TRADITIONAL MATTE PAINTING AND MINIATURES IN FRENCH FILM INDUSTRY

Glass painting and miniature effects were in used at French cinema since the early days. We shouldn’t forget that George Melies was without a doubt one of the master pioneers on the use tricks and effects of all genres.   Most of his paintings were scenic backdrops and I really don’t know for sure if Melies used foreground miniature paintings. Anyway, there is a name on French films when talking about glass and matte painting, and that’s Walter Percy Day. The British artist started painting glass shots for Ideal Films in Borehamwood at 1919, but British film industry was on a difficult situation and French industry was in an ascendant way, so Percy Day moved to Paris at 1922 and became an instant success as a glass painter.

Walter Pery Day working on a huge glass painting for the french film "Les Opprimés" (1923)

Another sample of Percy Day glass painting art. This time for the film Verdum (1928)

 After the Russian revolution at 1917, many non-communist Russians leave the country in search of a more peaceful place to live.  French film industry benefited from many Russian artists that entered into the movie business, as art directors like Serge Piménoff   Eugene Lourie, Andrew Andrejev, Pierre Schildneckt, or Leon Barsacq, also  Nicolas Wilcke and Paul Minine whom specialized on foreground miniatures.

Pierre Schild working on a matte painting for the Spanish film Tierra sedienta (1945)

Eugene Lourie with some miniatures made for Krakatoa, east of Java (1969)

When Percy Day leave France to return to England,   some art directors like Pierre Schildneckt and French Jean Perrier, begun to execute their own glass paintings for their films.  Schildneckt moved to Spain when WWII hit France and Nicolas Wilcke became the main specialist on foreground miniatures and paintings. French FX artist Charles Assola, became also a practitioner of foreground paintings, and miniatures tricks.

Special effects artist Charles Assola.

 Spanish matte arists Emilio Ruiz del Rio  worked a lot  for European coproductions during the sixties and seventies, and very often  with French production companies. Specially  during the eighties he worked for several French films doing glass paintings and foreground miniatures like  Le lune fans le caniveau (1983) Les chevaux du Soleil (1980), Promis jure (1987) and TV mini series The French revolution (1989).

Also during the early eighties Frech artist Jean Marie Vives started to paint on glass for  La Vie est un Roman (1983), Bunquer palace Hotel (1989) or Jean Galmot, aventurier (1990). At the early nineties he started to work as digital matte painter on films like Les  Visiteurs (1993)

American artist Paul Swendsen started his carrer as matte painter for George Lucas Company I.L.M. on films as Willow (1988), The Burbs (1989) or  Ghost (1990). He later moved to Europe and establised himself in France working as matte painter on many films like Giorgino (1994), Total Eclipse (1995), or  La Femme du Cosmonaute (1997).

Les croix de bois (1932)

 Les misérables (1934)