2.35 and 2.55 films are stretched by the lens, but the film is the same.

Sometimes you can tell this because they squeeze credits that occur over

human figures (Wild at Heart, Jewel of the Nile, The Fearless Vampire

Killers)  In the theatre, you can also see that the reel change is more

elliptical than circular when this process is used, and it's not because

the have an elliptical hole punch.



Scott



On Thu, 8 Jun 2000 [log in to unmask] wrote:



> i have to admit that my very limited mathematical/spatial

> skills have made it difficult for me to follow all the details about

> ways of influencing the aspect ratio of a movie. . . but i suddenly

> suspect  that for years i've  been operating under a serious

> misapprehension . . . so perhaps someone can set me

> straight by answering a simple question:

>

> does the "official" aspect ratio of a movie correspond to a similar

> ratio in the frames as printed on the strip of film itself . . . that is, does

> a de palma film with a  ratio of 2.35/1 have a different size frame on

> the film than a film intended to be projected at 1.85/1? . . . or  is the

> aspect ratio actually gotten in projection by a combination of

> lenses and masks that depend as much on the projectionist as on

> the strip of film as printed? . . .

>

> my own no doubt naive assumption was that the frame on the

> film strip already contained the proper aspect ratio, and all the

> proectionist had to do  to achieve the director's or D.P.'s purpose

> is project it  without messing around with it. . . . .  but it appears

> that this is not the case at all

>

> mf

>

> ----

> Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite

> http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite

>

>



 ===============================================================================

Scott Andrew Hutchins

http://php.iupui.edu/~sahutchi

Cracks in the Fourth Wall Filmworks/Oz, Monsters, Kamillions, and More!

(with special musical guest Leila Josefowicz)



"Who's John Adams?"  --Vice President Albert Gore, Jr., at Monticello,

after failing to recognize busts of other founding fathers.



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