VFX History: Optical Printers

Published: 05 February 2024
on channel: ShiveringCactus: VFX
13,560
877

Beyond the basic explanation of "blue screen", have you ever wondered how they used removed the blue from a background. These days compositing software makes it simple to select a colour and make it transparent, but before After Effects and similar compositing software existed, the entire process was done optically with physical film strips, lights and cameras.

Join me in a deep dive as I share with you what I've discovered about the labour intensive process involved. By the end of the video, I hope you'll be as awed as I am over the lengths companies like Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) went to in order to make cinema magic.

(I also feel that I should point out, the optical printers ILM used were "computer controlled" so that all the frames and timings lined up correctly. Everything was still composited optically.)

Get ShiveringCactus VFX as phone cases, T-shirts, mugs: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Shiv...

Or buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/shiveringcactus

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapters
0:00 Old movies
3:58 A quick primer
5:37 An optical printer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bibliography
Vargo, M. Bluescreen 1980 (2016), MarkVargo.com. Available at: https://markvargo.com/videos/blue-scr... (Accessed: 06 January 2024).

Knoll, J. Old School School 1 - Optical Compositing (2019). Available at: https://vimeo.com/318705942 (Accessed: 06 January 2024).

Kasden, L. Light & Magic (27th July 2022). Disney. Available at: https://www.disneyplus.com/home (Accessed: 06 January 2024).

The evolution of green screen: from early-stage to LED blue screen (2021) Neweb Labs. Available at: https://neweblabs.com/the-evolution-o... (Accessed: 01 January 2024).

Goldwyn, E. (1985) How to film the impossible UK: BBC. Available at:    • Horizon's look a ILM and VFX - Part 1...   (Accessed: 06 January 2024).


Watch video VFX History: Optical Printers online without registration, duration hours minute second in high quality. This video was added by user ShiveringCactus: VFX 05 February 2024, don't forget to share it with your friends and acquaintances, it has been viewed on our site 13,56 once and liked it 87 people.