How a Disney Technological Innovation Still Helps Filmmakers Today
If you have been reading along here at MickeyBlog this year, you know that Disney is celebrating 55 years of the Walt Disney Archives.
Previously, we have shone a spotlight on the enduring mission of the Archives and highlighted their numerous showcases.
Photo: D23
Now, I want to turn your attention to a prized possession of the Archives.
The Sodium Vapor Prism
For over 60 years, Disney has been in possession of a sodium vapor prism. The technological marvel was used by Disney during the filming of Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, among other films.
The Sodium Vapor Prism
According to Evan Goldber, Senior Manager, Innovation, The Walt Disney Studios, the sodium vapor prism was used in the sodium vapor process, which is a “technique for doing compositing.”
“That’s where you take a real image that you shot in camera and want to intersperse it with other imagery that you’re adding later on,” he explained.
A still from Mary Poppins
The new technique, which revolutionized filmmaking by allowing the addition of more natural backgrounds, was pioneered by Ub Iwerks in the 1950s. Eventually, three prism were produced, with the first being used for Mary Poppins.
An Enduring Legacy
Despite the fact that the sodium vapor process was developed over 65 years ago, the process is still used today in virtual production using ILM StageCraft.
Ub Iwerks. Photo: Disney
Today, ILMStageCraft allows directors and actors to film inside digital environments that respond to real-time camera movements. According to Disney, the system tracks the camera’s position and adjusts the perspective of the virtual background so it looks and behaves as if the actors are truly in that space.
Photo: Disney
“Thinking about Disney’s legacy: Bambi, Fantasia, Dumbo. It’s been just at the forefront of entertainment since the 1940s. Both Disney and ILM have really moved the industry forward,” Andrew Roberts, Industrial Light & Magic Visual Effects Supervisor said. “Innovation has always been a part of Disney’s legacy, which has allowed them to create more complex, realistic, and relatable worlds, and bring those worlds to life.”
