4 Dracularisen5

- Dance of the vampires (1967) (Scenic artist- matte artist)
- You only live twice (1967)(matte painting)
- The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967)(matte painting)
- Casino Royale (1967)(matte painting)
- Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)(matte painting)

- The Blue Max (1966) (scenic artist)

BlueMax1 BlueMax3


- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) (scenic artist) Two backdrop paintings.

The.Spy.Who.Came.in.from.the.Cold. Scenic1 The.Spy.Who.Came.in.from.the.Cold. Scenic2

- Die, Monster, Die! (1965)(matte painting)
- Moll Flanders (1965)(matte painting)
- Lord Jim (1965) (matte artist)

- The Earth Dies Screaming (1965) (scenic artist) (uncredited)

The Earth Dies Screaming. Scenic backdrop

- Goldfinger (1964)(matte painting)
- First men in the Moon (1964)(matte painting/ miniature builder)
- The evil of Frankenstein (1964)(matte painting/ miniature builder)
- East of Sudan (1964) (scenic artist)
- The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) (scenic artist)
- Stolen Hours (1963) (scenic artist)
- Cleopatra (1963 ) (scenic artist)
- The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1962) (scenic artist)
- Kill or Cure (1962) (scenic artist)
- Dentist on the Job (1961) (scenic artist)
- The guns of Navarone (1961)(matte painting)
- Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) ( title designer)
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)(Scenic artist-matte painting)
- The Prince and the showgirl (1957)(matte painting)
- Genoveva (1953) (Title designer)

 

Julian Martín

Biography.
Born in Madrid in 1939. He began his career in 1956 and since then has worked for international productions and Spanish films for almost half a century. He worked for set construction workshops of Francisco Prosper and Francisco Asensio during the sixties and seventies painting backdrops, scenery and models for most of the American and British films that were made during those years.
During the 80 he begun to execute in camera glass shots for film and TV series.
Still working on films and teaches at the School of Film and Audiovisual at Madrid

Julian with a foregorunf painting for “Teresa de Jesus” (TV Series)

teresa84

Julian Martin with a foreground painting made for the film “La hora de los valientes”

julianin-HoraValientesFX horavalientesPrado

Filmography:

- Toledo (TV Series) (2012)(head painter)
- Sombras en el viento (2009)(Short) (leaf painter)

- Teresa, el cuerpo de Cristo (2007)
- El reino de los cielos / The kingdom of Heaven (2005)
- Los otros (2001)
- La dama de porto Pi. (2001)
- Leyenda de fuego (2001)
- Talk of Angels (1998)
- La hora de los valientes (1998)
- La vuelta de el coyote (1998)
- La herida luminosa (1997)
- Las aventuras del Baron de Munchausen (1997)
- La ciudad de los prodigios
- Blasco Ibañez (Tv Serie) (1997)
- Historias del otro lado (Tv serie)(1996)
- Días contados (1994)
- 1492,Conquest of Paradise (1992)
- Celia TV Serie(1992)
- El día que nací yo (1991)
- El rey pasmado (1991)
- El Quijote, de Miguel de Cervantes (1991) (TV)
- La forja de un rebelde TV (1990)
- El cura de bargota (1990)
- El mundo de Juan lobon TV (1989)
- Esquilache (1989)
- Indiana Jones and the last crusade (1989) Indiana Jones and the last crusade
- Remando al viento (1988)
- A los 4 vientos (1987)
- La casa de Bernarda Alba (1987)
- Gallego (1987)
- Dragón Rapide (1986)
- El caballero del dragón (1985)
- Luces de Bohemia (85)
- Flesh & Blood (85)
- Los Pazos de Ulloa (1985) (TV)
- Los santos inocentes (1984)
- Teresa de Jesús (1983) (TV)
- Valentina (1982) (TV)
- Conan, the barbarian (1982)
- La esfinge /Sphinx (1981)
- Viaje al centro de la Tierra (1977)
- The wind and the Lion (1975)
- Horror express(1972)

