How are 35mm and Super 35 both 1.33:1?!

[Thomas Worth]

I am confused as to how normal 35mm and Super 35 are both at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Super 16 adopts a similar method of frame expansion as Super 35, yet its aspect ratio is consistently reported as 1.66:1. It seems to me that Super 35, like Super 16, would be slightly wider than normal 35mm since they both use 4 perfs per frame.

 

I'd really love some clarification here. Thanks!

[Filip Plesha]

actually in case of super35 you are not adding anything,it is vice-versa, Academy offset is substracting some image area because of the soundtrack.

And aspect ratios are similar because in academy offset format image is masked both horisontally and vertically (21x16cm vs. 24x18cm of super35)

[David Mullen ASC]

Super-35, when 4-perf, is the same as Full Aperture. This dates back to the Silent Era and is the largest area possible on the 4-perf frame, extending to the sprocket rows on both sides and having very thin frame lines separating each frame. It's 1.33 : 1.

 

Then the left edge got cropped off during projection to hide the Movietone soundtrack in the late 1920's -- the remaining projected image was 1.20 : 1.

 

This looked too square for most people so a decision was made to also crop the top and bottom a little as well, creating the 1.37 : 1 Academy Aperture for sound movies starting in 1932. So the Academy Aperture mask used in the projector creates a rectangle similar in shape to the 1.33 : 1 Silent Era format (Full Aperture) -- but smaller in size and offset to the right on the print.

 

1.85 : 1 further crops the Academy Aperture top & bottom, while the 2.39 : 1 anamorphic (scope) projector aperture mostly just crops the left edge where the soundtrack goes, using almost the Full Aperture height.

 

Super-35, on the other hand, uses the Full Aperture width but often wastes the height of full aperture since the end goal is usually a widescreen format (often either 1.78 for HDTV transfer or 2.39 for conversion to anamorphic.) This is one reason why 3-perf is becoming popular, especially for TV -- they can use the Full Aperture width and waste less of the height (in fact, 3-perf Full Aperture is almost exactly 1.78 : 1, or 16x9.)

 

Super-16 is different in that it drops the sprocket holes on one side, called single-perf, allowing the picture to be extended. Regular 16mm sound prints also do this, putting a soundtrack on the edge where the sprocket holes would have been on one side.

 

35mm is always double-perf and room for the soundtrack is made by cropping some of the image area, not extending the area by dropping one row of perfs.

[John Pytlak RIP]

Other links to the evolution of formats:

 

http://www.cameraguild.com/technology/formats.htm

 

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/lobby.htm

 

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/evolution.htm

 

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/mullen.htm

 

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/apertures.htm

[Thomas Worth]

Thanks, guys. That really helps! :D

 

By the way, I am shooting a spec commercial in the next few weeks on 35mm, which will be the first time I've shot on 35. I live in L.A. and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on procuring an inexpensive camera package. Alan Gordon rents Arri IICs pretty cheap, and since the spot has minimal dialogue I don't think the fact that it's an MOS camera will matter that much. Plus, they offer their own insurance which is, from what I understand, an inexpensive alternative to using a third party. Any help will be appreciated!

[David Mullen ASC]

Alan Gordon sounds about right for your budget (i.e. very low). You can probably make good deals at the other places (Keslow, Birns & Sawyer, etc.) but will have to arrange insurance -- although they probably can tell you how to get it easily.

 

Is your director OK with looping the dialogue?

 

Remember that an Arri 2C has a fixed viewfinder, making high and low angles a little harder to shoot (unless you get a rotatable extension on it.)