How'd They Do That?

[Rey Lowe]

If anyone here has seen "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project", do you have any idea how they did the 3-D effect for the old photos?

Many of the photos were given a depth, an almost 3-D look.

I wanna do that too!!! :)

[Frank Simpson]

This is similar in concept to what Walt Disney came up with as the "multi-plane camera". Various "plates" were created of various elements, each on their own plane. Each could be moved independently in front of the camera to create a greater sense of depth. In Disney's case the glass plates varied in depth from the camera by up to a few feet, which allowed rack focusing.

The "easy" way to do this in DV is to create each element as a photoshop file that supports transparency. The sample I just saw of Mr. Warmth on youtube contained 4 layers; a backdrop, a bandstand, several images of Mr. Rickles, and foreground audience heads. Each would be brought into your NLE on a separate layer and then "pan-and-scanned" to imply a camera move. Each layer moves at a different rate, the backdrop layer barely moving and each successive layer "closer to the camera" moving faster. This creates the illusion to which you refer.

Usually it's easier to find "clean plate" images of a background into which to composite your subject. Otherwise there is a very long and tedious process of "cloning" the subject out of the image to give you enough clean image with which to work. Of course compositing images from separate photos introduces other considerations such as matching contrast, film grain, etc.

If you're fortunate enough to be the still photographer you can shoot your own "clean plates" either immediately before or after your main subject is posed.

It is an effect that is both simple and complex at the same time, but it's very impressive!