How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

There are so many choices and when shooting an entire movie, I feel I could use a certain aspect ratio for one type of a shot, and a different one for another, and it's tough to decide.

It seems to me that the best aspect ratio would be somewhere around 2.20:1, but how does one decide though, which one in that range, is best?

It seems that most filmmakers prefer 2.39:1 to the point where it has become a popular default. But is there a reason why most choose that?

Do cinemas prefer it, projection wise? Is the decision based on film festival requirements, or can the filmmaker choose any they want, purely based on artistic reasons?

How do you decide?

I was told by one filmmaker that unless you know for sure your movie is going to theaters, just shoot in 16:9, but I feel that I should probably decide based on what serves the story best, rather than what media platform it's going to be shown on. Would that make more sense?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

You can use whichever aspect ratio you want, but you will need to fit it inside a film and TV industry standard aspect ratio,

For 2.20:1 you would probably need to have black pillars on either side of 2.39:1 , just as 4x3 aspect has on a 16x9 screen

This question was more or less answered when you asked about using a 2.1 aspect ratio, so you're going over old ground.

The dynamic screen was used back in the silent days.

If you're going to sell your film, chances are it's going to be shown on a 16 x 9 screen, odds on getting a theatrical release are very small. However, you can letterbox scope or 2.20 for a 16 x 9 screen,

Most indie feature films are probably 1.85:1, rather than scope. I would read your old thread i suspect the answer lies in there.



Again, the choice is up to you,

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

There are many choices:

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh right, sorry I wasn't thinking of that previous post before, sorry. You said before that it's probably better to just stick to one of the standard aspect ratio for film festivals.

So out of the two standard ones, I can't decide which is better between 1.85:1 and 2.39:1 since they have their pros and cons.

One reason I read why a lot of microbudget filmmakers go with 1.85:1, is that you don't have to fill in empty space with set design.

However, I feel that this doesn't help 1.85:1 in a lot of cases. If you have four or more people in a mastershot for example, you won't be able to fit them all in the shot at 1.85:1 as well as 2.39:1. So you will have to still back up the camera therefore in 1.85:1. So if you back up the camera to fit everyone one, wouldn't you still have the same amount of deadspace still then to have to fill?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

They managed to frame 4 or more people when they were shooting in 4 x3 for the cinema, I don't get your point, You block out your action for the framing that's being used, there's no such thing as dead space, the environment is all part of the mise en scene.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

A filmmaker decides on aspect ratio based on expected distributions. If 2.39:1 and 16:9 are expected, the shots should be composed so that they fill the screens and look good in either format.

This is about creating a viewer experience. Success in festivals or other distributions comes with understanding the viewer experience of our works. IMO planning for pillar boxes or letterboxing is a waste of screen area that could be used in creating that experience.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, I thought that I had to decide based on what was best based on viewer experience.

But if I have to know what the distributor expects, what if I am shooting a feature film and I don't have a distributor yet, so I don't know what one will expect later on, depending on who picks it up? What then?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Don't reinvent the wheel, a strange aspect ratio is just another reason for a distributor to say no.

16 x 9 is the most sensible aspect ratio, because odds are that the film is going straight to video, with, at the very most, a very limited showcase theatrical release.

In reality the festival circuit is most likely to be the only theatrical screening for your film.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, well when it comes to choosing between the three standard ones 16:9, 1.85:1 and 2.39:1, I thought I was suppose to choose based on what tells the story best, rather than based on what size screen people will see it on.

Is fitting the screen size, more important than what best tells the story?

Plus, I thought maybe a distributor would just as likely say no to a 16:9 movie, cause they could look at it and say, that too many movies are being shot in 16:9 and it doesn't look cinematic enough as a result. So I thought they could just as well see it that way too maybe.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

A distributor will be more interested in who's in the film and factors other than the aspect ratio, Chances are they'll put it out on 16:9 regardless of which aspect ratio you finally shoot it on.

They're only interested in making sales and they don't want anything to reduce their chances. Many audiences want their screens filled and don't want it letter boxed.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, well if say a movie is shot in 2.39:1, and a distributor wants to zoom in, to make it 16:9, that would mean they are loosing resolution, if they have to zoom in, so would they be okay with that?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

They do it all the time, just you may lose control of the final composition, since it may be someone further down the chain doing the work.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay thanks, that gives me some things to think about. Thank you very much for all your information :).

I have another question when it comes to distributors wants if that's okay. When it comes to doing the sound mix I thought I would go for the 5.1 mix, since that is what most distributors want I was told, if that is correct.

However, I also read that a lot want a stereo mix in addition. I was wondering if that's true, and if it's worth doing two sound mixes therefore? Or why is it that they would want a stereo one as well, when they already have a 5.1?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Many outlets don't have 5.1 and distributors don't want to spend money in creating a stereo mix.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Okay thanks, but I thought that 5.1 still sounded good on other outlets. For example, at home I usually watch movies on a TV with two speakers, and some movies on DVD have a 5.1 mix only. But they still sound good coming out of my two speakers, so I thought 5.1 sounded good, no matter if it's coming out two speakers, or even one, unless I am missing something?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

I recall watching short films with surround sound in a stereo cinema and there always seemed to be a hole in the centre of the stereo image.

