Schüfftan process

The Schüfftan method is a classic movie trick that today hardly still used. It was developed by Eugen Schüfftan and Ernst Kunstmann and famous by the movie Metropolis by Fritz Lang.

The Schüfftan method belongs to the combination Tricks: Two images are combined into one image. The great advantage of a combination of tricks is that the proportions of the two images do not play any role.

Therefore, the Schüfftan process saves costs in the construction of scenes: Instead of a large, elaborate scenery can simply be a small model be used.

The procedure

A method for the Schüfftan a mirror at an angle of 45 ° is set for the movie camera. Then the scenery ( a scaled-down model in most cases) is positioned so that its mirror image occupies the desired position in the camera image. The camera captures the scenery not directly, but only her reflection.

After the setting has been properly positioned, be with a knife the parts of the mirror layer was removed, later in which the performers are to be seen. Thereby this part of the mirror transparent.

Figure 2 illustrates which image the camera takes: where the mirror is intact, the mirror image of the slide appears. Where the mirror layer is missing, the camera can record the actors ( through the glass window through ) with.

Confines

A major disadvantage of the method is that the position of the camera and setting must not be changed with each other. For this reason, the method has been used almost exclusively for scenes in which the camera does not change its position.

• Moving