Watch A Great Explanation Of The History Of Film Compositing

A lot of you know quite a bit about film, but I bet the video below features a few details that will be new to all but the most technically-aware readers.

The site filmmakerIQ.com has put together a great video that explains the origins of film compositing as used in special effects. It begins with the short in which Georges Melies tore his own head off three times in a row to present audiences with himself surrounded by three talking heads. The explanation moves from there to the early blue screen process, and then to the means used by Disney to make the compositing in films like Mary Poppins look amazingly good. (Do you know the name Petro Vlahos? After this, you will.)

This video explains the intricate technical hurdles that made blue-screen compositing so time-consuming, and does a great job explaining the shift to green-screen use and digital. It's a great video that breaks down a complex process to easily understandable bits.

[via Rope of Silicon]