Somewhere around 1980 my family got a VHS video player/recorder. Near us was a video store called Flicks & Pics that soon became one of the best on the west coast. I rented thousands of movies from there over a number of years, especially as I became aware of both film history and world cinema. I say all this because I remember Flicks & Pics having posted around the store these hand-drawn flyers articulating the difference between television and cinema aspect ratios and why, in their opinion (and mine), the pan-and-scan method was inferior to letterboxed. Still, I knew people who hated letterbox. The black bars top and bottom bugged them and they, for some reason, thought they were being denied the full image. I just assumed they were probably also good candidates for becoming flat-earthers or something. Anyway, I digress. Below is a great video about aspect ratios, where we are today, and the decisions that filmmakers are facing and how they are trying to please everyone as best they can.
Cinematography : So what about those aspect ratios...? by Tucker Teague
Other topics in Cinematography:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
1 person likes this
Incredible share, Tucker Teague! I never knew ratios were such a big part of filmmaking and cinematography.
3 people like this
Great share, Tucker Teague. Fascinating to hear this perspective from side of such great filmmakers.
2 people like this
Tucker Teague I love this share, Tucker. When I visited the US, an American friend of mine, many years ago, he joked that NTSC stood for Never The Same Colour!
I love the fact that James Cameron thinks through the whole viewer experience and plans ahead for each type of release. It also shows that these are high budget projects, ones that the indie film producer won’t be able to shoot. Unless we write something for a studio, I suppose.