Video Asylum

Posted by xenon101 (A) on December 19, 2001 at 19:10:27

In Reply to: Apparently, no one is intelligent enough... posted by Carl Eber on December 18, 2001 at 17:53:17:

"All movie producers, studio executives, etc., know that widescreen televisions are not 2.35:1, and surely they must know that 35mm Kodak (or any other) film frames shot with Panaflex motion picture cameras is NOT "2.35:1", but is much closer to (if not exactly) "16:9", or anywhere between 1.75:1 and 1.85 or even .95, to 1 (and in some cases is even close to 1.33:1)."

First, film in and of itself has no aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is a combination of the motion picture camera film gate mask and lens used - anamorphic making a squeezed image, or circular making an unsqueezed image. The format can be whatever the camera is setup for - 1.85:1, 2.2:1, 2.35:1, etc., with the appropriate matching lens.

Secondly, a motion picture is not shot to fit television as its major market. Films are shot to be projected in a motion picture theater. Many directors and DPs choose the 2.35:1 format (Panavision) as it gives more visual impact than the 1.85:1 format. In use, the formats are the same height and the theater simply draws back the masking curtains on the right and left sides of the screen when changing from 1:85 to the 2:35 format.

Lastly, many directors use a 1:85 safe action area in the 2:35 format so to allow better translation of the image when it is rescaled for television in the 16:9 format or panned and scanned for 4:3 television format.