One of the few traditional matte painters still working in the industry, Mattes & Miniatures’ Leigh Took welcomes all opportunities to continue his art. 

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Leigh began his career in 1978 at Pinewood Studios, as a matte department apprentice under mentor Cliff Culley. Over the following decade he developed his skills in traditional oil-on-glass matte painting, progressing from junior tasks to completing full glass shots for productions including Warlords of Atlantis (1978), Octopussy (1983) and Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983).

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Leigh later worked as a freelance artist on The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), and worked with visual effects pioneer Derek Meddings on Batman (1989) and The NeverEnding Story II (1990).

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Leigh founded Mattes & Miniatures Visual Effects Ltd. in the early 1990s, operating from Bray Studios for over 25 years. Now based in Holyport, we continue to run a dedicated matte studio alongside our model-making and practical effects workshops.