- Nicolas and  Alexandra (1971)
- Patton (1970)
- Cromwell (1970)
- Battle of Britain ( 1969) Battle of Britain
- Cervantes (1967)
- Cotolay (1966)
- Samba (1965)
- Doctor Zivago (1965)
- Circus World (1965)
- The fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
- La reina de Chantecler (1962)
- 55 days in Pekin (1963)
- El Cid (1961)
- King of Kings (1960)
- Salomon and Sheba (1959)
- Los misterios del Rosario (1959)
- Carmen la de Ronda (1959)
- The pride and the passion (1957)
- El cantor de Mexico (1956)

Full gallery is not available yet but you can visit the old site:

http://galeon.com/fxespana1/julianMartin.html

Bill Mather

Biography:

Bill Mather is an award-winning Matte Artist, Illustrator, Set Designer and Art Instructor. He began his career at Matte World in 1987, creating miniature clouds and traditional matte paintings for the HBO film “By Dawns Early Light”. This won the fledgling artist an Emmy for the Best Special Visual Effects on his first professional endeavor. In addition, he received an Academy Award Nomination in 1993 for his work on Batman Returns. Among others, Bill’s matte and design work includes movies such as Forrest Gump, Jumanji, Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and The Polar Express.
Bill has been a creative force contributing to a wide variety of projects, working under the umbrella of Matte World, Colossal Pictures, and Industrial Light and Magic, where he worked as a Conceptual Artist and Digital Matte Painter.

To see samples of his artistic work: http://www.matherart.com/

Bill Mather working on a painting for Coppola´s ” Dracula”

BILLMATHER

Filmography:

Oblivion (matte painter: Digital Domain) (2013)

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (2008) (V) (matte painter)
Beowulf (2007) (conceptual artist)
Monster House (2006) (concept artist)
The war of the Worlds (2006) (concept artist)
The Californians (2005) (visual effects supervisor)
The Polar Express (2004) (concept artist)
Men in Black II (2002) (digital matte artist: ILM)
“Enterprise” (matte paintings) (1 episode, 2002)
Murder by Numbers (2002) (digital matte artist: Matte World Digital)
The Majestic (2001) (digital matte artist)
“Alias” (digital matte artist) (2 episodes, 2001)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) (digital matte artist: Matte World Digital)
Space Cowboys (2000) (digital matte artist)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert (1999) (V) (matte painter) (
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) (digital matte artist: ILM)
Snake Eyes (1998) (digital matte artist: ILM)
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) (visual effects coordinator)
Deep Impact (1998) (digital matte artist: ILM)
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (digital matte artist: ILM) (1997 special edition) (as William Mather)
Star Wars (1977) (digital matte artist: ILM) (1997 special edition) (as William Mather)
Contact (1997) (digital matte painting artist: ILM)
Men in Black (1997) (digital matte artist: ILM)
101 Dalmatians (1996) (digital matte artist: ILM)
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen (1996) (digital matte artist)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father (1996) (TV) (matte painter)
Jumanji (1995) (matte artist: ILM)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen (1995) (TV) (digital matte artist) (as Bill Mathers)
Congo (1995) (digital matte painter: ILM)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock’s Eye (1995) (TV) (matte painter) (as Bill Mathers)
Star Trek: Generations (1994) (digital matte artist: ILM)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Hollywood Follies (1994) (TV) (matte artist) (as Bill Mathers)
Forrest Gump (1994) (digital matte painter: ILM)
Wolf (1994) (digital matte artist: ILM)
Maverick (1994) (digital matte artist)
Ghost in the Machine (1993) (matte artist: Matte World)
“The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” (digital matte artist: ILM) (1 episode, 1993) (matte painter) (1 episode, 1993)
A Far Off Place (1993) (matte artist)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) (matte artist)
Batman Returns (1992) (matte artist: Matte World)
Far and Away (1992) (matte artist)
Leaving Normal (1992) (matte artist)
Dracula (1992) (matte artist)
All I Want for Christmas (1991) (matte artist)
Avalon (1990) (matte artist)
By Dawns early lights (1987) (miniature and matte artist: Matte World)

 

Michele Moen

Biography:
Michele Moen started as matte painter under Matthew Yuricich during the matte work for “Blade Runner” 1982.
“I was lucky that day the venerable matte artist, Mathew Yuricich, hired me to apprentice on Blade Runner. I washed a ton of paintbrushes and learned the classic art of matte painting, which has kept me busy for a quite awhile.We still keep in touch; Matt is living up in Washington and tells some really great movie stories.
Lately I’ve been working my way back towards illustration and drawing and painting as much as I can.”

