Rear projection effect
Encyclopedia
Rear projection is part of many in-camera effect
s cinematic techniques
in film production for combining foreground performances with pre-filmed backgrounds. It was widely used for many years in driving scenes, or to show other forms of "distant" background motion. The presence of a movie screen between the background image and foreground objects leads to a distinctive washed-out look that makes these "process shots" recognizable.
These so-called process shots were widely used to film actors as if they were inside a moving vehicle, who were, in reality, in a vehicle mock-up on a soundstage. In these cases the motion of the backdrop film and foreground actors and props were often different due to the lack of steadicam
-like imaging from the moving vehicles used to produce the plate. This was most noticeable as bumps and jarring motions of the background image that would not be duplicated by the actors.
A major advance over rear projection is front projection, which uses a special screen material to allow the plate to be projected from the front of the screen. This results in a much sharper and more saturated image. Although the technique had been used experimentally for some time, it was during the filming of 2001: A Space Odyssey
that the modern version was fully developed. In this case it was used to avoid costly on-location shots in Africa
during the opening scenes of the movie, but the effect was also used throughout the film for a variety of shots into or out of the windows of spacecraft. 2001 also used rear projection to produce computer screen effects.
As front projection and bluescreen effects became more widespread and less costly, rear projection has been rendered largely obsolete. Quentin Tarantino
used the process for the taxi ride sequence of Pulp Fiction
, and James Cameron
used rear projection for several special effects shots within Aliens
, including the crash of the Dropship
as well as for several important sequences in Terminator 2: Judgement Day such as the car escape from the mental hospital and the T-1000 hijacking the Police helicopter. Also, the Austin Powers film series
frequently used rear projection to help give it the feel of old spy movies, Natural Born Killers
used the technique extensively throughout to emphasize characters' subconcious motivations.
's introduction of panchromatic film stock
in 1928 allowed for the camera to expose the projected background more than orthochromatic
stocks, making it look less faint than it did before. Finally, the larger film gauge
s beginning to emerge in the late 1920s demanded more powerful projection lamps, which were subsequently available for making the rear projection screen brighter and thus more properly exposed.
Fox Film Corporation was the first to use the rear projection technique, in 1930 with their films Liliom
and then Just Imagine
, and were subsequently awarded a technical Oscar for their work the next year. Shortly after this debut, Farciot Edouart ASC, at Paramount Pictures
, refined the technique starting in 1933, and developed several new methods, such as syncing three projectors with the same background plate for more even and bright exposure. Linwood Dunn ASC, at RKO Radio Pictures, expanded on this with the use of traveling matte with films like Flying Down to Rio
(1933). The American made version of 'Saint Joan of Arc" was the first movie created with the advent of "The Hansard Process" one of the pioneers in Rear Screen Special Processing. The Tornado in the Wizard of Oz was created by "The Hansard Process" technology and company.
Alfred Hitchcock
used the process successfully to show Cary Grant
being attacked by a crop duster plane in North by Northwest
, but was criticized when he used it extensively in Marnie
.
In-camera effect
An in-camera effect is any special effect in a video or movie that is created solely by using techniques in and on the camera and/or its parts. The in-camera effect is defined by the fact that the effect exists on the original camera negative or video recording before it is sent to a lab or modified...
s cinematic techniques
Cinematic techniques
- Basic Definitions of Terms :Aerial Shot:A shot taken from a crane, plane, or helicopter. Not necessarily a moving shot.Backlighting:The main source of light is behind the subject, silhouetting it, and directed toward the camera....
in film production for combining foreground performances with pre-filmed backgrounds. It was widely used for many years in driving scenes, or to show other forms of "distant" background motion. The presence of a movie screen between the background image and foreground objects leads to a distinctive washed-out look that makes these "process shots" recognizable.
Technique
The actors stand in front of a screen while a projector positioned behind the screen casts a reversed image of the background. This required a large space to film, as the projector had to be placed some distance from the back of the screen. Frequently the background image would appear faint and washed out compared to the foreground. The film that is projected can be still or moving, but is always called the plate. One might hear the command "Roll plate." to instruct stage crew to begin projecting.These so-called process shots were widely used to film actors as if they were inside a moving vehicle, who were, in reality, in a vehicle mock-up on a soundstage. In these cases the motion of the backdrop film and foreground actors and props were often different due to the lack of steadicam
Steadicam
A Steadicam is a stabilizing mount for a motion picture camera that mechanically isolates it from the operator's movement, allowing a smooth shot even when moving quickly over an uneven surface...
-like imaging from the moving vehicles used to produce the plate. This was most noticeable as bumps and jarring motions of the background image that would not be duplicated by the actors.
