Uploaded May 2024 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
A deep dive into VFX History discussing how computers were able to render digital images on physical film.
Back in 2019, I posted a question on @creativecow wondering how it was possible that a computer in the 1980s could render an image onto a celloid film strip. The answers I got to that post led me down a rabbit hole of competing technologies, historical imperatives and some fascinating anecdotes. I talk about John Whitney and his work, Lee Harrison and the Scanimate team, John Whitney Jr and Gary Demos at Triple-I, later Digital Productions and of course, I talk about the PDP-10, Foonly F1 and Cray XMP computers.
I've tried to sum up my findings here and inevitably, I will have missed out crucial steps and glossed over important points. Still I hope you find this VFX history entertaining, if not informative.
*Get ShiveringCactus VFX as phone cases, T-shirts, mugs: redbubble.com/people/ShiveringCactus/shop*
Alternate link: ShiveringCactus.redbubble.com
*Or buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/shiveringcactus*
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*Bibliography*
Why do we call it the ‘silver screen’? (2021) Dictionary.com. Available at: dictionary.com/e/silver-screen-terms (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Fink, D.G. and Noll, A.M. (1999) Television cameras and displays, Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: britannica.com/technology/television-technology/Television-cameras-and-displays (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Vitale, T. (2010) Film grain, resolution and fundamental film particles - cool, Film Grain, Resolution and Fundamental Film Particles. Available at: cool.culturalheritage.org/videopreservation/library/film_grain_resolution_and_perception_v24.pdf (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Dungate, A. (1999) The suppressed frame system, Suppressed Frame System. Available at: bbctv-ap.co.uk/supfr1.htm (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Rowlands , G. and Thomas, L. (1993) A brief history of Telecine in the BBC, Telecine. Available at: (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Kempton, M. (2021) Videotape and Telerecording, TV Studio History. Available at: tvstudiohistory.co.uk/bbc-tv-centre/videotape-and-telerecording (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Sørensen, P. (1981) ‘Computer Imaging: An apple for the dreamsmiths’, Cinefex, pp. 4–28.
RetroAnalyst (2021) The whirlwind bouncing ball simulator, The Whirlwind Bouncing Ball Simulator. Available at: retrogamedeconstructionzone.com/2021/07/the-whirlwind-bouncing-ball-simulator.html (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Campbell, N. (2016) Scanimate: The Origins of Computer Motion Graphics, YouTube. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=i1aT_CqhyQs (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Carlson, W.E. (2017) 6.3 Information International Inc. (III, or triple-I), Computer Graphics and Computer Animation A Retrospective Overview. Available at: https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/graphicshistory/chapter/6-3-information-international-inc-triple-i/ (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Demos, G. (2005) My personal history in the early explorations of computer graphics, Computer Graphics and Computer Animation A Retrospective Overview. Available at: https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/45/2017/09/demos-VisualComputer.pdf (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Sieg, D. (2011) The Foonly F1 Computer, The Foonly F1. Available at: dave.zfxinc.net/f1.html (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Dyer, D. (1996) Foonly life story, Dave Dyer on the foonly F1. Available at: pdp10.nocrew.org/cpu/ddyer.html (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Masson, T. The Computer Graphics Essential Reference. Available at: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ph/nyit/masson/companies.htm (Accessed: 11 February 2024).
Demos, G., Brown, M.D. and Weinbery, R.A. (2012) Digital Scene Simulation: The Synergy of Computer Technology and Human Creativity , Digital Scene Simulation. Available at: https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/45/2017/09/DSS-IEEE.pdf (Accessed: 11 February 2024).
Sørensen, P. (1984) ‘The Last Starfighter: Imagery wrought in the total forge’, Cinefex, 1 June, pp. 54–72.
THE TRIPLE I YEARS (2022). YouTube. 3 October. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=ou_UYwt0_d0 (Accessed: 06 April 2024). @gorkab
Screening room with John Whitney SR - preview (1972) The Screening Room. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=qANOmO8gpnI (Accessed: 24 March 2024).
Crossing the Frontier: Making ‘The Last Starfighter’ (1999). USA: Sharpline Arts. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=09_Hoecsv7A (Accessed: 06 April 2024).
Computer Magic (1986). USA: PBS. Available at: dailymotion.com/video/xm5oiz (Accessed: 14 April 2024).
Block, P.M. and Erdmann, T.J. (2012) Star Trek: The Next Generation 365. New York, NY: Abrams.
A deep dive into VFX History discussing how computers were able to render digital images on physical film.
