The Multiplane Downshooter - Frame-by-Frame Stop Motion: The Guide to Non-Traditional Animation Techniques - page 93

falling directly below those objects. This is important for cutout animation
and green-screen matting. We get into these approaches a little later in
the chapter. The glass itself can be any ordinary glass but there are a few
advantages to choosing the right kind of glass. It is important to note that
glass is preferable over Plexiglas, because the plastic is less stable under the
heat of the lights and it scratches a lot easier. The best glass to use is called
water white glass . It has no tinting in it, transmits 98% of the light, and
usually has an antiglare, antireflective coating. This allows the backdrop
to be photographed so that the true colors of the artwork show through.
The glass can be an expensive choice and is not absolutely necessary
because of the ease of postproduction color correction. All glass slightly
changes the look of the background artwork. You just want to minimize
that influence.
Fig 7.2 a custom-made animation stand with a piece of water white glass used for shooting the
Penny Cartoon .
Lighting for the Downshooter
The downshooter presents very specific challenges when it comes to lighting.
Shadows are the issue. When an object or cutout is placed on the glass
shooting surface, it casts a shadow through the glass down on the lower
plane, depending on the height of the light and the distance between the
shooting planes. This is not a problem unless you are trying to shoot on green
screen or do not want large and graphically confusing shadows being cast
from one plane to the other.
Many parameters are involved in determining the distance between the
shooting planes, including