They should be compatible, but you're trying to do sale, so it sounds better if you have it available. You don't want to be explaining things. However, they'll be buying on who's in it and if they can sell it in the current market.

In technical stuff in the sale, shooting on an Alexa is easier to sell than shooting on a DSLR.

However, it's the name actor who will really attract them.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, can they tell easily what camera the movie was shot on?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

It depends, you'd probably have problems telling a Ursa Mini Pro from an Alexa, but a DSLR won't have the same quality.

It depends if they are using the camera as a filter, because so many films are shot with DSLRs, it's an easy way of taking them out of the mix,

A name actor trumps that.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Okay thanks. I assume I won't be able to get a named star or supporting character names actor for the movie, so I was trying to do what is best in other areas too...

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

An excellent original story, well acted, compelling characters and well told is what's best. Have that and you can shoot with a iPhone if it's appropriate for the stroy.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Okay thanks, I will try direct the story and acting as best I can of course :).

As for aspect ratio, and choosing between 16:9 and 2.39:1, I suppose the types of shots, also you help you choose, right?

I wanted to do a lot of mastershots, similar to the movie High and Low, since High and Low is possibly my most favorite movie in terms of how the shots are storyboarded.

So I would like to do shots like this in the movie:


So if you want mostly mastershots, like in High and Low, which aspect ratio is better for shots like that, or do they both work for that?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

There are a number of factors that come into consideration.

1. Where is the audience viewing your film? "High and Low" is totally aimed at a cinema release, which is different to if your film is going to be viewed by people watching a streamed video on a mobile phone.

2. The nature of the spaces in your sets. Are they primarily horizontal or vertical? If the latter, the use of a crane/jib is way to adjust vertical spaces into moving horizontal spaces for scope films. There is great use of vertical space in the best 1.33;1 feature films. Generally. horizontal spaces work better with scope, but it depends on the nature of the story.

3. How wide do you want the figures to be? For roughly the same background you can have a CU in the foreground in scope. while in say 1.85:1 it will be an MCU.

Both types will work for roughly similar blocking, just you may find you've got a MCU instead of a CU when you frame it.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Ryan - do you view your projects as Art or Craft? If I was making a movie like the old Lawrence of Arabia - sweeping desert vistas and lots of shots in your mind of hundreds of horseback riders appearing over a sand dune, then your image format is a no brainer - WIDE! Movies, however have been shot in multiple formats over the years and when I was young and you had the main movie, a short, and lots of adverts, each projector change would see the curtains going in and out like yo-yos!

I shoot 16:9, for TV and occasionally when it suits, I'll drop in black top and bottom when it fits the effect and feel I want. Because it looks right! No idea what format it is?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

I would say I view them as art. When you ask if I have any idea what format is, what do you mean by format in this context?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Okay thanks, but I thought that the composition and framing were more important than where the audience is viewing it. For example, if I want a close up of a character, where the rest are in the background like in a 2.39:1 ratio, than isn't the shots I want more important, than whether or not it's in a theater or not?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Knowing how the audience is viewing a film is vital. A large screen in a theatre provides more information to the viewer, than the same film viewed on a mobile phone.

On a large screen you can see more detail, you can let things build within the shot without cutting because the audience can switch their attention within the frame.

Scope films were intended for large screens, not a style statement on a small screen.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, but a lot of people seem to enjoy scope films on small screens, cause people still watch them on small screens, and the companies do not pan and scan them. So are people that bothered by it, and if so, why don't the companies pan and scan them then for video release, after theaters?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

They did pan and scan in the days of 4 x 3 TV, today they they may do it partly for 16:9 or show them in a cropped 2.20:1 aspect ratio on a more commercial channels. Some channels will letter box to show the whole 2.39:1 aspect ratio..

However, you're not getting the full impact of the film on a small screen, but with the increasing size and resolution of modern TVs you can acheive a similar screen width to viewing distance in the domestic environment.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, I didn't think audiences cared cause they watch 2.39:1 movies all the time on smaller screens and they often look like they are in the full ratio to me.

Well chances are the movie will not be shown in theaters outside of festivals, but I was told to always aim for how it will look in theaters, just in case, and any changes for video can be made later. I mean a lot of filmmakers nowadays at festivals seem to shoot in 16:9, with a stereo soundtrack, and I think to myself that they didn't aim as high as they could have, and maybe their movie would have looked better on 2.39:1 on the festival screen, with a 5.1 mix.

Unless I'm looking at it the wrong way...

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Formats - the things we're talking about. Frankly, 2.39:1 format is a mathematically accurate and totally meaningless screen ratio. Most TV sets and monitors have inbuilt masking and few now have controls to allow you to shrink/stretch in H and V planes to fit the visible area of the screen. I have one that annoyingly clips the very top of the image so anything placed there is invisible.

