Matte World Digital

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Matte World Digital
Founded1988
Headquarters
Novato, California
,
United States
ServicesVisual effects

Matte World Digital was a

digital environments for feature films, television, electronic games and IMAX large-format productions.[1]
The company closed in 2012 after 24 years of service in the entertainment industry.

History

The company, initially called Matte World, was co-founded in 1988 by visual effects supervisor Craig Barron, matte painter Michael Pangrazio,[2] and producer Krystyna Demkowicz. Barron and Pangrazio had worked together at Industrial Light & Magic, starting in 1979, when they helped create the matte-effects shots for George Lucas' The Empire Strikes Back.[3] Barron and Pangrazio continued to work with the crew at ILM on notable matte-painting scenes in several classic features including Raiders of the Lost Ark,[4] and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Barron left ILM in 1988 after serving four years as supervisor of photography in the company’s matte department.[5]

The Matte World team formed to provide realistic matte-painting effects for film and television. In 1992, the company was renamed Matte World Digital, reflecting the new technological tools available to matte painters. Since then, MWD has created digital-matte environments for films directed by (among others) Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, and David Fincher.[6]

After working on shots for more than 100 films, Matte World Digital closed its shop in August, 2012.[7][8]

Digital innovations

MWD was the first visual-effects company to apply

Casino (1995). Recreating the 1970s-era Las Vegas strip was made possible by simulating the indirect bounce-light effect of millions of neon lights. Radiosity rendering allowed for the first true simulation of bounce-light in a computer-generated environment.[9]

For David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, one of MWD’s challenges was to create 29 digital matte paintings of a New Orleans train station and its various looks throughout time: new, run-down, and remodeled. To accomplish all these scenes from one 3D model, the company used Next Limit’s Maxwell rendering software—an architectural visualization tool—revamping the software to accurately mimic real-world lighting.[10]

When Fincher requested a low-altitude helicopter shot over Paris, Barron took digital reference photos from a helicopter flying over the city at a higher altitude (as required since 9/11). Then the team at MWD used a flight simulator to determine aerial views at a lower height. Once the height and angles were worked out on the simulator and approved by Fincher, a high-resolution CG model was built for a completely computer-generated flight shot.[11]

Awards

Craig Barron won the 2009

Emmy for outstanding visual effects for By Dawn's Early Light in 1990.[15]

Matte World Digital is listed 76th in Animation Career Review's "Top 100 Most Influential Animation Studios of All-Time."[16]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ Matte World Digital | Company Information Archived 2008-12-26 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ISBN 0-8118-4515-X
  3. ^ Cotta Vaz and Barron, p. 197
  4. ISBN 0-8230-8408-6
  5. IMDb
  6. ^ Robertson, Barbara (March 15, 2007) "Memories of Murder: VFX for Zodiac | Recreating 1970s San Francisco for Director David Fincher" Archived 2008-06-22 at the Wayback Machine, Studio Daily
  7. ^ Failes, Ian (August 27th, 2012) "End of an era: Matte World Digital and Fuel" FX Guide
  8. ^ Matte World Digital Farwell
  9. ^ Rickitt, Richard, p. 209
  10. ^ Duncan, Jody (January, 2009) "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Cinefex, No. 116, pgs. 94-96
  11. ^ Duncan, Jody, pgs. 97-98
  12. ^ The Official Academy Awards Database Archived 2009-02-08 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ British Academy of Film and Television Awards - Film Winners in 2009 Archived 2009-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Academy Awards Database
  15. ^ Cotta Vaz and Barron, p. 213
  16. ^ Fronczak, Tom, (February 16, 2012) Animation Career Review "Top 100 Most Influential Animation Studios of All-Time"

Further reading

External links

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