Mixed Aspect Ratios in Narrative Film

[Joe Taylor]

Next year I will be shooting a short narrative, 35-40 min. that is a period drama/western set in 1850's Arizona. I am planning to film the bulk of this film in the 2.33 aspect ratio and have been long considering a sequence, where a critically wounded character experiences flashbacks, dreams, hallucinations, in the 1.78 aspect ratio. I recall several films that have had mixed aspect ratios, most all shot and projected on film, but in this day of digital delivery, I am hoping to get others takes on the pros and cons of projecting in two different ratios. This film will mostly play the festival circuit, and folks who have experience in this arena I am hoping will chime in.

Again, the bulk, 95%, will be 2.33 with one sequence, 3-4 min, at 1.78. Am I asking for trouble?

 

[Cail Young]

Scott Pilgrim is all over the place, and it works fine. I think the master aspect is 1.85, and the action sequences are in 2.35 - not sure if the reverse would work as well?

 

[Craig W. Bickerstaff]

Scott Pilgrim is all over the place, and it works fine. I think the master aspect is 1.85, and the action sequences are in 2.35 - not sure if the reverse would work as well?

The IMAX versions of Tron Legacy and The Dark Knight pretty much did the opposite, their blu-ray versions are the same as well.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

The main thing you have to think about is that a movie will be shown generally on a screen of fixed aspect ratio, so any other aspect ratios will involve black borders on the screen.

One of the most famous aspect ratio changes was for "This is Cinerama" (1952) when after the opening 4x3 b&w introduction, the curtain rolls open to the giant color 2.66 Cinerama image showing the roller coaster footage -- accompanied by a switch from mono sound to 6 tracks of sound. And even that had its origins to some degree from "Napoleon" (1927) when Abel Gance switched to the 3-screen Polyvision scene.

The negative area of the three 35mm frames that made up Cinerama was somewhere between 70mm and IMAX, so it must have been an incredible experience for a 1952 audience used to smaller 4x3 35mm screens.

To some degree, one can still talk about the "Cinerama effect" whenever a movie goes into an immersive large-screen POV shot where the camera moves forward flying over mountains or down ski slopes, etc.

The opening of "Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior" copies this, beginning with a 4x3 newsreel-type opening followed by a 2.35 scope image shot from a camera driving down a highway at high speed.

"The Horse Whisperer" was shot in 35mm anamorphic but early scenes were matted to 1.85 and then the image opens up to 2.35 during the drive to Montana.

"Brainstorm" was shot in 35mm 1.66 with the Brainstorm scenes shot in 65mm 2.20.

One problem tends to be that it's great in a movie theater when the image goes to 2.35 because that's the largest image for the theater display, but for home video, the 2.35 sequences get shorter in size, not wider, so the effect is somewhat diminished.

"JFK" opens with 4x3 doc footage before going to 2.35.