What film techniques did Kubrick pioneer?
Front Projection for 2001 – first large-scale use in motion pictures Two major techniques of combining live action elements filmed in a studio with a pre-filmed background were available to filmmakers in the mid 1960’s: rear projection and travelling mattes. Both had limitations; rear projection did not give a sharp enough image to be usable in large scale situations, and travelling mattes had to be optically processed, resulting in a noticeable drop in film quality, as well as on occasions, a fuzzy blue line around the actors. In front projection, a projector is placed at an angle of 90 degrees to the side of the camera and its beam aimed at a two-way mirror, angled at 45 degrees directly in front of the camera lens. The projected image bounces off the mirror and onto a highly reflective screen. When an actor stands between this front projection rig and the screen, their body exactly masks the area cast by its shadow, resulting in an almost seamless composite when viewed through the c
