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Film School: Rear Projection

'To Catch A Thief' (1955) 'To Catch A Thief' (1955)

A classic in-camera special effect, used in countless films, as old as cinema itself.

Some people were blown away by this behind-the-scenes clip from Obsession (2026), which uses the classic film-making technique, rear projection:

First the what, then the how. Fandor explains rear projection, and the history of its use in Hollywood cinema:

After seeking advice from professor of cinematography Charles Haine, Ted from Indy Mogul recreates a more traditional style rear projection shoot:

Returning to Obsession, gaffer Christopher Oh and lighting programmer Bicher Barmada explain the team effort involved and, in particular, how lighting helps to sell the rear projection effect (via CinePacks):

Try It Yourself

Give this creative TV backdrop shot a try (via filmmakersworld and No Film School):

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Next you could try scaling up:

Caleb Pike breaks down how he uses a TV for backgrounds (via DSLR Video Shooter):

In their exercise, Film Riot utilise a high contrast, short-throw projector:

Further Viewing

The example above mentions the immersive, wrap-around LCD panel environment known as The Volume, pioneered in productions such as the Disney / Star Wars series, The Mandalorian – more on that here:

Film School: Goodbye Green Screen, Hello ‘The Volume’

If you have a projector, you can also try using it for lighting and visual effects:

Film School: Projector Lighting Effects