LEIGH TOOK is another child of Pinewood, with his dad being a Sound Engineer and later training under Cliff Culley. Pictured here atop a tower prepping a matte for LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1975), Took has kept the traditions alive to this day.
Took got his start in fanciful mattes for WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS (1978) and Ray Harryhausen’s CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981), working alongside veterans like Cliff Culley and Albert Whitlock as he honed his confidence.
One high-profile project of Took’s was Tim Burton’s BATMAN (1989), contributing the Gothic, German Expressionistic sets of the Batcave and Gotham with his painted designs.
Took continued with steady work, including extravagant matte set-ups for CHICAGO JOE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1992) and the miniseries ELLIS ISLAND (1984)
Took’s company Mattes & Miniatures keeps these traditions alive by providing models for THE WOLFMAN (2010), GAME OF THRONES and others. This astonishing ad for League of Legends used complete in-camera trickery for its matte shot!
Plus, Took created the astonishing backdrops for THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN (2021), beautifully blending traditional and digital mattes to portray Wain’s paintings and mental health.
Thanks to NZPete for the research and imagery! Check out his post on Leigh Took here.
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