DIGITAL SET EXTENSION
DIGITAL MATTE PAINTING

Digital set extension or "matte painting" is a tool that filmmakers can use to create a scene that is either too impractical, too costly or simply too impossible to achieve with conventional cinematographic means.

The picture to the upper left is a scene shot on 35MM motion picture film on a Brooklyn street corner. The Director wished to have the street removed and the buildings extended downward to create a canyon of brick buildings.
To the upper right we see the completed matte painting. Below is the completed scene.
Note: The partial walkbridge prop (used for actor interaction) from the original footage was matched and digitally extended, also a moving NYC subway was added. Shadow, smoke and digital bird elements complete the effect.