Monday, June 20, 2022

Art of the Backdrop

 CBS produced this lively overview of the art of Hollywood painted backdrops, or "backings," as they're known in the business. (Link to YouTube)

4 comments:

Richard said...

You also might like this website, I have been following it for years,

http://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/

Pierre Fontaine said...

Agreed....the matte painting blog that Richard linked to above is wonderful. It's updated roughly every two months or so but it's so filled with remarkable information and examples that it's not a quick read to get through...it takes time to appreciate everything he gathers together with each update.

Regarding this CBS piece, it originally aired a few years back when the book first came out but it was nice to see it again. My only gripe is that there were moments that were clearly matte paintings as opposed to backdrops such as the Wizard of Oz characters dancing down the yellow brick road as they leave Munchkinland. However, some of the shots fooled me.

I'm very happy you took the opportunity to share this important piece of Hollywood history.

Jeff said...

The Boca Raton Art Museum has been running a wonderful show of these backdrops, including the one of Mt Rushmore, of ancient Rome, some from NYC, and some from the Sound of Music, among many others. They are amazing. and huge.

widdly said...

The youtube link is not available outside the US.