Michele Moen worked during some years at Entertainment Effects Group as matte assistant of Yuricich. She latter went to work with him at Boss Films. As many others she changed to digital matte painting during the 90´s.

To know more visit her site: http://michelemoen.com

Michele with one of the paintings from Blade Runner.

BRMoen

Michele  working on a painting for “Batman Returns”

MMoen

 

Filmography:

- 2012(2009)(matte painter)
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)(concept illustrator)
- Star Trek(2009) (matte painter: Svengali VFX)
- Watchmen(2009) (matte painter: Svengali VFX)
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua(2008) (matte painter: Svengali VFX)
- The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)(concept illustrator: Svengali VFX) / (matte painter: Svengali VFX)
- Charlie Wilson´s War (2007)(concept illustrator: Whodoo EFX)
- I´m a legend (2007)(matte painter: Svengali VFX)
- Interstate (2007) (matte painter )
- Eragon (2006)(matte painter)
- Apocalypto (2006)(digital matte painter: Svengali Visual Effects)
- Superman Returns (2006)(matte painter)
- Æon Flux (2005)(additional matte painter )
- Stay (2005)(matte painter )
- Sky Captain (2004)(matte painting supervisor) / (visual effects art director: R!ot)
- Little Black Book (2004)(matte painter)
- Angels in America (2003)(TV Mini-Series) (senior matte artist )
- The Scorpion King (2002)(senior matte artist: R!OT Pictures
- The One (2001)(matte painter )
- Bedazzled (2000)(matte painter)
- Gladiator (2000)(digital matte painter: Mill Film Ltd.)
- What Planet Are You From? (2000)(matte painter)
- Stuart Little (1999)(matte painter – as Michelle Moen)
- Babe. Pig in the city (1998)(matte painter )
- Armageddon (1998) (digital texture painter: Blue Sky/VIFX)
- Desperate Measures (1998) (matte painter)
- Event Horizont(1997) (matte painter: model unit)
- Mars Attacks! (1996)(matte painter: Warner Digital Studios)
- Multiplicity (1996) (visual effects matte department supervisor)
- Ace Ventura: When nature calls 81995)
- Species (1995) (matte department supervisor)
- Outbreak (1995) (matte department supervisor: Boss Film Studios)
- A Gnome Named Gnorm (1994) (illustrator)
- The Scout (1994)
- True lies (1994)
- Cliffhanger(1993)
- The lasty of the mohicans (1992)
- Batman Returns (1992) (matte department supervisor: Boss Film Studios)
- Alien³ (1992) (matte department supervisor)
- Solar Crisis (1990)(matte painter)
- Dick Tracy (1990) (matte artist: Buena Vista Visual Effects Group)
- Fletch Lives (1989) (matte painter)
- Abyss, The (1989) (illustrator)
- Vibes (1988)
- Monster squad(1989) (matte artist)
- masters od the Universe ( 1987) Matte artist)
- The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) (matte artist)
- Solarbabies (1986) (visual effects matte artist)
- Poltergeits II (1986) (matte artist)
- Fright Night (1985) (matte artist)
- 2010 (1984)(matte artist: EEG)
- Ghostbusters (1984) (matte artist: EEG)
- V (1984)(tv) (matte painter)
- Blade runner(1982)(matte painter)
- heavy Metal ( 1980) Background painter. Segment Taarna)
- “Fangface” (1978) TV Series (painter: backgrounds)

 

Mike Minor

  Michael “Mike” Minor was an illustrator and art director on Star Trek: The Original Series, The Beastmaster (1982) and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).Distinguished art director Michael Minor worked on several feature films during the ’70s and ’80s  Minor frequently worked in television and for his art direction has received an Emmy. He collaborated wit VFX house Coast productions run by Phil Kellinson, where he executed some matte paintings. Minor was also an expert on the use of hanging foreground miniatures.

airplane2 airplaneIImatte

Filmography:

