Widescreen

The widescreen format is a format for the 35-mm cinema and dates from the 1950s. It refers to all image formats that are wider than the normal or Academy ratio ( 1.33:1 or 1.37:1 ). The most common widescreen formats are non- anamorphic formats European Widescreen format ( 1.66:1 ) and American widescreen format ( 1.85:1 ) and anamorphic formats like Panavision or CinemaScope ( 2.35:1 ). On television, in addition, the 16:9 ( 1.78:1 ) exists. Although rare, there are also anamorphic 16mm film prints.

Non - anamorphic widescreen

Movies in this format are recorded in the normal format and in the projection means mask and lamination in the 1.66 - perform or 1.85:1 format. Since about 1970, the majority of the films is designed for widescreen presentation. In many, but not all film prints are the parts of the image at the top and bottom of the screen, which should not be shown, black covered. Not infrequently, it can be seen for the wide screen projection designed, but mistakenly led in pre 1.66:1 either in standard size or place 1.85:1 movies at surprisingly often visible microphones or lights at the top and bottom of the screen. On many boxes of film copies you can still find the inscription " Flat" - this refers to a film that is intended for non- anamorphic presentation.

Anamorphic widescreen

To fit on a conventional film negative in the ratio 4:3, the widescreen format must be narrowed via special camera optics in the horizontal axis. Since the vertical axis is shown normal, the horizontal but is compressed, there is a desired photographic uneven change. Therefore, the optics are given for this technique Anamorphic ( ana = up to; morphae = form). The first optics for the wide-screen format of this type have been developed by the U.S. camera maker Panavision, which they are not sold, but only leased. They offered the advantage, namely to realize the full film negative, but needed it more light than conventional optics. To convert the side crushed 35 mm film negative or positive again in a natural picture aspect ratio of 1:2.35, the projectors must also be equipped with an anamorphic lens.

Super Scope

A special feature in the production presented the Superscope format represents the films were made with non- anamorphic recording technique in normal format ( 1.33:1 ), but an anamorphic format for transferral of 2.0:1 was later performed in the laboratory. In the cinema a Superscope film was projected as a Cinemascope or Panavision film with anamorphic attachment. At the top and bottom of the screen thereby lost image information, but this - has already been taken into account when turning by the image composition .. - as in European and American Letterbox