Scanning for Anamorphic Release/Converting Digital Still for Anamorphic

[Joe Taylor]

I get the gist of what anamorphic video for 16.9, but how does one go about transfering their 35mm or 16mm film for anamorphic full screen release? For instance the footage I shot for my film "Dead Lonesome" exposed full 4-perf with the intention to crop it 1.85 both video and film release. The footage thus far has been transfered for letter-box.

 

To have that same 1.85 composition transfered as 1.85 anamorphic, how would that be done.

 

On the same note, I'm shooting some time-lapse with a Canon 20D. When I download my images for sequence in Final Cut Pro, how could I convert those still shots for anamorphic playback?

[David Mullen ASC]

16x9 "anamorphic" standard definition video is 1.78 : 1 full-screen on 16x9 TV sets.

 

So a 1.85 movie would have very small letterboxing on a 16x9 DVD, so small that many 16x9 TV sets barely show it.

 

On a 4x3 TV set, a 16x9 DVD should appear as a 1.78 letterboxed image, plus the additional letterbox that makes it 1.85 or 2.35, whatever. Assuming the DVD player is set-up correctly to output to a 4x3 TV set.

 

Generally you would do a transfer to 16x9 "anamorphic" SD videotape (Digital Betacam, let's say), or do a transfer to HD (which is 16x9 native, so not anamorphic) and make a downconversion to 16x9 anamorphic SD video. You'd letterbox the 16x9 recording to 1.85 if that's what you want.

 

But often you also make a 4x3 letterboxed tape master as well, and 4x3 pan & scan as well, depending on your market and deliverables requirement.