All About Aspect Ratio
Part 1 – A History Lesson
What is it?
Aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio of the displayed image on the screen, normally measured in inches. Aspect Ratio’s are normally written as x:y. An image with a width of 4 feet and height of 3 feet has an aspect ratio of 4:3. An image with a width of 16 feet and height of 9 feet has an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Know that you know what an aspect ratio is you might be wondering how does this relate to standard TV, HDTV, and home theater movies? If you have a minute, sit back and I will try to explain the whole story…
The way movies appeared before 1950s
During the golden age of cinema at and prior to 1952 virtually all movies were projected onto the big screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, this aspect ratio will produce an image that is 4 units wide for every 3 units high. This term is also referred to as 1.33:1 (actually, it was actually 1.37:1, but 1.33:1 is the recognized standard). This means that the width is 1.33 (4 divided by 3 = 1.33) times the height.
This 4:3 aspect ratio was formally called “Academy Ratio” when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences standardized it in 1932, although it was in use as early as 1928. Almost any classic movie from this era would have used this aspect ratio. The examples you see below are movie screen shots of four (4) films in their original Academy Standard aspect ratio.
Above (L to R): Warner’s Casablanca (1942), Universals Frankenstein (1931)
Below (L to R): Republic’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) Warner’s The Wizard of Oz (1939)
You may have noticed that the Academy Standard (4:3) aspect ratio looks very similar in size to that of f a standard TV set. That’s because they are. When it came time for the television industry to decide what shape TV would take (in the early 1950’s), the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) selected Academy Standard as the official aspect ratio for all analog TV broadcasting. This standard is named after the committee that selected, NTSC. You also probably have noticed that 4:3 has been mentioned several times – this is the standard industry term that is used to describe current TVs.
As TV began to soar in the 1950’s the Hollywood film industry was faced with a serious problem. As more and more people bought TVs and stayed at home to watch them, the theater attendance began to decline. To combat this the studios began making some changes to the look of their movies to boots attendance.
The Way Movies Looked After the 1950s… and Still Do Today
The fact there was little perceived difference between television and theater saw theater attendance in a state of decline, because the audience figured that there was no point in going to the theater and paying to see something that they could watch for free in the comfort of their homes.
The major Hollywood studies began to experiment with different ideas ranging from the short lived idea of 3D projection and widescreen aspect ratio. Experiments had been occurring since the 1920s but the great depression in the 1930s forced studios to cut back on needless expense and it wasn’t until the 1950s that wider aspect ratios were again used in attempt to differentiate themselves from TV. The 3-D projection of the 1950’s saw its 2-D counterparts bringing in more revenue and was luckily only a passing fad of the times. The two ideas that have stood the test of time are multi-channel audio and widescreen projection, which is the one we will be concerning ourselves with during this series of articles.
20th Century Fox introduced the world to CinemaScope, which was licensed and used by many rival studios between 1953 and 1967. CinemaScope eventually gave way to the Panavison, which was visually more attractive and more affordable and was also not owned/licensed out by a rival studio.
Today widescreen dominates American film making in a variety of aspect ratios. But there are two “standardized” ratios that are by far the most common. Academy Flat (1.85:1) and Anamorphic Scope (2.35:1). Other less used ratios include 1.66:1 (found on early Disney movies) and 2.20:1
(70mm). The two we will stick with for the purpose of this article are the popular 1.85:1 and 2.35:1.
In the case of Academy Flat, the film is 1.85 times as wide as it is tall (it’s often referred to today as simply “Flat”). Anamorphic Scope is even wider, 2.35 times as wide as it is tall (it’s usually called “Scope”). Some familiar films shot in the Flat aspect ratio include The English Patient (1996), Atonement (2007) and The Birds (1963). Scope films include The Matrix (1999), Star Wars (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979) and Blade Runner (1982). Note the examples below.
Above: Sweeny Todd (2007) in Academy Flat (1.85:1).
Below: The Matrix (1999) in Anamorphic Scope (2.35:1).
There can be no doubt that widescreen films convey much more dynamic imagery, with the wider aspect ratio working to enhance the dramatic impact of the film upon the viewer as the director intended. The problem with such wide aspect ratios is that when it comes time to transfer a film to home video formats – they are too wide to fill the TVC screen vertically if your seeing the whole image horizontally.
The two primary solutions to deal with this problem have been: Pan & Scan and letterbox transfer. Pan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown within proportions of an ordinary 4:3 aspect ratio television screen size, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus on the compositions most important aspects. Some film directors and film enthusiasts disagree with pan and scan cropping because it can remove up to 45% (on 2.356:1 films) of the original image, changing the directors original vision and intentions. If you pick up a DVD and refer to the back you will not normally see the words “pan and scan” more then likey you will see the words “full frame” which often but not always – indicates a pan & scan transfer. The second method and the preferred by film enthusiast is the letterbox format, in which the ENTIRE film image is presented, and black bars fill the unused screen area at the top and bottom of the frames. See below example.
The two examples above show the letterbox presentation of a 1.85:1 film (Crank 2006 – left)
and a 2.35:1 film (The Matrix 1999 - right) on a Standard 4×3 TV.
While some vertical picture resolution is sacrificed to the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, the director’s original widescreen vision is preserved - you’re seeing the WHOLE film, as you were intended to. Why would you want to see the film in any other way?
But as we all know, there are still some folks who prefer the picture to fill their TV screen completely. You know the ones - the folks who see letterboxed video and say, “Why are those black bars there? I paid all this money for this TV I want a complete image.” I belive, that if most people knew what they were missing by watching a “full frame” version of a widescreen film, they would change their minds in a hurry.
Let’s take a look at some comparisons between full frame and widescreen film presentation. As you’ll soon see, being able to see the whole widescreen image makes a HUGE difference. There’s really no comparison.
16:9 Standard or HDTV
With widescreen television, like that of HDTV, the aspect ratio is roughly 16 parts wide by 9 parts high allowing for a totally different approach to framing and viewing the shot. The aspect ratio of a widescreen frame is what is referred to as 16:9 or 1.77:1.
Watching video in 16:9, lends to a more engaging and enjoyable cinematic experience for the viewer, evoking a feeling very similar to experience to film. A 4:3 ratio seems less “film like” in the overall viewing experience for most folks.
In Part 2 of these series of articles we will take a closer look at some comparisons between full frame and widescreen film presentation. As you’ll soon see, being able to see the whole widescreen image makes a HUGE difference. There’s really is just no comparison.