In a message dated 6/10/00 11:08:35 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:



>They know -- and accept -- the one thing most of us hate to acknowledge;

>that many film viewers (or "disinterested layfolks") are more interested

>in story and characters. Not visual composition. The heathens who hate

>letter-box. Hate it (even filmmakers such as William Friedkin have been

>known to utter such blasphemy). So... filmmakers either resort to less

>extreme aspect ratios, or tolerate pan-and-scan. It just makes good

>business sense now that films can make more money on video, TV and

>satellite than theatres.



Are you arguing that visual composition is entirely unrelated to story and

character?  That seems to be an entire argument in and of itself...  (OCC:

The Graduate)



I agree that filmmakers have to consider the home market, but I think the key

is in the fact that knowing and accepting, as you have put it, are not the

same as preferring.  John Carpenter has said that he supervises the pan and

scan process because it is the only way he can salvage his film--in other

words, the process would occur with or without his input.  The fact that he

begrudgingly participates does not in any way mean that he sits on set,

looking at his monitor and saying, "Is this going to look good on TV?"



I think your argument is sound, but the conclusions you draw from it--that

most filmmakers consciously shoot for video--are not.  Even your Egoyan

quote, in reference to his viewing the pan and scan process as a chance to

re-edit, only underscores the fact that he was not consciously shooting for

the home video market originally.  One can easily derive that Egoyan sees

home video as a different market, a specific counter to your more general

claim concerning the tendencies of "most" filmmakers.



I, for one, am not loathe to acknowledge your claim: that most people's first

experience of a film will be a cropped version on video.  That does not mean

that I have to give up *my* right to experience them otherwise (be it in a

theater or on widescreen video), or the right of filmmakers to compose in

whatever ratio they prefer (and to make that ratio available to those who

wish to view it "as the filmmaker intended").



Ed



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