What is an Optical Printer?
An optical printer is a device that contains a camera, which points at a projector. Films are run through the projector while the optical printer, or camera, re-photographs them. According to Wikipedia, the first optical printers were created in the 1920s. Developments to optical printers continued through the 1980s, until they began being replaced by digital compositing. Technology gained by computers, changed the way special effects were added to movies. By the 1990s, almost all effects were done digitally; completely phasing out the optical printers. Today, very few people use them, except for certain animators or artists who are working on special projects.
The main purpose of an optical printer was for making special effects. They were also used to copy old movies from one roll to another. Some people still use them for this reason. Rolls of movies are placed in the projector. The camera takes photographs of the clips; and the clips are then changed through effects. The animator has the flexibility of changing and enhancing only the scenes he chooses.
There are numerous different effects that optical printers could do. With the use of an optical printer, people could make fade-outs and fade-ins, and change scenes to fast or slow motion. They could also include adding dissolves to scenes, changing sizes of images, adding frames and much more. To add a lot of effects to a scene, a lot of work is needed and people skilled in working this can complete the editing very quickly. This printer allowed multiple effects to be added to each desired scene.
This technology allowed filmmakers more creativity and flexibility in film. Prior to this invention, filmmakers had difficulty adding, changing or manipulating any scenes in movies. Today, the computer has almost completely replaced the optical printer. Using a computer, offers an easy way for filmmakers to add any types of special effects they desire.