1987 The Puppetoon Movie
1985 The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal (Documentary)
1983 The Winds Rise (TV Mini-Series)
1983 Spacehunters (special visual effects art director: Fantasy II Film Effects)
1982 Airplane II (matte artist)
1982 The Powers of Matthew Star (TV Series) (main titles
1982 The Big Easy (TV Movie)
1982 Human Highway
1982 Star Trek II
1982 The beastmaster (consultant: special visual effects)
1981 The Man Who Saw Tomorrow (as Mike Minor)
1980 Fukkatsu no hi / Day od resurrection (matte painting) / (model designer: Sky Spy)
1979 Meteor (visual effects – uncredited)
1979 Star treck ( production Illustrator)
1975 The Treasure of Jamaica Reef
1974 Flesh Gordon (special photographic effects – uncredited)
1972 Pink Angels
1972 Squares
1971 Guess What Happened to Count Dracula?
1970 Wilbur and the Baby Factory
1974 Flesh Gordon (special photographic effects – uncredited)
1968 Star Treck(TV Series) (designer, visual effects )

Ken Marschall

Biography:

A self-taught artist with little formal training, Ken Marschall is best known for his evocative, haunting paintings of Titanic.
Ken spent many years as a matte and visual effects artist in the film industry. His work is immortalized in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Terminator, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, Roswell, and numerous others. He shared in an Emmy® Award for his many matte paintings in The Winds of War.

To know more about the artist : http://www.kenmarschall.com/

 

Filmography:

- Attila (2001) (matte painter)
- Beyond Titanic (1998) (TV) (still photos provided by)
- T itanic (1997) (historian: titanic visuals)
- Titanic (1996) (TV) (historical photo supplier)
- Father of the Bride Part II (1995) (matte artist)
- Johnny Mnemonic (1995) (matte painter: Fantasy II Film Effects)
- Titanic: The Legend Lives On (1994) (TV) (historical consultant)
- Roswell (1994) (TV)(matte paintings)
- My Boyfriend’s Back (1993) .Matte Paintings
- Hexed (1993) (matte paintings)
- Danger Island (1992) (TV) (matte artist)
- Nothing But Trouble (1991)(matte paintings)
- The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) (matte artist)
- Father of the Bride (1991) (matte paintings)
- The Josephine Baker Story (1991)(TV) (matte paintings)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (1989) (matte paintings)
- Pet Sematary (1989) (matte paintings)
- Bat*21 (1988) (matte artist)
- Lady in White (1988) (matte artist)
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) Matte Paintings
- Cherry 2000 (1987) (matte painter: Matte Effects)
- The Princess Bride (1987) (additional matte painter)
- Baby Boom (1987 ) (matte paintings)
- Night, Mother (1986) (matte artist)
- Stand by Me (1986) (matte artist)Matte Paintings
- The Return of the Living Dead (1985) (matte painting: Fantasy II Film Effects)
- The Terminator (1984) (matte artist: Fantasy II Film Effects)
- Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) (matte paintings)
- Winds of War(1983) (matte paintings)
- Raise the Titanic (1980) (model designer) (uncredited)

Gallery:

A Ken Marschall´s painting from “Terminator”

terminator

Marschall matte painting for “Stand by me”.

standbyme

A matte painting by Ken Marschall for “Spacehunters”

spacehunters1

 

 

 

Derek Meddings

Biography:

Date of birth 15 January 1931 London, England, UK
Date of death 10 September 1995 London, England, UK.
MEDDINGS: Well, I got into it by accident really, because when I came into the film industry, the only way I could get in was to do titles for pictures and this was really boring as far as I was concerned, since I had trained as an artist. It was actually Les Bowie who started me off by getting me a job with him doing matte paintings. This was really the job I wanted to do. I wanted to be an artist in the film industry. Originally I wanted to be in the Art Department. Having met Les I decided that the sort of work he was doing – matte paintings – was the type of work I wanted to do. When we started doing matte paintings, it was a highly skilled job, but people were afraid of mattes. They always remembered the worst matte that they’d ever seen, so they would avoid putting mattes into their pictures if they could get away with doing it some other way. Now, of course, matte painting has become a very important part of the film industry.
With pictures like STAR WARS, they have to use a lot of matte shots and very good ones. At this particular time there were very few mattes on pictures, so in between doing matte paintings, we had to find something else to do. Les was also very good at doing miniatures and I would help him. That’s how I got involved with miniatures. Although I do all types of effects, I seem to have got myself lumbered, for want of a better word, with just doing miniatures on a picture. On a Bond picture, I supervise all of the effects.

