Editing Multiplane camera (section)

{{Short description|Camera used in traditional animation}}
[[File:Multiplane camera.jpg|thumb|Multiplane camera]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

The '''multiplane camera''' is a [[motion picture|motion-picture]] [[camera]] that was used in the [[traditional animation]] process that moves a number of pieces of artwork past the camera at various speeds and at various distances from one another. This creates a sense of [[parallax]] or [[depth perception|depth]].

Various parts of the artwork layers are left [[Transparency (optics)|transparent]] to allow other layers to be seen behind them. The movements are calculated and photographed frame by frame, with the result being an illusion of depth by having several layers of artwork moving at different speeds: the further away from the camera, the slower the speed. The multiplane effect is sometimes referred to as a [[parallax]] process.

One variation is to have the background and foreground move in ''opposite'' directions. This creates an effect of rotation. An early example is the scene in [[Walt Disney]]'s ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' where the [[Evil Queen (Disney)|Evil Queen]] drinks her potion, and the surroundings appear to spin around her.