{
  "id": 7864524,
  "title": "Some of the most iconic movie sets aren’t sets at all – they’re paintings",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/some-of-the-most-iconic-movie-sets-arent-sets-at-all-theyre-paintings",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-16T20:07:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/some-of-the-most-iconic-movie-sets-arent-sets-at-all-theyre-paintings-290624"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Matte painting is a technique used in film-making that combines live-action footage with painted images to create seamless, convincing scenes. This method is popular because it allows for the creation of large, detailed environments at a relatively low cost. One of the most famous examples of matte painting is the film Blade Runner (1982), where the bleak world was created using this technique. However, the exact nature of matte painting is often not immediately apparent to viewers, which can lead to doubt about what is actually in front of them.\n\nMatte painting has its limitations, particularly in terms of camera movement. If the camera moves too far, it can break the illusion by going beyond the boundaries of the painted scene. Early matte painting techniques required large sheets of painted glass to be placed on set, but this proved impractical and difficult to execute. To overcome this challenge, Norman Dawn, a silent film director, painted missing parts of buildings on glass and lined it up between the scene and the camera while filming. He then blacked out sections of the frame to hide parts of the scene, creating what is known as a \"matte.\" The matte was then projected onto a glass panel in a studio, and an artist painted over the gaps. This process was later refined with the invention of color film, enabling \"travelling mattes\" which used detailed, full-motion cut outs of actors. This innovation was used in Mary Poppins (1964) to create the illusion of Julie Andrews flying.\n\nIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM), a visual effects company, has been at the forefront of matte painting in film-making. They have combined multiple layers of matte painting with physical 3D models and photographs to create more complex and convincing scenes. ILM's matte paintings defined the look and feel of the original Star Wars trilogy (1977–83), depicting planets such as Hoth, Endor, and Bespin. With the advent of digital technology, matte paintings are now predominantly created digitally using scanned drawings, photographs, virtual 3D models, and digital drawings. This allows for greater efficiency and non-destructive editing, making it possible to incorporate matte painting directly onto footage while filming. Digital matte painting can even be used on virtual production sets, such as the StageCraft LED screen used in The Mandalorian (2019–23). While there is a trade-off between traditional and digital matte painting in terms of creative vision and collaboration, matte painting remains a valuable storytelling device that can transport audiences into fantastical worlds.",
  "summary": "This filmmaking technique will leave you doubting what’s in front of your eyes.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}