Being rather small in dimensions, the MGM mattes were executed on tilt down draftsman's tables rather than on studio easels as elsewhere, with the Metro artists seated close to the piece rather than standing and applying paint with a long handled brush. Almost all were rendered on heavy duty card or in some cases hardboard (or masonite as they call it in America). Gillespie ( / ɡ ɪ ˈ l ɛ s p i/ ghil- ESP-ee) is both a masculine given name and a surname in the English language. Variants include Gillaspie and Gillispie. Gillespie married Nell Hill in 1944. She died in 2000. They had one child, Thomas Scott Gillespie (1944–61). A. Arnold was previously married to aviator Ruth Elder, with whom he had a son, William Trent Gillespie (1940–2008).

The production is first rate though not as 'glittering' perhaps as MARIE ANTOINETTE, with TALE having a somewhat darker edge to it out of necessity. Far less need here for the gauzy soft focus modelled lighting upon the female lead as was deemed important for the former film. The miniatures were also and separately filmed “head on,” to be shown – in the distance – as they approached the Haunted Forest and immediately terrified Dorothy and her friends. The live-actor monkeys did the actual flying into and landing on the set; after they captured the Kansas girl and her pet, laid waste to the Scarecrow, fought with the Tin Man, and scared the poor Cowardly Lion into submission, they soared upwards again. But their retreat across the remote sky was again performed by the manipulated rubber crew, operated not unlike some varying contingents of marionettes. This picture was actually the fourth version to be made, with at least another two to come later on. The J.Arthur Rank version in the late 1950's with Dirk Bogarde was quite good, though quite poor as far as the matte work went. Letter E, Column 157". The electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (eDIL). Archived from the original on 6 December 2014 . Retrieved 30 November 2014. Before and after where we can see the soundstage rigging and lighting fixtures prior to the addition of the artwork.

Not sure on this one. The ceiling and tops of the flags sure look painted but that foreground suspended fixture has me baffled? One of the most common types of matte were the 'top up' where a ceiling would be added in later partially as a matter of cost cutting in avoiding needless set construction, and partly to conceal gantries, lighting rigs and studio rigging.

He was born on October 14, 1899, in El Paso, Texas. Gillespie joined MGM as a set designer in 1925, a year after it was founded. He was educated at Columbia University and the Arts Students League. His first project was the silent film Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, released that same year. He worked at the studio in various capacities until 1962. In 1936, he became the head of MGM's Special Effects Department. [2] Special Effects 1945: They Were Expendable – Photographic (with Donald Jahraus and R. A. MacDonald)MGM's Newcombe matte department circa 1940 with the large roster of artists, cameramen and technical specialists. *Photo courtesy of Craig Barron's indispensable book The Invisible Art - The Legends of Movie Matte Painting. He is also in need of a better editor and a graphic designer. The book cover design, its execution, and its eye-assaulting colors are amateurish and abysmal. This is usually the case when an author "knows a friend" who is handy with Corel Draw. That's a cheap way to whip up a book cover, right? Never get friends to design book covers. Hire a pro, as Gillespie always advocates in hid book. He should have followed his own advice when he needed to publish his book. I am embarrassed for the old chap. The dreaded and much feared Bastille - the very symbol of oppression. Virtually all matte art here with just the main square and the crowd being actual. Apparently these sequences were directed by Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur

O'Laughlin, M (1992). The Book of Irish Families Great & Small. Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation. p. 125. ISBN 0-940134-08-X. Accessed via Open Library. The revolution gains momentum though it becomes quite clear fairly soon that the whole gig gets somewhat out of control. Special Effects 1944: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo – Photographic (with Donald Jahraus and Warren Newcombe) [8] Chief Bill Gillespie, in the novel In the Heat of the Night and its film and television adaptations

Sound Recording

Another jaw dropping matte shot with superb blend to the live action columns, something that the Newcombe department were experts at. As already mentioned, Newcombe always dictated a soft matte rather than a hard matte line, with the soft join usually just sweeping across the frame with the artist expertly working the join to blend the two as one with fantastic results. The two journeys were made in May and October 2017, and the Fine Arts company summarized their assignment in the following words: "Conservation treatment of the two flying monkey props from THE WIZARD OF OZ film, [including] stabilization, repair, aesthetic compensation, and mounting for display in custom-fabricated cases." As can be seen by the images in this month’s video blog, the miniature monkeys are now permanently stored in a case in Wamego that insures both climate control and limited exposure to the elements. As Clint sagely comments, “This is the ideal means of extending their lives, especially as they were not made to last. It’s always important to realize – or to be reminded – that these things were built for a single purpose, more than eighty years ago.” I should also add that this month’s video about the flying monkeys contains a happy mash-up of pictures of both the live-actors and the miniatures, regardless of audio narrative. We realize that any Oz fan can tell the difference, but we wanted to show a lot of images -- contrasting both “real and rubber” -- as we celebrated Buddy’s contribution. 😊

Beautiful pastel draftsmanship. In my 2012 blog Matthew Yuricich In His Own Words, (which can be found right here) Matt explained that MGM had a highly skilled artist by the name of Bill Myers who's job it was to 'lay out' the proposed matte for the painters to work on. Apparently Myers' draftsman's skills were second to none and according to Yuricich made the matte painters job all that much easier. The view of the convoy below from the point of view of the aircraft was shot using 8 to 10 inch (200-250 mm) ship models placed in 1inch (25mm) of water with foreground clouds painted on glass. The wakes from the ships were painted on clear celluloid with the tiny waves generated by fans. Above: As the Tin Man said to the Scarecrow after the flying monkeys took him apart in the Haunted Forest: “Well, that’s you all over.” These are the pre-restoration pieces of the rubber monkey miniature from the collection of Friar Johnpaul Cafiero – one of thousands of items he has shared with The OZ Museum. The photograph was taken on April 4, 2017, as the conservation and reclamation of the piece was about to be launched.] Byrne, FJ (2008) [2005]. "Ireland and Her Neighbours, c.1014–c.1072". In Ó Cróinín, D (ed.). Prehistoric and Early Ireland. New History of Ireland (series vol. 1). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.862–898. ISBN 978-0-19-821737-4.Cedric Gibbons was Production Designer and although the picture had no credits for special effects it's most likely that James Basevi was in charge here. British born Basevi was hired by Cedric Gibbons in the late 1920's initially as an art director and then to head up the studio's special effects department, a position he would hold until the late 1930's overseeing the visual effects work on big films such as TARZAN THE APE MAN and SAN FRANCISCO. James would depart MGM in 1937 for Samuel Goldwyn Studios and then United Artists where he would supervise the effects on films such as HURRICANE. Basevi was assisted by a young Buddy Gillespie who would take over the department upon James' departure and continue on with astonishing levels of success for the next 28 years. And two of these Roman galleys which first appeared in "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" (1925) and then were reused in "Ben Hur" (1959) have appeared again: