Patent GB-1010273-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the production of composite cinematograph films
Inventor: HOWARD THOMAS WILLIAM
IPC: G03B15/08
Filed: 1961-12-14
Abstract: 1,010,273. Composite photographs by the travelling methe process. METRO-GOLDWYNMAYER BRITISH STUDIOS Ltd. and J. W. HOWARD. March 14, 1963 [Dec. 14, 1961], No. 44841/61. Heading G2C. A travelling matte process for combining at least two separately photographed scenes into a composite film comprises separately photographing a desired foreground scene and a desired background scene so as to produce original colour negative films of each of said scenes, the desired foreground scene being photographed against a plain backing of a colour complementing to the colours of the foreground scene exposing a first component film from the original negative film of the foreground scene this first component being exposed so that the background is not exposed, this film being left undeveloped, exposing a second component film from the original negative of the foreground scene, this second component being exposed so that the background is exposed, this film being developed, registering this with the undeveloped first component film, exposing and then developing the first component film to give a combined developed film with a foreground on a transparent background, producing an undeveloped colour positive from the original negative of the foreground scene registering this positive with the combined developed film, exposure and developing to give a film with the background area surrounding the foreground scenes integrally marked; producing a colour positive film which is left underdeveloped from the original negative film of the background scene, over laying this undeveloped positive with the developed second component film, exposing and developing the undeveloped positive to give a film of a background scene with the foreground masked overlaying this mask with the combined developed film, exposing to produce a composite undeveloped negative film (the complete matte) which is registered with the film with the integrally masked background area to give a composite single negative film. Preferably the foreground scene is predominantly red, yellow and orange and the background scene is blue so that the first component film is extracted by using a blue filter and the second component film extracted with a red filter. As shown, a developed foreground negative 10 is exposed through a red filter 14 to give a black and white positive 13 which is developed. The negative 10 is also exposed through a blue filter 12 to give a black and white positive 11 which is left undeveloped and registered with positive 13, exposed and developed to produce negative 15 which comprises the foreground 16 on a transparent background. A full colour positive 17 is produced from 10 and this undeveloped positive 17 is registered with negative 15, exposed and developed to produce film 19 with a black background 18. The background negative 20 is exposed to a positive 21 which is undeveloped and registered with positive 13, exposed and developed to give positive 21A (the partial matte). This is registered with negative 15 and exposed to produce the undeveloped complete matte 22 with black foreground 24. This matte 22 is registered with film 19, exposed and developed to give the composite negative 25 of the foreground and background.