Alice growing effect in 1972 “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” - how was it done? It's not green screen
up vote
53
down vote
favorite
How was this scaling effect done? I've linked to the timecode of the moment. It's at 00:27:02
My first assumption would have been green screen, but it's clearly not - she's taking on all the light and shadow from the scene around her. Even modern green screens probably doesn't look that good. Well maybe only nowadays, but certainly not back in 1972 or even 10 years ago.
She scales up perfectly, and then at the end, falls against the wall, interacting with the scenery.
You can even see her shadow interacting with the back wall on the left during the first half of the growing, and then in the latter half, her shadow is interacting with the fireplace on the left as well.
As far as I can tell, it looks perfectly real... and from a movie made in 1972.
I've tried to wrap my head around how they could have done it with forced perspective somehow, while moving her and the background towards/away from the camera, together or separately, but that just doesn't work...
film-techniques effects alices-adventures-in-wonderland
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
up vote
53
down vote
favorite
How was this scaling effect done? I've linked to the timecode of the moment. It's at 00:27:02
My first assumption would have been green screen, but it's clearly not - she's taking on all the light and shadow from the scene around her. Even modern green screens probably doesn't look that good. Well maybe only nowadays, but certainly not back in 1972 or even 10 years ago.
She scales up perfectly, and then at the end, falls against the wall, interacting with the scenery.
You can even see her shadow interacting with the back wall on the left during the first half of the growing, and then in the latter half, her shadow is interacting with the fireplace on the left as well.
As far as I can tell, it looks perfectly real... and from a movie made in 1972.
I've tried to wrap my head around how they could have done it with forced perspective somehow, while moving her and the background towards/away from the camera, together or separately, but that just doesn't work...
film-techniques effects alices-adventures-in-wonderland
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
up vote
53
down vote
favorite
up vote
53
down vote
favorite
How was this scaling effect done? I've linked to the timecode of the moment. It's at 00:27:02
My first assumption would have been green screen, but it's clearly not - she's taking on all the light and shadow from the scene around her. Even modern green screens probably doesn't look that good. Well maybe only nowadays, but certainly not back in 1972 or even 10 years ago.
She scales up perfectly, and then at the end, falls against the wall, interacting with the scenery.
You can even see her shadow interacting with the back wall on the left during the first half of the growing, and then in the latter half, her shadow is interacting with the fireplace on the left as well.
As far as I can tell, it looks perfectly real... and from a movie made in 1972.
I've tried to wrap my head around how they could have done it with forced perspective somehow, while moving her and the background towards/away from the camera, together or separately, but that just doesn't work...
film-techniques effects alices-adventures-in-wonderland
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
How was this scaling effect done? I've linked to the timecode of the moment. It's at 00:27:02
My first assumption would have been green screen, but it's clearly not - she's taking on all the light and shadow from the scene around her. Even modern green screens probably doesn't look that good. Well maybe only nowadays, but certainly not back in 1972 or even 10 years ago.
She scales up perfectly, and then at the end, falls against the wall, interacting with the scenery.
You can even see her shadow interacting with the back wall on the left during the first half of the growing, and then in the latter half, her shadow is interacting with the fireplace on the left as well.
As far as I can tell, it looks perfectly real... and from a movie made in 1972.
I've tried to wrap my head around how they could have done it with forced perspective somehow, while moving her and the background towards/away from the camera, together or separately, but that just doesn't work...
film-techniques effects alices-adventures-in-wonderland
film-techniques effects alices-adventures-in-wonderland
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
edited 14 hours ago
Napoleon Wilson♦
40.9k34257498
40.9k34257498
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
asked 16 hours ago
Domarius
32124
32124
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Domarius is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
57
down vote
The Ames Room, forced perspective, and moving towards the camera.
The left side of the room is much larger and farther away than the right side of the room. Take a look at the same illusion here:
She is pulled towards the camera in the beginning, and then moves to the right area, which is much smaller than the left area. After the camera cuts, it's just a tiny room with miniature everything and Alice in it.
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
6
If you ever get the chance to have a go in an Ames room (with friends), take it. I went to the one at the Glasgow Science centre with a load of physicists/engineers and it was well worth it (basically we only left it when they fed us).
– Chris H
10 hours ago
6
Worth noting that a more recent example of this techique was used in the LOTR films, particularly the Bag-End scenes between Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo.
– Darren
10 hours ago
1
@Darren Although that added the twist of sitting both actors and the set around them on electronically-controlled mounts, with the camera also on an electronically-controlled mount. The Ames room relies on a fixed camera. With the camera and both actors' positions under computer control though, the camera could move and still keep the actors at the correct relative distances to get the size illusion. AFAIK that was invented by Weta for LotR (one of many inventions during those films, of course).
– Graham
4 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
57
down vote
The Ames Room, forced perspective, and moving towards the camera.
The left side of the room is much larger and farther away than the right side of the room. Take a look at the same illusion here:
She is pulled towards the camera in the beginning, and then moves to the right area, which is much smaller than the left area. After the camera cuts, it's just a tiny room with miniature everything and Alice in it.
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
6
If you ever get the chance to have a go in an Ames room (with friends), take it. I went to the one at the Glasgow Science centre with a load of physicists/engineers and it was well worth it (basically we only left it when they fed us).
– Chris H
10 hours ago
6
Worth noting that a more recent example of this techique was used in the LOTR films, particularly the Bag-End scenes between Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo.