Back in 2019, I posted a question on @creativecow wondering how it was possible that a computer in the 1980s could render an image onto a celloid film strip. The answers I got to that post led me down a rabbit hole of competing technologies, historical imperatives and some fascinating anecdotes. I talk about John Whitney and his work, Lee Harrison and the Scanimate team, John Whitney Jr and Gary Demos at Triple-I, later Digital Productions and of course, I talk about the PDP-10, Foonly F1 and Cray XMP computers.
I've tried to sum up my findings here and inevitably, I will have missed out crucial steps and glossed over important points. Still I hope you find this VFX history entertaining, if not informative.
*Get ShiveringCactus VFX as phone cases, T-shirts, mugs: redbubble.com/people/ShiveringCactus/shop*
Alternate link: ShiveringCactus.redbubble.com
*Or buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/shiveringcactus*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Bibliography*
Why do we call it the ‘silver screen’? (2021) Dictionary.com. Available at: dictionary.com/e/silver-screen-terms (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Fink, D.G. and Noll, A.M. (1999) Television cameras and displays, Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: britannica.com/technology/television-technology/Television-cameras-and-displays (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Vitale, T. (2010) Film grain, resolution and fundamental film particles - cool, Film Grain, Resolution and Fundamental Film Particles. Available at: cool.culturalheritage.org/videopreservation/library/film_grain_resolution_and_perception_v24.pdf (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Dungate, A. (1999) The suppressed frame system, Suppressed Frame System. Available at: bbctv-ap.co.uk/supfr1.htm (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Rowlands , G. and Thomas, L. (1993) A brief history of Telecine in the BBC, Telecine. Available at: (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Kempton, M. (2021) Videotape and Telerecording, TV Studio History. Available at: tvstudiohistory.co.uk/bbc-tv-centre/videotape-and-telerecording (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Sørensen, P. (1981) ‘Computer Imaging: An apple for the dreamsmiths’, Cinefex, pp. 4–28.
RetroAnalyst (2021) The whirlwind bouncing ball simulator, The Whirlwind Bouncing Ball Simulator. Available at: retrogamedeconstructionzone.com/2021/07/the-whirlwind-bouncing-ball-simulator.html (Accessed: 03 February 2024).
Campbell, N. (2016) Scanimate: The Origins of Computer Motion Graphics, YouTube. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=i1aT_CqhyQs (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Carlson, W.E. (2017) 6.3 Information International Inc. (III, or triple-I), Computer Graphics and Computer Animation A Retrospective Overview. Available at: https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/graphicshistory/chapter/6-3-information-international-inc-triple-i/ (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Demos, G. (2005) My personal history in the early explorations of computer graphics, Computer Graphics and Computer Animation A Retrospective Overview. Available at: https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/45/2017/09/demos-VisualComputer.pdf (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Sieg, D. (2011) The Foonly F1 Computer, The Foonly F1. Available at: dave.zfxinc.net/f1.html (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Dyer, D. (1996) Foonly life story, Dave Dyer on the foonly F1. Available at: pdp10.nocrew.org/cpu/ddyer.html (Accessed: 09 February 2024).
Masson, T. The Computer Graphics Essential Reference. Available at: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ph/nyit/masson/companies.htm (Accessed: 11 February 2024).
Demos, G., Brown, M.D. and Weinbery, R.A. (2012) Digital Scene Simulation: The Synergy of Computer Technology and Human Creativity , Digital Scene Simulation. Available at: https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/app/uploads/sites/45/2017/09/DSS-IEEE.pdf (Accessed: 11 February 2024).
Sørensen, P. (1984) ‘The Last Starfighter: Imagery wrought in the total forge’, Cinefex, 1 June, pp. 54–72.
THE TRIPLE I YEARS (2022). YouTube. 3 October. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=ou_UYwt0_d0 (Accessed: 06 April 2024). @gorkab
Screening room with John Whitney SR - preview (1972) The Screening Room. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=qANOmO8gpnI (Accessed: 24 March 2024).
Crossing the Frontier: Making ‘The Last Starfighter’ (1999). USA: Sharpline Arts. Available at: youtube.com/watch?v=09_Hoecsv7A (Accessed: 06 April 2024).
Computer Magic (1986). USA: PBS. Available at: dailymotion.com/video/xm5oiz (Accessed: 14 April 2024).
Block, P.M. and Erdmann, T.J. (2012) Star Trek: The Next Generation 365. New York, NY: Abrams.
