A matte artist creates background textures in films using mattes, which are inserted during the compositing process. They must have artistic and computer skills, understand the shooting process, and work quickly. They can attend art or film schools and work independently or for special effects companies or studios.
A matte artist is a film professional who develops mattes, scenes that are used to create background texture in images. Mates are used when traveling to a location or building a set is not practical and can be seen in many movies, big and small. The technology behind matte paintings has changed considerably since they were introduced in the early days of cinema and the matte artist has been forced to evolve along with the development of film technology.
Mattes are inserted into photos during the compositing process. In a simple composite image, the live action shots are transposed over a matte image to make it look like the live action is taking place inside the matte. However, several layers of mattes can be used, increasing the complexity of the process. The matte artist’s job is to make it feel realistic and meet the artistic needs of the production.
Historically, mattes were painted onto canvas or glass and then filmed. Today, most matte artists work with computers. Some might refer to digital matte artists in a reference to this. The work requires artistic skills because a high degree of skill is required to produce mattes and it also requires computer skills on the part of the artist. Complex software is used and can be challenging to manipulate at first.
A matte artist is not simply a visual artist who creates sets for film and television production. Matte artists should also be familiar with the shooting process. This member of the film crew needs to understand how the matte works so that he can design a matte well and identify potential problems that may arise during filming. Matte artists are also sometimes required to work very quickly, which can make the job highly stressful.
To become a matte artist, people usually attend art schools to refine their art schools and learn about the shooting process. Matte artists can also take courses at film schools to learn about the technology, composition, and computer systems used in producing mattes for filmmaking. People who display a high level of talent as matte artists can demand high fees for their services, working independently or for special effects companies that maintain a team of skilled artists to provide special effects services. It is also possible to work directly for a studio.
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