A
traveling
matte
is
created
by
using
an
animation
camera
(with
a
bulb
behind
the
film
gate)
to
project
the
footage
of,
say
a
spaceship
miniature,
onto
an
animation
compound.
The
area
of
the
spaceship's
porthole
(if
actors
were
to
be
matted
inside)
would
be
traced
on
paper
that
is
registered
to
the
registration
pegs
of
the
animation
stand.
The
white
paper
tracings
for
each
frame
of
the
oval
window
are
inked
in
with
black
paint
so
it
conforms
to
every
change
in
movement.
The
animation
camera
is
then
loaded
with
black
and
white,
high
contrast
negative
(like
Kodalithe)
motion
picture
film
and
shot
as
regular
animation.
The
lab
develops
the
negative
-
and
makes
a
positive
high
contrast
print
of
the
negative.
This
creates
the
positive
and
negative
(or
male
and
female)
traveling
mattes
that
an
optical
lab
can
bi-pack
into
a
composite
shot.
