Disney &Frame Grabs 11 Jul 2011 06:43 am
Snow White Multiplane – 1
- The first feature Disney used to display his multiplane camera was his first feature, Snow White. Interestingly enough, I find the use of the camera in this first feature film to be one of the least ostentatious of them all. Any displays of depth or multiplane pans are almost hidden in the movie, as if they didn’t want to call attention to themselves. This, of course, is the exact opposite of its use in Pinocchio.
However, there are a lot of scenes that use it to hide or help effects for the film.
I’ve captured a lot of demonstrations of the camera in use and will start displaying them from the beginning of the film.
1aThe film starts off using the multiplane with the first two shots.
1b
As we truck in on the castle, there are slight changes of focus on overlays.
2a
The same goes for this second shot.
2b
3a
In the wishing well, the brick work is broken into a number of different levels.
The top two are progressively out of focus even though there is no camera move.
3b
This makes the ripples and the reflection easier to produce
keeping everything else in the same level of focus.
4a
Once the woodsman takes Snow White to the forest, the camera
comes into its own – although they still use it with great subtlety.
4b
As the camera moves in there’s a rack focus on all the levels.
4c
The grassy hill that SW stands on moves separately from the sky.
5a
And once the hunter tells her to run away there’s plenty of movement.
Here, she starts backing away from the hunter.
5b
She continues to back away. Levels start moving behind her.
5c
Once she starts running a large out of focus tree sweeps across the screen.
5d
She moves into the perspective as the trees swoop past her.
5e
She runs toward a block of trees.
5f
We see her continue past the group of trees into the darkness.
At times she’s completely shaded by the out of focus trees.
6a
She turns and backs slowly into the forest . . .
6b
. . . and falls into a hole.
6c
The camera holds for a beat on the hole in the ground.
6d
Followed by a very fast pan down, trying to follow her.
Levels fly by out of focus.
6e
6f
We catch up to her holding onto a vine above water.
7a
A quick cut back to reveal the environment.
7b
She falls into the water.
7c
She’s frightened by two logs that look like alligators.
8a
Cut with her running out of the water.
8b
Out of focus shrubbery blocks our view of her.
8c
She continues moving under the shrubbery.
8d
She finally comes out of the hole.
8e
She runs into the forest.
9a
Frightened by the trees she runs forward screen right.
9b
Cut as she enters large from screen left.
9c
She runs into the perspective. Different levels of soft focus.
9d
Leaves blow behind her.
10a
She’s frightened by eyes and falls to the ground.
In this shot the eyes seemed to be burned in on a second pass.
As the camera moves out, they don’t move at the same rate
causing some slight gliding.
10b
Overlay trees slowly move into the frame.
The lighting of the scene brightens.
10c
Finally, we’re settled watching her on the ground
surrounded by innocent pastoral animals.
11
Snow White on the ground with all the animals
does not employ the multiplane camera.
12
However, we immediately see a deer over a waterbed surrounded by trees.
This does use the camera to place the water effect in among the foliage.
There are plenty of shrubs out of focus above the water.
13a
The same goes for this shot of raccoons.
13b
The raccoons run out in the pick up of this shot, and we truck in to a turtle.
The multiplane level of the water separates from what’s under it.
14a
Snow White is led by the animals through a wooded area
filled with multiplane levels.
14b
14c
The water effect has a level all its own.
14d
14e
14f
How more apparent is the multiplane level than this one
that blurs out in an area that visually cuts off her head.
15a
Snow White comes out to a clearing and is pulled to screen left.
15b
Plenty of objects pass in soft focus.
15c
15d
The animals open to a clearing.
15e
15f
15g
There’s a light change as Snow White views out . . .
16
. . . to see the dwarf’s house. No camera move, but the
multiplane still is used to create a feeling of depth.
17a
A few shots later, Snow White runs across a little foot bridge.
17b
She heads for the dwarf’s house.
17c
Out of focus trees pass over her and the animals.
17d
She goes right up to it and . . .
17e
. . . peers in the window.
on 11 Jul 2011 at 7:01 am 1.Stephen Macquignon said …
It makes me want to see the film all over again
on 11 Jul 2011 at 9:28 am 2.Heidi said …
Absolutly stunning post in every conceivable way. Glorious film.
on 12 Jul 2011 at 12:07 pm 3.Stephen Perry said …
Number 12, this scene has always looked odd, because the bank nearest to the deer is out of focus, but the distorted reflection is in focus? But you can see how quick they learned by the time of the second feature. In Snow White they went over the top with branches sticking out of tree trunks in the foreground and painting them almost as light as the character levels in some scenes, 17c.
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