Week 01

Digital Matte Painting

Matte painting is a cornerstone of visual effects (VFX), enabling filmmakers to create stunning, imaginative landscapes or intricate backdrops that seamlessly blend with live-action footage. By painting or digitally crafting these visuals, vast environments—whether real or fantastical—come to life on screen. This technique transforms storytelling, offering endless possibilities for world-building while saving costs on physical sets. It’s a perfect blend of artistry and technology, making the impossible feel real.

Traditional matte painting for Star Wars

Matte painting techniques have been extensively used in the Star Wars franchise. In the original trilogy, traditional matte paintings were hand-painted on glass to create iconic backgrounds, such as the sprawling landscapes of Tatooine, the dense forests of Endor, and the massive Death Star interiors. These paintings were then composited with live-action footage to expand the cinematic universe.

Modern matte painting created in Photoshop

In recent Star Wars projects, digital matte painting has taken over, using tools like Photoshop and 3D software to craft highly detailed and dynamic environments. This technique continues to play a crucial role in bringing the galaxy far, far away to life.

In class, we explored matte painting by creating scenes inspired by predetermined ideas. For instance, we crafted a Highland scene in the style of Skyfall to evoke isolation, a futuristic urban environment inspired by Blade Runner, and a Savannah landscape reminiscent of The Lion King. I combined various haphazard photos into cohesive art pieces using Photoshop. This exercise sharpened my ability to generate ideas quickly, develop concepts, and create storyboards under time constraints. It sparked my imagination and opened up new visual storytelling possibilities.

Skyfall

Final

2 Blade Runner

3 Lion King

break down

Frankenstein

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