Biographical information from :

Derek Medding´s biography.

http://ufoseries.com/marketing/invasionBook.txt

http://tb1_5.tripod.com/dm.html

Derek Meddings seated on a snow landscape miniature for the James Bond film GoldenEye.

dmeddinsg

 

Filmography:- GoldenEye (1995) (miniature effects supervisor)
-The NeverEnding Story III (1994) (visual effects supervisor)
- Cape Fear (1991) (miniature special effects supervisor: The Magic Camera Company)
- Hudson Hawk (1991) (visual effects and miniature supervisor)
- The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) (visual effects supervisor)
- Batman (1989) (special visual effects)
- High Spirits (1988) (special visual effects)
- Mio min Mio (1987) (special effects) ( Mio in the Land of Faraway)
- Spies Like Us (1985) (visual effects supervisor)
- Santa Claus (1985) (miniature effects director) (visual effects director)
- Supergirl (1984) (special visual effects)
- Krull (1983) (visual effects supervisor)
- Superman III (1983) (additional model effects) (uncredited)
- For Your Eyes Only (1981) (visual effects supervisor)
- Superman II (1980) (miniature effects supervisor)
- Moonraker (1979) (visual effects supervisor)
- Superman (1978) (model effects)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) (special visual effects)
- Shout at the Devil (1976) (models and special effects)
- Aces High (1976) (special effects)
- The Land That Time Forgot (1975) (special effects supervisor)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) (miniatures)
- Live and Let Die (1973) (special effects)
- Z.P.G. (1972) (special effects)
- Fear Is the Key (1972) (special effects)
- “UFO” (1970) TV Series (visual effects director) (visual effects supervisor)
- Doppelgänger (1969) (visual effects) (Journey to the Far Side of the Sun) (USA)
- “The Secret Service” (1969) TV Series (visual effects director)
- “Joe 90″ (1968) TV Series (supervising visual effects director)
- Thunderbird 6 (1968) (visual effects director)
- “Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons” (1967) TV Series (visual effects supervisor)
- Thunderbirds Are GO (1966) (visual effects director)
- “Thunderbirds” (1964) TV Series (special effects supervisor)
- “Stingray” (1963) TV Series (special effects director)
- “Fireball XL5″ (1962) TV Series (special effects)
- “Supercar” (1960) TV Series (special effects)
- Dracula (1958) ( matte painting)
- The Crawling eye (1958) (matte painter/ miniatures)

 

A sample of Derek Meddings art work for TV Series UFO.

MeddingsUFO

 

The large miniature of the White Castle under construction at Pinewood for the film Krull (1983)

Krullcastle1

” We built a very large six scale 40×30´miniature and set it at mid distance. We found an area near Abruzzi, Italy where we could put the miniature castle a certain distance away from the camera and make it look full size by shooting at a very low camera angle with rocks built to scale, in perspective, up to the castle. We laid out a path, also in perspective, right in front of the camera so that a group of horses could actually travel along it toward the castle.”

Text and Black and White photo by American Cinematographer magazine.

Three images from the film.

krull1 krull2 krull3

Joseph Musso

Biography:
By Joseph Musso.

I graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and served honorably in the U.S. Marine Corps, before starting at Warner Bros. Studios in November of 1964 on Frank Sinatra’s production of Marriage on the Rocks. I’ve been a member of the Art Director’s Branch of the Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1979. I had been president of Local 790, I.A.T.S.E., The Illustrators and Matte Artists, since 1978

Besides the various matte paintings I did on Flesh Gordon, I also painted the scenic backdrop landscape for the end monster sequence and animated the constellation sequence through which the Queen Amora swan ship flies.
In addition to Flesh Gordon, I also executed matte paintings for Irwin Allen’s When Time Ran Out.The mattes I did on this film include:
* The cliff sequences where Newman, Holden and the rest are climbing on showing the sheer, rugged cliffs on the side and below them.
* The cliff where the Hawaiian father of the 2 children falls in.
* The entire POV of the father (including the father) laying on the rocks below.
* End shot of the ships coming to the rescue (the ships).
* Various shots that I added terrain and foliage to help out the compositing of the live action FG with the miniature on the Volcano in the BG, including Paul and Jackie on the beach and the hotel.