– Darren
10 hours ago
1
@Darren Although that added the twist of sitting both actors and the set around them on electronically-controlled mounts, with the camera also on an electronically-controlled mount. The Ames room relies on a fixed camera. With the camera and both actors' positions under computer control though, the camera could move and still keep the actors at the correct relative distances to get the size illusion. AFAIK that was invented by Weta for LotR (one of many inventions during those films, of course).
– Graham
4 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
57
down vote
The Ames Room, forced perspective, and moving towards the camera.
The left side of the room is much larger and farther away than the right side of the room. Take a look at the same illusion here:
She is pulled towards the camera in the beginning, and then moves to the right area, which is much smaller than the left area. After the camera cuts, it's just a tiny room with miniature everything and Alice in it.
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
6
If you ever get the chance to have a go in an Ames room (with friends), take it. I went to the one at the Glasgow Science centre with a load of physicists/engineers and it was well worth it (basically we only left it when they fed us).
– Chris H
10 hours ago
6
Worth noting that a more recent example of this techique was used in the LOTR films, particularly the Bag-End scenes between Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo.
– Darren
10 hours ago
1
@Darren Although that added the twist of sitting both actors and the set around them on electronically-controlled mounts, with the camera also on an electronically-controlled mount. The Ames room relies on a fixed camera. With the camera and both actors' positions under computer control though, the camera could move and still keep the actors at the correct relative distances to get the size illusion. AFAIK that was invented by Weta for LotR (one of many inventions during those films, of course).
– Graham
4 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
57
down vote
up vote
57
down vote
The Ames Room, forced perspective, and moving towards the camera.
The left side of the room is much larger and farther away than the right side of the room. Take a look at the same illusion here:
She is pulled towards the camera in the beginning, and then moves to the right area, which is much smaller than the left area. After the camera cuts, it's just a tiny room with miniature everything and Alice in it.
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
The Ames Room, forced perspective, and moving towards the camera.
The left side of the room is much larger and farther away than the right side of the room. Take a look at the same illusion here:
She is pulled towards the camera in the beginning, and then moves to the right area, which is much smaller than the left area. After the camera cuts, it's just a tiny room with miniature everything and Alice in it.
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
answered 15 hours ago
BlueMoon93
13.5k465136
13.5k465136
6
If you ever get the chance to have a go in an Ames room (with friends), take it. I went to the one at the Glasgow Science centre with a load of physicists/engineers and it was well worth it (basically we only left it when they fed us).
– Chris H
10 hours ago
6
Worth noting that a more recent example of this techique was used in the LOTR films, particularly the Bag-End scenes between Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo.
– Darren
10 hours ago
1
@Darren Although that added the twist of sitting both actors and the set around them on electronically-controlled mounts, with the camera also on an electronically-controlled mount. The Ames room relies on a fixed camera. With the camera and both actors' positions under computer control though, the camera could move and still keep the actors at the correct relative distances to get the size illusion. AFAIK that was invented by Weta for LotR (one of many inventions during those films, of course).
– Graham
4 hours ago
add a comment |
6
If you ever get the chance to have a go in an Ames room (with friends), take it. I went to the one at the Glasgow Science centre with a load of physicists/engineers and it was well worth it (basically we only left it when they fed us).
– Chris H
10 hours ago
6
Worth noting that a more recent example of this techique was used in the LOTR films, particularly the Bag-End scenes between Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo.
– Darren
10 hours ago
1
@Darren Although that added the twist of sitting both actors and the set around them on electronically-controlled mounts, with the camera also on an electronically-controlled mount. The Ames room relies on a fixed camera. With the camera and both actors' positions under computer control though, the camera could move and still keep the actors at the correct relative distances to get the size illusion. AFAIK that was invented by Weta for LotR (one of many inventions during those films, of course).
– Graham
4 hours ago
6
6
If you ever get the chance to have a go in an Ames room (with friends), take it. I went to the one at the Glasgow Science centre with a load of physicists/engineers and it was well worth it (basically we only left it when they fed us).
– Chris H
10 hours ago
If you ever get the chance to have a go in an Ames room (with friends), take it. I went to the one at the Glasgow Science centre with a load of physicists/engineers and it was well worth it (basically we only left it when they fed us).
– Chris H
10 hours ago
6
6
Worth noting that a more recent example of this techique was used in the LOTR films, particularly the Bag-End scenes between Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo.
– Darren
10 hours ago
Worth noting that a more recent example of this techique was used in the LOTR films, particularly the Bag-End scenes between Gandalf, Frodo and Bilbo.
– Darren
10 hours ago
1
1
@Darren Although that added the twist of sitting both actors and the set around them on electronically-controlled mounts, with the camera also on an electronically-controlled mount. The Ames room relies on a fixed camera. With the camera and both actors' positions under computer control though, the camera could move and still keep the actors at the correct relative distances to get the size illusion. AFAIK that was invented by Weta for LotR (one of many inventions during those films, of course).
– Graham
4 hours ago
@Darren Although that added the twist of sitting both actors and the set around them on electronically-controlled mounts, with the camera also on an electronically-controlled mount. The Ames room relies on a fixed camera. With the camera and both actors' positions under computer control though, the camera could move and still keep the actors at the correct relative distances to get the size illusion. AFAIK that was invented by Weta for LotR (one of many inventions during those films, of course).
– Graham
4 hours ago
add a comment |
