Today in class I had a student describe his goal of creating cinematic images that combined his computer graphics with live actors. It caused me to want to show him the history of projected backgrounds in filmmaking. It is a technique that is still in use and one that has advanced to the point where entire series are filmed on soundtages with wrap around screens that project the entire landscape of the scene.
In a short video lecture on the topic a filmmaker described the main purpose of a projected background was to simply supply color and texture.
Wanting to seize the moment and encourage students to simply try to apply new knowledge I made this image with my cell phone by placing a subject in front of the projection screen in the classroom. I then had another student turn on the flashlight on their cell phone to illuminate the face of the subject in the photo.
Looking at the initial results I wasn’t happy with the background being too sharp. As if to re-emphasize the point about texture and color, I had to purposely make the background go out of focus to really create the cinematic effect we were going for.
It was a quick and fun experiment that I hope will provide inspiration for others to just try it.
Cheers,