I also made the matte paintings for Richard Brooks’ “Wrong Is Right”.

As a production illustrator, I do not only conceptual illustrations of the sets and storyboards of the film’s sequences, but also when the occasion demands, designing the matte (now CGI) shots for the film productions. Several films that immediately come to mind that I designed mattes for, include the various Irwin Allen projects: The Towering Inferno, The Swarm, When Time Ran Out and Alice in Wonderland; as well as Alfred Hitchcock’s The Torn Curtain, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox, Annie, Megaforce, Wrong Is Right, Volcano, Naked Gun 33 1/3, Escape from LA, Volcano, Star Trek: First Contact, Space Cowboys, Phantom of the Opera (2004), The Santa Clause 2 & 3 and Flags of Our Fathers.

On my spare time I do historical research, writing, collecting and painting. I’m currently involved in two book projects on the Alamo defender, James Bowie, as well as the Mexican Army during the Texas Revolution of 1835-36. . A bit of Trivia is the fact that two original, antique bowie knives from my collection were used as the basis for Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett’s knives in the 2004 The Alamo film. I also own the movie prop knives that were used in John Wayne’s The Alamo, Disney’s Davy Crockett, The Last Command, The Iron Mistress, Comanche Territory, Man From the Alamo, The First Texan, the Jim Bowie TV Series, as well as a couple of Johnny Weissmuller’s Tarzan knives.

Filmography:

