Visual Effects Pioneer Petro Vlahos, RIP

Petro Vlahos, a visual effects pioneer and inventor of camera hardware, died last Sunday at age 96. His invention of the sodium vapor travelling matte system was used extensively in Disney films like Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks as a way of combining live-actors with background footage. That accomplishment alone is impressive, but it barely begins to describe the number of innovations that Vlahos introduced to the film industry. A comprehensive obituary detailing his life’s work can be found in The Hollywood Reporter.