Cinamascope wasn't even a fixed ratio - 2.35 to 2.66:1
Academy at 1.375:1

and of course loads of others - designed for specific movies.

I really think that if it's art - then you produce in whatever looks best. However, as pointed out, you are really just throwing pixels away, so definition is pretty fixed, and of course you cannot determine how each TV or projector will deal with your weird shape.

Pan and scan destroys the director's intensions. It satisfies people who want the screen filled, but don't care about the art.

You are not going to find rules for this one Ryan. You're on your own. No policies or industry standards to follow, as with your usual technical questions. This one is art, so there are no wrong choices, because you could make a movie with the image a circle, if there was an artistic need for it.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay thanks. Well there is one thing that comes to mind.

I was told before, not only on here, but by a couple of other sources as well, that theaters can only show 1.85:1 and 2.39:1 cause those are the two standards that the projector settings are built for, and that they don't want to go through a hassle of projecting any other ratio.

However, movies come out with weird aspect ratios sometimes, such as Tomorrowland (2.20:1), Dunkirk (2.20:1 and 1.43:1) Star Wars: Rogue One (2.76:1), The Hateful Eight (2.76:1), and La La Land (2.55:1).

So when these movies are released, do the theaters have to go out of their way to project them differently and go through a hassle to do so, or no?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Usually they fit them within the standard ratios by either using pillars or letterboxes.

Either that or they crop them to fit into the standard ratios, unless you're watching in a cinema that can project 70mm film prints.

Cinemas don't do anything special, unless they've got Stanley Kubrick chasing after them about projecting his film in the correct aspect ratio.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, well I remember it was said before that I could fit an aspect ratio into a standard one but as a newcomer, it would be safer for me to pick one of the two standard ones, if that's true.

When it comes to what screen it would be viewed on, I thought it was better to choose based on what is best to tell the story to a degree.

If I were to pick 16:9 or 1.85:1 to fill the average screen more, I wonder how it would look when trying to shoot a movie with staging compositions like High and Low...

I wonder if I could do the storyboards first and then pick which aspect ratio is best later, when talking to a DP about it, it's just that the storyboarding books, already come with the aspect ratios printed, so I feel I have to choose the aspect ratio before storyboarding, if that's best...

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

If you actually produce your product in a strange pixel specification - lets say 2015 x 936, quite a few devices will struggle to display it. This is totally different from having a 1980 x 1080 format, and simply not using the top and bottom chunks to make a letter box. My cameras cannot record in the new popular weird frame ratios, so my only choice is cropping - ignoring the top and bottom. A bit of tape on the viewfinder sorts that out.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh sorry, I meant making a letterbox in 1080, that's what I meant, sorry.

Same with my camera and other people's cameras I know. One short film I shot on 2.39:1, but we used firmware on the camera to give us that aspect ratio on the monitor screen. Then later I added the letterboxes in post.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Best plan before you begin, so know your aspect ratio when start to storyboard.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Okay thanks, but how do other filmmakers tell which one is best for them, before they have their storyboards laid out, and then deciding based on the storyboards? Howe do they know which one they will want before the storyboards?

As for whether or not the locations are more horizontal or vertical, I haven't gotten a lot of the locations yet, so not sure.

I wanted to storyboard before I start location scouting and getting a DP, cause once I do that, things get so busy, that you won't have near as much time to storyboard, so I wanted to have preliminary storyboards beforehand, if that's best. I just don't know which aspect ratio is best, before having the storyboards laid out.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

You usually can see it in your mind as you play it though.

Take a stills camera to some possible locations and see what works.

I would find locations and then storyboard, otherwise you may be creating scenes that don't work and you'll have to change them. Also, the locations will suggest ideas to you.

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

Oh okay, I have all the possible locations in mind, just don't have confirmed yesses from all of the location owners. But I can storyboard with those possible locations still. But as far as to whether or not they are better suited for 16:9 or 2.35:1, how does one tell?

I took some pictures but took them all in 3:2 still photo format. I guess I could take them in both 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 if that's better, but it's hard to tell with no actors in the shots as well.

Another thing, is as I am comparing the two ratios, storyboard wise, in a 16:9 ratio, the actors will have to be pushed further into the background compared to 2.39:1, like it was said before.

So even if 16:9 fills a whole 16:9 screen the viewer will be forced to watch the actors, further away in the scene. So is filling the whole frame more important, if it means the actors have to be pushed back farther to fit them all in and they are further away therefore?

Re: How does a filmmaker decide which aspect ratio to shoot in?
 

These are your decisions, they are ones that directors have to make all the time.

However, be aware that the physical size of the faces etc on the screen may be the roughly same if you are letterboxing the scope into a 16;9 screen. This is different to how scope was originally screened in many cinemas where the height remains the same, but the sides open out, so you end up with a much bigger screen.

In many modern multiplexes you get more real estate with 1.85:1 because the width remains the same.