Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today’s Behind the Scenes Pic!
I’m a sucker for matte work. There’s something to the softness and artistry involved in painting, by hand, on glass, getting everything proportionately correct and lining up the camera so the shot looks like one giant image that really hits me deep down. Some would call it nostalgia and they may not be wholly incorrect, but there’s a deeper level of appreciation for the sheer amount of talent and smarts that goes into this work that really gets my geek juices flowing.
I appreciate the talent of CG designers, but I’m pretty old school when it comes to matte paintings and deeply miss them as a dying, if not dead, part of the legacy of cinema.
So today let’s fondly look back at this brilliant artform via the brilliant Ralph McQuarrie hard at work touching up a matte painting of Bespin for The Empire Strikes Back. Call me stupid, but I wasn’t aware McQuarrie also contributed matte paintings to the movies. I grew up with his concept art (had a Luke on Taun-Taun from Star Tours’ gift shop on my wall as a kid) and now have an even deeper respect for him, which I didn’t think was possible.
Click for a bigger version of the pic! Hope you guys enjoy!
Tomorrow’s Behind the Scenes Pic has the power!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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