Aspect Ratios...

[Vinit Borrison]

Hi Guys,

I don't have a camera in front of me right now... In the custom aspect ratio area is the red able to be set to 3.5:1 (super wide) Comparatively, CinemaScope was 2.66: 1...

Cheers!

 

[John Marchant]

If we're talking frame guides, AFAIK its possible to set any aspect you like for either title or action safe zones. However I'm not sure you can mark right out to the edge of frame with these? I wanted to set a 3:1 shape for filming a projected image just the other day, and couldn't stretch it all the way to the edge horizontally...

 

[Robert McGee]

When they did 2.66:1 or 2.55:1 back in the old days, the prints had to be double-system. Now double-system simply means that the Picture and the soundtrack where on separate elements, the picture would be on 35mm anamorphic film and the soundtrack would be on magnetic tape. They went to 2.35:1 in order to have the soundtrack on the film itself, 2.40:1 is the highest you can go now a days but I guess if you want to go the full 2.66:1 or 3.5:1, I guess digital prints are the answer.

 

[Marc Wielage]

Actually, there were 2.55 CinemaScope sound prints with 4 mag stripes, 2 on either side of the sprocket holes, starting in 1953. Fox did this for about five years, until they went to mag/optical in 1958, forcing them to go down to 2.35. Cinerama and a few other systems did require sprocketed mag interlock for sound, but that was the exception rather than the rule.

The problem with coming up with a non-standard aspect ratio for digital is you have to take into account the theaters that will be screening the film. Ultimately, my opinion is that you'll be throwing away pixels if you go beyond 2.40. And because the theaters are limited to a certain screen width, all this will do is just narrow the screen height. (The only possible exception I can see would be for a theme park or other specialty exhibition, where there are no rules.)

Talk to a post house, talk to a distributor, and shoot tests before committing to a non-standard aspect ratio like 3.50.

 

[Kai Rostasy]

Hello, I would like to know, why the Red Mysterium X only offers a 1:2,4 Aspect Ratio in the Viewfinder and not the "correct” 1:2,35 Scope Aspect Ratio.
What is the story behind that and does it effect anything postwise?
Thank You very much, Kai

 

[Paul Leeming]

Kai, it's down to the mathematics of downconverting. 4480x1920 is the pixel dimensions Red chose to give the best options for mathematical downconversion into lower resolution formats.

On Red one, 4480x1920 actually gives a 2.33:1 aspect ratio.

Epic, thanks to its 5120x2700 sensor readout area, will I believe come out closer to a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, again to maximise the cleanliness of the scaling algorithms.

In real terms, it's not really going to affect anything for the audience. Just be aware of the true aspect ratio you're shooting in and you'll be fine through post.

HTH

Paul

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Hello, I would like to know, why the Red Mysterium X only offers a 1:2,4 Aspect Ratio in the Viewfinder and not the "correct” 1:2,35 Scope Aspect Ratio.
What is the story behind that and does it effect anything postwise?
Thank You very much, Kai

Technically, scope has not been 2.35 since the early 1970's. 35mm scope projection has always had a 2X optical compression/expansion horizontally, but the size of the projector aperture has varied over time. Currently it is 20.96 x 17.53mm.

That's a 1.1956645 : 1 ratio, so with the 2X expansion by the projector lens, that's a 2.391329 : 1 ratio, which some people round off to 2.40, some people just use the old term 2.35.

For 2K "scope" digital projection, 2048 x 858 pixels of the projector chip are used, no anamorphic projector lens, which comes out to 2.3869463 : 1.

Not sure it matters much, some theaters still have projector masks cut to the old 2.35 ratio, screen masking, projector throw, screen size, curtains, etc. further change the shape. On home video, people chose to letterbox 16x9 HD to various degrees between 2.35 and 2.40, or less than 2.35.

If you record the digital image to film, to fill the 35mm anamorphic aperture areas, the projector mask, curtains, etc. will do the final trimming. When I shoot for scope projection, I usually assume that some theaters will cut-off about 5-10% of the sides so I don't put important action in that area. But I also don't put unwanted stuff in that area either because the other theaters will show it.