But weren't Clerks and El Mariachi shot on 16mm, and not Super 16mm? And isn't 16mm's aspect ratio less then 16:9? Isn't it 4:3?

http://www.24fps.com/Article/Alpha/40/xt/what%20is%20super16

That should answer your questions about the 16mm aspect ratios. I thought "El Mariachi", was supposed to be all digital? Clerks was shot on 16mm.

Jesse you are mixing things up, Rodriguez's trilogy consists of:

- El Mariachi
- Desperado
- Once Upon A Time In Mexico

The last one was completely shot digitally, the first two where
shot on film where the first was shot on 16mm (don't know which form)

El Mariachi was originally released at a 4:3 ratio -- Rodriguez makes a comment on the DVD commentary about how the Collector's Edition "Widescreen" DVD release of E.M. actually crops out the top and bottom of the original film, so you're actually seeing less than what was intended. Rodriguez had originally intended E.M. to be a straight-to-Mexican-video release, so he shot with TV aspect ratio in mind.

Thanks John. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, it was not unusual for indie films to be shot in 16mm (4:3), and that was OK. But now, with DV, 16:9 has somehow become crucial for the film look. I wonder if this is merely due to DV movie makers trying to hard.