Blowing up regular 16mm to 35mm and keeping original aspect ratio

[Steven Budden]

I was wondering about blowing up from regular 16mm to 35mm while keeping the original aspect ratio. I assume this is possible... just having the image matted with black around? It will just be a smaller image, but there will be no cropping correct?

 

This is more of a question for the future. I make 16mm experimental films and am exploring my options about blowing up to 35mm. I would shoot super 16mm but then I'd lose the 16mm projection capability which I also use. I like the 16mm ratio and would give up a little in size if I could avoid cropping.

 

Anything I'm overlooking or any advice appreciated. Thanks!

 

Steven

[Chance Shirley]

> ...regular 16mm to 35mm while keeping the original aspect ratio.

 

I think this was done for BLAIR WITCH, with that movie's 16mm and video blown up to 1.85:1 matted 35mm, then "windowboxed" with black bars on the sides.

 

I've also heard of transferring 1.33:1 movies to anamorphic 'scope prints with black bars on the sides, which apparently takes advantage of more of the 35mm negative.

[Dominic Case]

Standard 16 is 1:1.33. If you blow up to 35mm, it would normally be to Academy frame size: you would have the entire 16mm image area, but you would run into problems projecting as very few 35mm projectors are set up to screen the whole Academy frame. You will crop top and bottom.

 

You can always ask the lab to blow up to fit the frame within 1:1.85 height: it would be about the same blow-up ratio as for super 16, but with different centering. And you would, as you say, require a black mask around the edges. Depending on how the lab does the blow-up, this could either be burnt in or printed with an overlay mask.

 

On screening, the top and bottom of the image would fit the full height of a widescreen (1:1.85) screen (with the screen tabs forming the edge), while the left and right of the image would have projected black bars (pillarboxing).