Posted by Alex A at ppp-66-63-135-213.sndg-pm4-2.dialup.nethere.net on August 07, 2002 at 16:53:00:
In Reply to: Reply to Vincent (aspect ratios) posted by Brunetta--aka Badassfuckinetta on August 07, 2002 at 16:51:12:
: : - and he stated that he composes his 'Scope films within a 2:1 "safe action" area, with the extreme edges of the 'Scope frame essentially being "dead space" where nothing important will be composed.
: : People shouldn't worry so much about numbers and decimal points- if the DP is supervising the transfer, you can rest assured that what's intended to be seen will be seen. Besides, even when the aspect ratio "measures" out correctly, you're not neccessarily seeing the whole image. Check the link below for examples of "letterbox lunacy".
: Great point, Vincent. I just wanted to see if the Vilmos is looking ahead. Vittorio Storaro's cinematography of "Apocalypse Now" (shot in Vista Vision, I think) is absolutely fantastic in it's 2.35:1 glory but he trimmed it for the previous laser disc releases in 91 and 97 and for the recent DVD releases. While I don't mind it cropped slightly (since his reframing is so great and most shots didn't look all that crammed) but when I saw it again on the big screen when it was re-released last year it was so much better it its theatrical ratio. My feeling is that Storaro shot it without slight letterboxing in mind (since the film was shot in the late 70's, and looking back at the film after seeing it in the theater the movie looks at times too crammed on laser disc). I'm glad Vilmos is looking ahead and adjusting his photography accordingly, and it makes sense because his films of the late 70's ("Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "The Deer Hunter") were presented in (or near) their 2.35:1 ratios since I assume he wasn't thinking ahead to letterboxing back then.
: If Vilmos shot movies in Super 35mm I wouldn't have asked. But since in scope just slight cropping can (at times) make a difference I wanted to see if he's just cropping information that (in theaters maybe necessary) but isn't all that important to the image, and not making it look too constrictive (unlike the transfer to "Apocalypse Now", but that's just my view). In all fairness it seemed that the letterboxed transfers of both "Playing By Heart" and "Life As a House" didn't seem like either film was cropped in the slightest (matter of fact the only reason why I knew "Heart" was slightly cropped was because the end credits went to scope).
: I was just curious a little so I asked. I came on the board at a time when Kevin was asking questions and this was all that popped in my head. Seriously, I'm not that anal about aspect ratios.:-)
: Joseph