Compositing 101: an industry veteran looks at the tools and techniques required for this digital process, and highlights lessons learned.(Gray Marshall of Gray Matter FX)(Interview)

In 1997, Gray Marshall teamed up with visual effects executive producer Margaux Mackay and formed Gray Matter FX, a company with a reputation for its high standard of effects work and project selection. Since its inception, Gray Matter FX has created 2D compositing and complex 3D effects sequences for The Life Aquatic, Lords of Dogtown, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Italian Job, and many more motion pictures. The company's most current projects include All the King's Men, Dreamgirls, and The Invisible.

Q How long have you been in the business?

A I've been in effects work for 15 years, 13 years in digital effects--mostly for feature films.

Q Have the compositing requirements for your company changed over time?

A They haven't changed, really. You still have to do it well. The greenscreens are still green, people still need to be roto'd. What have changed are the speed of the machines, some specific bits of automation for specific tasks, and the nature of color in its final delivery stage, as in DI.

Q How have the compositing technologies evolved?

A For many years, any really serious compositing was done on a Discreet system, like a Flame or an Inferno. Several studios began making their own "in-house" software, not as a cheaper duplication of the Discreet systems, but as alternatives, often with better final results.