Optics: motion pictures – Special effects – Sets
Patent
1991-12-18
1996-10-08
Hayes, Monroe H.
Optics: motion pictures
Special effects
Sets
352 45, 352 46, 352129, A63J 500, G03B 1918
Patent
active
055636683
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a motion picture film composition method, and is suitably applied to, for example, composition of a motion picture film on which a foreground picture is imaged and another motion picture film on which a background picture is imaged.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, for filmmaking, a film composition method using an optical technique is used when a motion picture film on which a foreground picture of, for example, a piece of furniture is imaged separately (hereinafter referred to as "foreground film") is superimposed on another motion picture film on which a background picture of, for example, a landscape is imaged (hereinafter referred to as "background film").
In this method, a foreground film is first used to make a motion picture film consisting of a pattern covering the area other than the foreground (hereinafter referred to as "female mask film") by optical means.
Then this female mask film is optically reversed to make a motion picture film having a mask pattern covering the portion in a background film corresponding to the foreground of the foreground film (hereinafter referred to as "male mask film").
A latent image of the foreground alone obtained by superposing the foreground film and the female mask film and a latent image of the background including no part of the foreground obtained by superposing the background film and the male mask film are superimposed on a raw film.
The foreground film and the background film are optically combined in this manner to make a motion picture film in which the foreground picture is superposed on the background picture.
The film composition method using this optical technique requires a complicated process for making various mask films and intermediate films and optically combining these films.
It is difficult to preestimate the final result during intermediate processing for making mask films and intermediate films and, in fact, a highly expert technique is required to obtain a predicted result in a short time.
A film composition method is therefore used in which conventional motion picture films are converted, by telecinematography, into video signals in accordance with high-definition television (HDTV) signals to effect electrical image composition on the video signals, and composite video signals thereby obtained are recorded on a film by an electron beam picture recording apparatus to combine foreground and background films, thereby making a combined motion picture film in which a foreground picture is superimposed on a background picture.
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a background film F.sub.BK on which a background picture PIC.sub.BK is imaged is converted into a video signal through a telecinematographic unit 1A, thereby preparing a video tape T.sub.BK on which a background video signal VD.sub.BK is recorded.
Also, a foreground film F.sub.FR in which a foreground picture PIC.sub.FR is imaged on a so-called blue back B.sub.BK is converted into a video signal through a telecinematographic unit 1B, thereby preparing a video tape T.sub.FR on which a foreground video signal VD.sub.FR is recorded.
Video tapes T.sub.BK and T.sub.FR obtained in this manner are simultaneously played back by a video tape recorder (VTR), and a background video signal VD.sub.BK and a foreground video signal VD.sub.FR thereby obtained are input to a video signal composition unit 2 having a line-chromakey construction.
Video signal composition unit 2 is constituted by a mask signal generator 3 and a switching circuit 4. Background video signal VD.sub.BK and foreground video signal VD.sub.FR are supplied to first and second input terminals a and b of switching circuit 4.
Foreground video signal VD.sub.FR is also input to mask signal generator 3. Mask signal generator 3 then generates a male mask signal S.sub.MMSK for masking the area of foreground film F.sub.FR other than blue back B.sub.BK and supplies this signal to switching circuit 4 as a signal for changeover control of switching circuit 4.
Switching circuit 4 controls selection of the f
REFERENCES:
patent: 3595987 (1971-07-01), Vlahos
patent: 4986132 (1990-11-01), Ferren
Galt John
Omata Tomio
Ozaki Yoshio
Frommer William S.
Hayes Monroe H.
Sinderbrand Alvin
Sony Corporation
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