Widescreen/Fullscreen

[Guest SP-1]

It's actually very important to see movies in their original aspects ratio. Shots are often set up to produce certain feelings or effects and if you aren't getting the full shot then part of that may be lost. There are also SFX/heavy movies where somebody's hard work is butchered out of the shot to fit a precious square screen. I have a problem with that.

 

Take the movie Ghostbusters for instance. Watch the widescreen version and pay attention to Egon. Then watch the Fullscreen. Harold Ramis apparently once joked that Egon doesn't exist in the fullscreen cut of the movie. And he's sort of right. Anytime Egon isn't the direct focus of a shot he's usually either half in it or cut out completely. Towards the end there's a zoom in while the wind starts blowing harsh. Our heroes are about to take on GOZER, the big bad of the movie. And as the shot moves in, Egon is cut out and we get a stunning shot of Ray, Venkman, and . . . Winston. No offense to Ernie Hudson fans, but Winston isn't exactly as integral to the plot as Egon is. Instead of all of our heroes, or at least the three that have the most to do with the plot being focused on and thus our fear for their safety heightened, we get poor Egon cut right out. You lose something there if you care at all about the story or the characters.

[Guest Vitamin X]

clickie clickie

 

In the examples section it shows the differences. Some movies it affects more than others (look at Holy Grail for a good example..the title screen cuts out Grail in 4:3).

[Downhome 0]

My God.

[Guest SP-1]

DRAGONHEART might be one of the most disturbing examples on that site. Bowen is cut out of alot of those shots and he's the MAIN CHARACTER.

[Jingus 0]

Personally, I prefer widescreen, as I'm a film geek and I can quote all that shit about aspect ratios and "how it was meant to be seen" by heart. But I have known a few people who just can't get used to the two giant black bars taking up half their TV on a widescreen version. It breaks their concentration so much that they can't focus on the movie. It's not their fault, they were just born with their brains wired that way.

 

EDIT: Vitamin, thanks so much for providing that link, it's a great resource to convince people who are just being petty and curmudgeonly about not accepting widescreen. If the side-by-side shots from the Lord of the Rings flicks don't convince 'em, nothing will.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

I didn't notice how different it was from watching the Widescreen DVD of Ghostbusters, and an old Fullscreen copy. I wanted more Egon, and got it.

[eiker_ir 0]

i'm considered like the film fanatic in my group of friends and people that know me and i'm happy that i've never encountered someone who hates the "black bars".

 

I've had to explain widescreen and Pan n Scan to a lot of people and never had trouble trying to convince someone that WS is the way to go, everyone has understood it quite easily and accepted Widescreen as the correct version.

 

spread the word...

[Guest Vitamin X]

Personally, I prefer widescreen, as I'm a film geek and I can quote all that shit about aspect ratios and "how it was meant to be seen" by heart. But I have known a few people who just can't get used to the two giant black bars taking up half their TV on a widescreen version. It breaks their concentration so much that they can't focus on the movie. It's not their fault, they were just born with their brains wired that way.

These are probably the same kind of people who can't watch a movie with subtitles, for the very same reason. (that's another reason why widescreen is better subtitles usually don't get in the way of picture itself)

 

EDIT: Vitamin, thanks so much for providing that link, it's a great resource to convince people who are just being petty and curmudgeonly about not accepting widescreen. If the side-by-side shots from the Lord of the Rings flicks don't convince 'em, nothing will.

 

Actually Downhome I think may have showed me that site first, but yeah the examples section is what will convince just about anybody.