Mate paintings by Shepperton matte department.
Matte painters: Doug Ferris / Gerald Larn/ Bryan Evans/ Peter Melrose
Matte camera: Peter Harman /John Grant
Comments by matte artist Gerald Larn:
“As for the size of the painting, most CinemaScope mattes at Shepperton were produced on 6ft x 3ft glass. It was a size that had been established by Wally Veevers even before I had arrived in the SpEfx department some five years earlier. It was certainly an ideal size for paintings that were to involve the inclusion of model shots or other opticals in addition to live-action. This was of course the situation confronting us in the Tower of London matte.
The live-action location was at Putney – on the Thames a few miles upstream from the actual Tower of London. The rowers on the river had to be very accurately directed to ensure their boats didn’t either cross the matte line or encroach into the area of Traitors Gate (where a model set-up on our SpEfx stage was intended finally to slot in). I also well remember Associate producer Dick McWhorter, Peter Harman, and myself all becoming, on that occasion, a somewhat uneasy ‘ad hoc’ collection of 2nd Unit directors!!. The location shoot was set up by cameraman Peter Harman and myself and although assistant producer Dick McWhorter was also present, he didn’t interfere all that much. I established the matte area by positioning a foreground glass to which black card was added. So, from the outset I was able to be in control of all aspects of the matte shot.
In the “TOWER” matte a real sky was burnt on and its exposure was finally determined by that required of both the live-action and the painting together”