Matte Art’s Last Individualist

For decades fanzines, journals and books have dedicated a great deal of effort – and rightfully so – in covering Jim Danforth’s iconic stop motion animation work as well as the convoluted circumstances surrounding the various un-realised features which Jim has tried so hard to get off the ground. Regrettably, no article nor author to date had attempted to cover Jim’s other, quite considerable area of expertise – that being the highly skilled art of movie matte painting which has occupied a significant portion of Jim’s time professionally for around four decades. I suspect that most of Jim’s legions of fans possibly aren’t even aware of the major contributions and vast output that Jim has undertaken in his glass painting effects work. Today’s article will reveal all.

The following conversations originated as just a few isolated matte shot questions in the first instance and quickly developed into a full blown career interview. It didn’t take long before my overly inquisitive ‘nosey parker’ line of questioning would be fulfilled by Jim’s comprehensive and detailed responses, where no cinematic stone was left unturned.
Jim loves the artform, probably even more that I do(!!), and loves to talk about not just his own matte shots but those of industry veterans and even classic effects films that we share a common respect for. Jim’s enthusiasm was such that he “wrote off” at least one computer keyboard in the process of typing up material for me! Now that’s dedication…

…Read the Full Article @ Matte Shot

This blog is intended as a tribute to the ingenuity of the traditional matte painter where movie magic was created entirely by hand. Some of the shots will amaze in their grandeur and epic quality while others will surprise in their ‘invisibility’ to even the sophisticated viewer. I hope this collection will serve as an appreciation of the artform and both casual visitors and those with a specialist interest may benefit, enjoy and be amazed at skills largely unknown today

NZPete

I have gone further back into the archives of Matte Shot – A Tribute to Golden Era Special FX to feature even more articles from this great site, so  I hope you enjoy this wonderful journey we’re on together.

PJ Max