“Life” (production illustrator) (15 episodes, 2007-2009)
“Monk” (production illustrator) (5 episodes, 2006-2009)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) (production illustrator)
“Boston Legal” (storyboard artist) (1 episode, 2008)
Rails & Ties (2007) (production illustrator)
“Greek” (storyboard artist) (1 episode, 2007)
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) (storyboard artist)
We Fight to Be Free (2006) (production illustrator)
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) (production illustrator)
Stealth (2005) (storyboard artist)
Be Cool (2005) (storyboard artist)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) (production illustrator)
Ladder 49 (2004) (storyboard artist)
13 Going on 30 (2004) (production illustrator)
Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure (2003) (TV) (production illustrator)
Hulk (2003) (storyboard artist)
The Italian Job (2003) (storyboard artist)
The Santa Clause 2 (2002) (storyboard artist)
Vanilla Sky (2001) (illustrator) (uncredited)
Life as a House (2001) (illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
Ghosts of Mars (2001) (illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
Little Nicky (2000) (storyboard artist)
“The Fugitive” (production illustrator) (1 episode, 2000)
Space Cowboys (2000) (production illustrator)
Light It Up (1999) (production illustrator)
Goodbye Lover (1998) (production illustrator)
The Newton Boys (1998) (production illustrator)
Home Alone 3 (1997) (illustrator)
Volcano (1997) (illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) (illustrator)
2 Days in the Valley (1996) (illustrator)
Escape from L.A. (1996) (production illustrator)
Dragonheart (1996) (storyboard artist) (uncredited)
“Murder, She Wrote” (production illustrator) (2 episodes, 1995)
The Scarlet Letter (1995) (storyboard artist) (as Joe Musso)
Gordy (1995) (illustrator: map) (as Joe Musso)
Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (1994) (TV) (storyboard artist)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) (illustrator)
Addams Family Values (1993) (storyboard artist)
Judgment Night (1993) (production illustrator)
Basic Instinct (1992) (production illustrator)
American Me (1992) (production illustrator)
“MacGyver” (production illustrator) (2 episodes, 1991)
Child’s Play 3 (1991) (production illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
Out for Justice (1991) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Career Opportunities (1991) (production illustrator)
Queens Logic (1991) (production illustrator)
Almost an Angel (1990) (production illustrator)
“The Flash” (production illustrator) (7 episodes, 1990)
Ghost Dad (1990) (illustrator)
Dick Tracy (1990) (production illustrator)
Side Out (1990) (production illustrator)
“High Performance” (production illustrator) (3 episodes, 1983-1990)
Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989) (TV) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Nasty Boys (1989) (TV) (production illustrator)
Listen to Me (1989) (production illustrator)
Spellbinder (1988) (production illustrator)
Clean and Sober (1988) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Phantasm II (1988) (production illustrator)
Sunset (1988) (production illustrator)
¡Three Amigos! (1986) (set illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
Playing for Keeps (1986) (production illustrator)
Outrage! (1986) (TV) (production illustrator)
Alice in Wonderland (1985) (TV) (production illustrator)
Misfits of Science (1985) (TV) (storyboard artist)
Movers & Shakers (1985) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
City Killer (1984) (TV) (production illustrator)
“Paper Dolls” (production illustrator) (1 episode, 1984)
Sheena (1984) (production illustrator)
The Jesse Owens Story (1984) (TV) (storyboard artist)
Streets of Fire (1984) (production illustrator)
The Day After (1983) (TV) (production illustrator)
The Man Who Wasn’t There (1983) (production illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
Wait Till Your Mother Gets Home! (1983) (TV) (production illustrator)
Having It All (1982) (TV) (storyboard artist)
Megaforce (1982) (production illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
Annie (1982) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Wrong Is Right (1982) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
“Falcon Crest” (production illustrator) (1 episode, 1982)
Body Heat (1981) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981) (illustrator) (as Joe Musso)
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (1980) (TV) (storyboard artist)
The Memory of Eva Ryker (1980) (TV) (production illustrator)
When Time Ran Out… (1980) (production illustrator)
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) (production illustrator)
The Swarm (1978) (production illustrator)
The Return of Captain Nemo (1978) (TV) (production illustrator)
Viva Knievel! (1977) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Time Travelers (1976) (TV) (production illustrator)
“Swiss Family Robinson” (production illustrator) (2 episodes, 1976)
The Further Adventures of Major Mars (1976) (production illustrator)
Adventures of the Queen (1975) (TV) (production illustrator)
The Towering Inferno (1974) (production illustrator)
Flesh Gordon (1974) (storyboard artist) (uncredited)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
“Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp” (production illustrator) (1 episode)
Up Tight! (1968) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
“Judd for the Defense” (production illustrator) (9 episodes, 1967)
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Caprice (1967) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
“The Lucy Show” (production illustrator) (2 episodes, 1967)
Torn Curtain (1966) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
The Blue Max (1966) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Marriage on the Rocks (1965) (production illustrator) (uncredited)
Brainstorm (1965) (production illustrator) (uncredited)

Gallery:

Two samples Joe Musso work at Towering inferno, storyboard and  FX illustration.

toweringinferno1 copia

Joseph Musso working on a multiplane glass shot made for Flesh Gordon

Flesh_Gordon1

Some matte shot from When time run out.

whentime8 copia

Musso also  was comossioned to paint some mattes for Wrong is right (1982)

Wrongright Wrongright2 wrong is right(82) 1

Ralph McQuarrie

After studying at the Art Center School, Los Angeles, he started working as a technical illustrator for Boeing, as well as designing film posters and animating CBS News’s coverage of the Apollo space program at the three-man company Reel Three.[2][3] While there, McQuarrie was asked by Hal Barwood to produce some illustrations for a film project he and Matthew Robbins were starting.George Lucas commissioned McQuarrie to illustrate several scenes from the script of the film, Star Wars. He also worked as matte artists on that film and the next “The Empire strikes back”. As conceptual designer he contributed for many science fiction films.

McQuarrie working on a painting fro Star Wars.

