Front Projection Visual Effects Essay Example

However, filming Reeve flying close to the camera posed a challenge. Zoran Perisic, a special effects expert from Yugoslavia refined front projection by installing a zoom lens on the projector and motion picture camera. The lenses were synchronized with a computer such that when the camera zoomed in, the projector would zoom out, and vice versa. This resulted in Superman appearing to fly closer to the camera. Perisic dubbed this Zoptics. This technique was subsequently utilized for three Superman sequels, Santa Claus: The Movie, and Sky Bandits (also known as Gunbus), directed by Perisic himself. IntroVision, where black velvet (which absorbs light from the projector) is replaced with another Scotchlite screen that reflects towards another scotchlight screen placed in front acter, is another modification in Front projection.
The identical image can be observed from separate sources and is featured on two different display panels, producing a "3D" impact. IntroVision was first applied in the movie Outland and allowed the merging of the lead actor, Sean Connery, with models portraying the Io mining town. The technology was similarly employed in Under Siege, Army of Darkness, and The Fugitive. It gave a convincing illusion of Harrison Ford being perched atop a miniature bus that is then struck by a toy train. Front projection, now a dated technology, had various benefits over its chief competitor - bluescreen. It eliminated the presence of bold black outlines typically visible in bluescreen shot movies. It was not as time demanding and hence, less costly in comparison to the lengthy procedure of optically splitting and fusing foreground and background images using an optical printer. It enabled directors to visually inspect the background and

suggest necessary modifications ("Jump now, Harrison!"). Primarily with Zoptics, it also offered a more adaptable system that could facilitate complex sequences which were challenging to undertake using bluescreen during that time. However, with progress in digital compositing techniques, front projection has become redundant. The last considerable blockbuster that utilized front projection significantly was Sylvester Stallone's action-drama Cliffhanger.