A major advance over rear projection is front projection, which uses a special screen material to allow the plate to be projected from the front of the screen. This results in a much sharper and more saturated image. Although the technique had been used experimentally for some time, it was during the filming of 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
that the modern version was fully developed. In this case it was used to avoid costly on-location shots in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
during the opening scenes of the movie, but the effect was also used throughout the film for a variety of shots into or out of the windows of spacecraft. 2001 also used rear projection to produce computer screen effects.
As front projection and bluescreen effects became more widespread and less costly, rear projection has been rendered largely obsolete. Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
used the process for the taxi ride sequence of Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
, and James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
used rear projection for several special effects shots within Aliens
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
, including the crash of the Dropship
Dropship
A Dropship is a fictional transport vehicle featured frequently in science fiction, in particular Military Science Fiction and Space Opera genres. A dropship is a common fictional spacecraft archetype, generally depicted as designed to drop troops and equipment onto a planetary surface from an...
as well as for several important sequences in Terminator 2: Judgement Day such as the car escape from the mental hospital and the T-1000 hijacking the Police helicopter. Also, the Austin Powers film series
Austin Powers (film series)
The Austin Powers series is a series of action-comedy films written by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema...
frequently used rear projection to help give it the feel of old spy movies, Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers
Natural Born Killers is a 1994 crime/black comedy film directed by Oliver Stone about two victims of traumatic childhoods who became lovers and psychopathic serial killers, and are irresponsibly glorified by the mass media...
used the technique extensively throughout to emphasize characters' subconcious motivations.
History
Rear projection was conceived long before its actual usage; however, it was only made possible in the 1930s due to three necessary technical developments. The most important was the development of camera and projector motors which could be linked up for synchronization of their shutters, which were developed out of the unrelated needs of "talking" movies whose timing had to be carefully controlled. Secondly, Eastman KodakEastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
's introduction of panchromatic film stock
Film stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
in 1928 allowed for the camera to expose the projected background more than orthochromatic
Orthochromatic
- Orthochromatic photography :Orthochromatic photography refers to a photographic emulsion that is sensitive to only blue and green light, and thus can be processed with a red safelight. The increased blue sensitivity causes blue objects to appear lighter and red ones darker...
stocks, making it look less faint than it did before. Finally, the larger film gauge
Film gauge
Film gauge is a physical property of photographic or motion picture film stock which defines its width. Traditionally the major film gauges in usage are 8 mm, 16 mm, 35 mm, and 65/70 mm...
s beginning to emerge in the late 1920s demanded more powerful projection lamps, which were subsequently available for making the rear projection screen brighter and thus more properly exposed.
Fox Film Corporation was the first to use the rear projection technique, in 1930 with their films Liliom
Liliom
Liliom is a 1909 play by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár. It was very famous in its own right during the early to mid-20th century, but is best known today as the basis for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.- Plot :...
and then Just Imagine
Just Imagine
Just Imagine is a 1930 science-fiction musical comedy directed by David Butler, to console audiences distressed by the Great Depression. The film is probably best known for its art direction and special effects in its portrayal of New York City in an imagined 1980...
, and were subsequently awarded a technical Oscar for their work the next year. Shortly after this debut, Farciot Edouart ASC, at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, refined the technique starting in 1933, and developed several new methods, such as syncing three projectors with the same background plate for more even and bright exposure. Linwood Dunn ASC, at RKO Radio Pictures, expanded on this with the use of traveling matte with films like Flying Down to Rio
Flying Down to Rio
Flying Down to Rio is a 1933 RKO musical film noted for being the first screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire and Rogers were not the stars of the film, however, Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond were top-billed. Among the featured players Franklin Pangborn and Eric Blore are...
(1933). The American made version of 'Saint Joan of Arc" was the first movie created with the advent of "The Hansard Process" one of the pioneers in Rear Screen Special Processing. The Tornado in the Wizard of Oz was created by "The Hansard Process" technology and company.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
used the process successfully to show Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
being attacked by a crop duster plane in North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
, but was criticized when he used it extensively in Marnie
Marnie (film)
Marnie is a 1964 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the novel of the same name by Winston Graham. The film stars Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. The original film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.-Plot:...
.
See also
- BipackBipackIn cinematography, bipacking, or a bipack, is the process of loading two reels of film into a camera, so that they both pass through the camera gate together...
- Optical printerOptical printerAn optical printer is a device consisting of one or more film projectors mechanically linked to a movie camera. It allows filmmakers to re-photograph one or more strips of film...
"The Hansard Process" - Schüfftan processSchüfftan processThe Schüfftan process is a movie special effect named after its inventor, Eugen Schüfftan . It was widely used in the first half of the 20th century before being almost completely replaced by the travelling matte and bluescreen effects....
- Traveling matte