Aspect ratio

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Aspect ratio

    What makes for the best compositions? I think 1:85 is perfect for film: not too narrow or too wide. 2:40 is the standard but let's not forget that it started off as a gimmick to get audiences away from their TVs and back into theaters. 2:40 is like looking through a keyhole; it's very limiting.

  • #2
    Re: Aspect ratio

    Depends on the movie and the director.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Aspect ratio

      Lawrence of Arabia (as seen on Family Guy)

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Aspect ratio

        Originally posted by Biohazard View Post
        Depends on the movie and the director.
        Indeed. Spielberg has used 1.85 almost exclusively for the past couple of decades (with notable exceptions for MINORITY REPORT and CRYSTAL SKULL) on account it he feels it most closely represents the human field of vision.

        Then you have someone like Michael Bay who has shot in 2.35 scope his entire career, save his debut with BAD BOYS.

        Cameron was the same way: 1.85 for TERMINATOR (invariably due to budget), 1.85 for ALIENS (due to quality concerns over how the visual effects would look if shot in scope), then Super35 2.35 for everything until AVATAR.

        (I didn't care that pic in the slightest, but I would've preferred he kept it 2.35 instead of reformatting to 1.77)

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Aspect ratio

          As much as I like Lean's use of 2:40 I still think it's too wide for pretty much everything. Some director once said it's only useful for filming snakes or somehing to that effect; I kind of agree.

          I don't think I've ever seen a film that called for that amount of width, not even a film like Lawrence of Arabia with its desert landscapes. Look at all the landscape painters since the Renaissance: the dimensions of their canvases is usually closer to 1:85 than 2:40.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Aspect ratio

            I shot a short film in Tall-O-Vision - scope on its side.

            - Bill
            Free Script Tips:
            http://www.scriptsecrets.net

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Aspect ratio

              Originally posted by entlassen View Post
              As much as I like Lean's use of 2:40 I still think it's too wide for pretty much everything. Some director once said it's only useful for filming snakes or somehing to that effect; I kind of agree.

              I don't think I've ever seen a film that called for that amount of width, not even a film like Lawrence of Arabia with its desert landscapes. Look at all the landscape painters since the Renaissance: the dimensions of their canvases is usually closer to 1:85 than 2:40.
              It was Fritz Lang who said that about snakes and funerals. I prefer to see a film's original aspect ratio, whatever the director chose to use. Both 1.85 and 2.40 work for me in a theater.

              I've shot in all aspect ratios 1.33, 1.77, 1.85, 2.40 in SD and HD. Of all those I prefer 1.85.
              Being a screenwriter is not enough for a full creative life. ~ William Goldman

              homeslice

              Comment


              • #8
                Aspect Ratio

                Apparently, the 4:3 aspect ratio for motion picture film originates with Edison's kinescopes, (starting with the "Blacksmith Scene" in 1893); and, I would guess that most motion picture equipment utilized this same aspect ratio, (as their default setting), to match earlier equipment and available film stocks. The 35mm film stocks have remained the same for most Hollywood films. The "Academy ratio" (1.375:1) was established to standardize projection equipment when soundtracks were added to film prints. The 16:9 aspect ratio of HDTV (1.78:1) is close to the 1.85:1 aspect ratio of "Academy Flat".

                Today, most Hollywood directors opt for "Academy Flat"; but, if one wants to expand the horizons, (beyond the normal parameters of the human eye, which is closest to the 4:3 ratio), use a Super35 gate and go for Anamorphic Scope, at 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
                JEKYLL & CANADA (free .mp4 download @ Vimeo.com)

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Aspect ratio

                  Whatever looks best on a household monitor.
                  "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

                  My YouTube channel.

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X