Indie films suffer all the time due to first time film makers failing to use proper film formatting when they present their first project, whether its a film released on the internet or their film trailer released for anyone to see on an international level, making an impression on people [and indie judges] will come from how you present your film. This blog is presented to you from the notes of any first semester of film school. Your knowledge of Aspect ratios and compression etiquette can help you make the first best impression at the start of your presentation...so take notes!
Aspect ratios in film and television have changed over the years, but
the one thing that stays consistent is people's desire to create and
show their work in the proper format. So if you're making movies, short films,
commercials, TV shows, or just shooting with friends, make sure you
know the aspect ratio where you're going to upload or project.
Whether you're watching a show on your iPhone, setting up your new
70in 4K television, or sitting your butt in a theater, aspect ratio
matters. The aspect ratio refers to the size of the image displayed on
your screen. While this sounds technical, aspect ratios can help
storytellers add another layer to their repertoire. Also, for
independent filmmakers and huge studio directors, the right aspect ratio
can attract more viewers and create a buzz around your film or TV
show.
There's a lot to learn when it comes to aspect ratios.
Like which aspect ratios matter in social media and which aspect ratios
make sense for Netflix and Amazon versus theatrical. The aspect ratio of an image describes the width
and height. It's usually written as two numbers separated by a colon, as
in 16:9. It can also be written with an “x” between the numbers. Like
3x4.
Aspect ratios have changed over time, depending on what people use to
view media. As screens got bigger, aspect ratio adjusted. As they got
smaller, it continued to happen. Over 100 years ago, the very first
films were projected in 4:3. The standard film strip was run through a
projector and light behind it through the image onto a wall. The 4:3, or
1.33:1, was the literal measurement of the strip.
As film evolved, so did the aspect ratio. Film strips eventually
became 1.37:1, and that became the standard for cinema across the
globe. 1.37:1 was the ratio officially approved by the
Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1932. They made it the standard
and people started calling it the
Academy Ratio. In the 1950s,
TV became ever more popular. People started going to the theater less,
and theatrical distributors knew they needed to make a change. So they
went even bigger, with Cinerama.
Cinerama was the first widescreen format to be introduced after
the Academy Ratio became a standard in 1932. It involved projecting
images from three synchronized 35mm projectors onto a deeply-arced
screen. It utilized aspect ratios of 2.59:1 to 2.65:1 to make images seem huge.
CinemaScope used aspect ratios of 2.35:1 to 2.66:1. It only had to use
one projector to get the image on the screen, so it was preferable to
Cinerama. Developed by Earl Sponable, who was the head of research at 20th Century Fox, CinemaScope was
last used in 1967, the term "scope" is still used by projectionists and
filmmakers to refer to any movie that uses anamorphic lenses or with an
aspect ratio of 2.35:1 or more.
It's funny to think that even in the 1960s, theaters were trying to find
a way to get people to watch less television and to come to the movies.
Especially since we're having similar troubles today. Nowadays, if you
want to go to the theater to see something projected, you can choose
from 35mm or the much larger 70mm.
70mm has caught back on recently, since Tarantino, Nolan, and Paul
Thomas Anderson have all elected to have their films projected in the
huge format. 70mm boasts an aspect ratio of 2.76:1 – twice as large as
the standard 35mm film. 70mm was what put Ben-Hur on the map in
1959, and now it's a way that filmmakers are getting people out to see
the spectacle. 70mm is often combined with IMAX formats.
The
modern IMAX design uses 70mm film that is shown horizontally with a
massive 15 perforations per frame, giving it approximately six times the
resolution of 35mm film. The average IMAX screen size is approximately
72' x 50' (22m x 16m), which is significantly larger than traditional
movie screens of approximately 50' x 20' (16m x 6.1m).
TV boxes were 4:3 until widescreen televisions debuted in the 2000s.
Many older programs had to convert their 4:3 shows to 16x9. But people
who watched movies on TV rejoiced. The theatrical experience had finally
come home. And as TVs grew in size, aspect ratios began to reflect the
change.
So now we're in the digital era. We don't have to rely on the size of
the film stock to reflect our aspect ratio. And if you have the money to
shoot in 70mm, you still might not want to. People are creating lots of
different media content. We're shooting shorts, digital series, movies,
TV shows, commercials, Instagram videos, Facebook posts, and
Snapchats.
If you're going to do it for the 'gram, you should do it with the
right aspect ratio. Instagram has specific guidelines for what works on
its site. - Square (1:1)
- Standard Horizontal (16:9)
- Alt Horizontal (1.91:1)
- Vertical (4:5)
We all love to shoot stuff to post on Facebook. Whether its the
trailer for your new venture or a web series, you want people to be able
to like and share the best content. Facebook supports:
- 16x9
- 9x16
- 4x5
- 2x3
- 1x1
You can upload phone videos, movie trailers, and fluidly share videos
from all other social channels if they occur in the aforementioned
formats.
Like Facebook, Twitter is a great place to get your message out
there. It's great to get retweets and social engagements. Twitter is one
of the best places to get your message put to the people and to
interact individually. Twitter supports the following aspect ratios:
- 1x1 1200 X 1200
- 2x1 1200 X 600
- 3x2 1200 X 800
So here's the deal: lately, some streaming services have been cutting
off almost 25% of movies by reformatting them to fit 16x9 televisions.
While this practice is supposed to stop, with letterboxes being added to
share the proper format, you should still be aware. If you're creating
content for Netflix, Amazon, or HBO, you should know their aspect
ratios. That way you'll know how your work is presented on the screen.
Netflix, Amazon and HBO shows almost everything in 16x9. So if you're trying to watch a movie that's natively in 2.39:1,
you're going to get the black bars. They also have been known to use
2:1 aspect ration. This aspect ratio is also used in many new Netflix
series and is less wide than scope, but still gives the viewer the sense
of a wide screen.
Okay, we've gone through lots of different kinds of aspect ratios,
but now it's time to talk about how aspect ratio can help your story. Think about how Christopher Nolan used IMAX and 70mm to give Dunkirk the largest aspect ratio possible. Making Dunkirk huge wasn't just to drive people to the theater.
It was to envelop audiences in the heat of battle, to make them feel
the pressure of these men, and to give the entire story scope.
Squeezing that movie into a more boxy proportion makes you feel the
claustrophobia of the world we're in. We're under pressure and going
through our passion with Reverend Toller. It also gives the movie a more
classical feel. It's a throwback, like the church, and an homage to
Hollywood of yesteryear.
Your aspect ratio is not just a
mathematical tool. It's also a way to enter your story and add another
layer. First time film producers should consider a director that knows the required formats to any project that lands a prospective film project. It takes more than learning the lingo to get your film in the right Aspect Ratio to impress the right people. Don't shoot a film just to shoot it on video, learn to do the shit the right way before you come off looking like some amateur idiot in the local Indie Film Scene. So think about what you really want to do before you start shooting!
Good luck out there!
D. R. Quintana
Director/Producer