Mcquarriematte

Illustrator and  designer Ralph MQuarrie contributed to create also the mattes for “The Empire strikes back”

mcqmatte

 

Filmography:

- Back to the Future… The Ride (1991) (conceptual artist) (uncredited)
- Nightbreed (1990) (conceptual artist)
- *batteries not included (1987) (conceptual artist)
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) (visual consultant)
- Cocoon (1985) (conceptual artist)
- Return of the Jedi (1983) (conceptual artist)
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) (Spaceship design)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (illustrator: ILM)
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Illustrator/ matte artist)
- Battlestar Galactica (1978) TV series(production and concept illustrator)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (Mother Ship designer)
- Star Wars (1977) (Illustraor / Matte artist)

 

David Mattingly

Biography:

After school, he worked at Walt Disney Studios, ultimately becoming head of the matte department. He worked on “The Black Hole”, “Tron”, “Dick Tracy”, Stephen King’s “The Stand” and most recently “I, Robot” for Weta Digital in New Zealand.
While at Disney Studios, David began doing freelance art. His first published piece was the album cover for “The Commodores Greatest Hits”David has produced over 500 covers for most major publishers of science fiction and fantasy, including Baen, Bantam, DAW, Del Rey, Dell, Marvel, Omni, Playboy, Signet, and Tor.After 20 years of traditional painting, David bought a computer ten years ago and has mainly worked digitally since then, preferring the powerful new tools that working digitally offers the artist. Most of his work today combines digital painting, and elements generated in 3D programs.
David is the author of The Digital Matte Painting Handbook, the first guide to digital matte painting. It is available through the web site for the book at: www.digitalmattepaintinghandbook.com.

David Mattingly  painting a matte for Warren Beatty´s “Dick Tracy”. The woman at the background is Michele Moen

DavidMattingly

Mattingly with veteran matte artist Peter Ellenshaw at work on a huge painting for Dick tracy.

dicktracy_Mattingly-Ellenshaw

Mattingly at Disney matte department working for The Black Hole.

DMattingly

David Mattingly: – Biography and art samples at his home page.

http://www.davidmattingly.com/

Filmograpy.
- I, Robot (2004) (digital matte artist)
- The stand .Stephen king (94)(tv)(Matte art)
- Dick Tracy (89)(matte art)
- Tron(82) (digital artist)
- Ghosts of Buxley Hall, The (1980) (TV) (portrait)
- Watcher in the Woods, The (1980) (matte artist: special sequence)
- Midnight madness(80)(matte art)
- Black Hole, The (1979) (matte art assistant)

 

Alan Maley

Biography:

Alan Maley was a British scenic artist who used to work as a freelance at Shepperton and Pinewood Studios. He made some matte works for Wally Veevers during the sixties. Maley was at the scenic and matte painting unit under Peter Ellenshaw for the Disney movie “In search of castaways” (1962) filmed at Pinewood Studios. Ellenshaw was very happy with him and some years latter Maley went to the USA to work at Disney matte department under Ellenshaw at 1966.  He became head of the matte team in the seventies until his retirement from Disney at 1975.  He went back shortly to matte paintings at the 80´s to be matte painting supervisor at ILM.

 

Alan Maley working on a painting from Dragonslayer.

maley

dragonsly5

 

Filmography.

- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (ILM matte painting supervisor)
- Dragonslayer (1981) (ILM matte painting supervisor)
- Spy Who Loved Me, The (1977) (special optical effects)
———————————————-
- Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)(DISNEY matte artist)
- Island at the Top of the World, The (1974) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Return of the Big Cat (1974) (TV) (DISNEY matte artist)
- The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973)(DISNEY matte artist)
- Mystery on castle of Dracula(1972)(DISNEY matte artist)
- Biscuit Eater, The (1972) (DISNEY title designer)
- Snowball Express (1972) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Scandalous John (1971) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Barefoot Executive, The (1971) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Wild Country, The (1971) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Boatniks, The (1970) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The (1970) (DISNEY title designer)
- King of the Grizzlies (1970)(DISNEY matte artist)
- Rascal (1969)(DISNEY matte artist)
- Love Bug, The (1969) (DISNEY special photographic effects)
- Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit, The (1968) (DISNEY Matte artist, title designer)
- The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968) (DISNEY matte artist)
- Never a dull moment (1968)(DISNEY matte artist)
- The Happiest Millionaire (1967) (DISNEY matte artist, title designer)
——————————
- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)(matte painter)
- Becket (1964)(matte painter)
- In Search of the Castaways (1962)(scenic artist)
- Very Important Person (1961) (scenic artist)
- Make Mine Mink (1960)(scenic artist)
- Too Many Crooks (1959)(scenic artist)
- No Highway (1951) (Assistant scenic artist)