How to make a background image in a film look real using a matte.

Ever wonder if the background of a good scene in a movie was real? Have you ever saw something in a movie that looked so real in the background but it made you think twice? To answer your questions if you answered yes or no, the possibilities that what you saw was real are about 20%. Most movies use what they call mattes, which are images or just covers that are inserted to make what you are watching look real. Mattes have been around in the movie business for a long time and I don't think they are going away anytime soon. If a director is trying to save money or just cannot afford the location then chances are that what you are seeing in the background is a matte. To simplify what a matte can do, take a picture of a cat with a black background then place black mattes around the image so only the head of the cat is showing. When you edit the image it will look as if the cat has no body. If you want to get fancier then take the head and place it on a human body and it will almost look like you have a human with a cat head.