Floating segmented conglomerate traveling matte backing

Abstract

A floating segmented conglomerate backing screen for use in underwater composite photography. A plurality of buoyant pads of an essentially hexagonal shape have surfaces exhibiting specific chrominance and luminance properties as required for a traveling matte process. The individual segments are deployed onto a liquid surface of a finite area in a quantity sufficient to substantially cover the liquid surface in its entirety, in an edge-to-edge, floating, conglomerate relationship. The floating raft created by the segments permits egress and ingress for people and equipment directly through the raft and likewise permits the escape of air rising from below the surface. When appropriately illuminated from either below or above the surface, or both, the chrominance and luminance of the raft is such that an essentially monochromatic backing field is provided for traveling matte processes. The individual segments are constructed of an inert plastic such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane or similar plastic which has inclusions of inert gas and is compounded with dyes and pigments, which may include fluorescence, to achieve either black or white or any of a variety of specific spectral loci and luminances, for the purpose of providing a precise chromatic actinic stimulus response for a silver halide photographic film, or similar response for electronic imaging devices. Foreground subject matter interposed between the camera and the segmented conglomerate backing will therefore be readily distinguished and "matted" for compositing by methods well known to the art.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.