
Walt Disney's MultiPlane Camera (1957) [video] - jschwartz11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdHTlUGN1zw
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spking
Ub Iwerks is one of the most under-appreciated technical geniuses in film
industry history. In addition to being an early innovator of multiplane camera
design, he introduced the xerographic process into animation and drove the
development of the sodium vapor process for combining animation with live
action.

His son Don Iwerks also created the first 360-degree camera (for use in
Disney's 1950s nature documentaries).

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ub_Iwerks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ub_Iwerks)

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lowglow
He's also a prolific animator. He was truly the workhorse getting Disney off
the ground at one point. I often go to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San
Francisco for inspiration when I'm feeling like I need a boost, you should
check it out if you're in the area.

Still looking for my Mickey Mouse. :)

~~~
pchristensen
"Mickey Mouse to me is the symbol of independence. He was a means to an end.
He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad twenty years ago on a train ride
from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when the business fortunes of my brother
Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner.
... "Born of necessity, the little fellow literally freed us of immediate
worry. He provided the means for expanding our organization to its present
dimensions and for extending the medium of cartoon animation toward new
entertainment levels. He spelled production liberation for us." \- Walt

I took a picture of that quote when I went to the museum. It totally changed
my view of Walt Disney.

Huge +1 for the Disney Family Museum in SF.

~~~
lowglow
I also have this same photo. It means a lot, especially when I find myself
living out of a van, trying to keep building things people might one day love.

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chaostheory
Here's a big picture view of the Multiplane camera on my site:
[http://www.theymadethat.com/things/multiplane-
camera](http://www.theymadethat.com/things/multiplane-camera)

(Shameless plug) If you like what you see, please upvote and comment on my
ApplyHN:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11523675](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11523675)

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padobson
I remember the first time I put together a parallax-scrolling background in a
2D video game. The extra sense of immersion you get for the amount of effort
required to add it is absolutely worth it.

What I found most refreshing about this video was the technical grasp that
Disney himself had on the process. It's explained in a way that's both
accessible and engaging. It's hard to imagine the top level people at current
movie studios putting together a presentation like this. Maybe Spielberg?

On the other hand, you could certainly see Mark Zuckerberg or Drew Houston
giving a similar presentation - probably because CEOs of younger industries
tend to be technical minds. That would also explain why Disney, originally an
animator, had such a grasp of the nascent animation industry he built.

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trsohmers
There is a very impressive display of this at the Walt Disney Family Museum in
the Presidio, San Francisco. I highly recommend checking it out if you have 2
or 3 hours in SF!

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topherjaynes
This is such and understated break through in animation technology. It help
the create better shots, but helped distribute pieces of development. It's not
unlike what the tech department did at ILM. They used technology to help
create the shots they need, which lead to digital editing, computer shot
layouts, and many other tech advances that seems standard these days. Highly
recommend Droidmaker by Michael Rubin

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hammock
No gloves used when handling the celluloids or painted glass?

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agumonkey
Funny how the 4th wall narrator - character interaction reminds me of 12 tasks
of Asterix intro segment. Probably an homage.

ps: only recently I realized how much animation techniques were a big part of
non animated movies too. Matte paintings etc.

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iMark
It was undeniably impressive 60 years ago, but I can only imagine the glee
Disney himself would have felt to realise that out outcome of such
technological evolution was available to so many today (but not yet everyone,
sadly)

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6stringmerc
Wow, quite a neat find and overview of an innovation in pursuit of a goal.
Reminds me of how I was using Flash for animation projects long ago. What an
exponentially easier process than the one Disney highlights here.

