How relevant are traditional matte paintings in the digital age of cinema?
What is the general topic/subject?
In this topic, I will be discussing the relevance of matte paintings within modern cinema, their relevance in film today, skills that have been gained from them, how those skills have translated into modern times and the importance of them in today’s time.
What are matte paintings? Dating back to the near beginning of film, matte paintings were used frequently as an illusion of a present location for a movie. They are a painted representation of an environment/set, it is painted on glass and placed in front of the camera to give the illusion of a present location in a movie. It still lives on through digital matte paintings made using software's such as Photoshop, Maya, etc. However, as technology has progressed, VFX also progressed, leaving matte paintings in the past in favour of digital environments.
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What is the method?
For my method, I will be creating two pieces of media surrounding environments in films. The first piece I will make is a traditional matte painting, and the second piece will be a CGI matte painting. Whilst in the creation process for the traditional matte painting, I will document every skill/technique I have learnt by making notes through out. The idea behind taking notes during this is to later use them when making my second piece of media (CGI).
I will be treating this painting as if it were a prop on a set of a film meaning I will be taking a realistic style when painting. As mentioned on prior methodology slide, knowledge of composition, colour, perspective, depth and lighting are essential in creating realistic elements. Although I have been learning these skills painting from a young age, I believe this project will help me explore how these elements are worked within film, rather than a stand-alone art piece.
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In the second part of my method, as mentioned on the prior slide, I will create a 3D matte painting. To do this, I will take a picture of the real-life environment, take the image into Autodesk Maya, and construct a 3D environment, using the matte painting as reference. The layering of the glass will be used as a guide Creating the 3D matte painting AFTER the traditional one gives me an opportunity to explore what skills have translated over. However, I will take into consideration other skills that COULD be learnt during the 3D process, as I know there is room to improve my 3D modelling skills.
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Why are you interested in the general topic/subject?
Although 3D software is the media I most regularly use in class, I find the history of practical effects in film interesting. Particularly in matte paintings, when people would just paint on glass to create an illusion in front of the camera. The evolution of the VFX industry has always been of an interest to me.
What concepts and key themes do you think might be relevant?
The rise of technology and its effect on the film industry. The continuous change of VFX and how this affects film makers. How digital concept art has replaced matte paintings. The skills gained from practical effects translating into our digital cinema.
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Timeline of project?
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The document linked below shows the timeline of my project.