Jump to content

Shooting 1:1 aspect ratio...?


Niall Conroy

Recommended Posts

Hey guys,

 

I'm toying with the idea of shooting a short film in 1:1 aspect ratio.

 

Upon completion the film would be entered into many festivals - so i'm just wondering does anyone see any potential problems we might come up against - or any issues that might be problematic. For example, some festivals may play it back incorrectly at 4:3 - or would some film/playback systems even be equipped to project/play in 1:1? Maybe I could just have the final film in 16:9 but mask it for 1:1.

 

I'm well aware that this is not a standard aspect ratio for motion pictures and is used with medium format still photography - but the film will be along the experimental side of things, and i'd like to explore the square as a means of composition - I think it could turn out well.

 

So if anyone knows of any examples or has any wise words (or problems they might foresee) please let me know!

 

thanks for your time and thoughts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you shoot in 4:3 and just add a mask?

 

This is true also!

 

I guess i just thought 16:9 as the majority of work would be shot/shown in it these days. Whereas 4:3 could also be susceptible to being played back wrongly at 16:9 and be horribly stretched

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess i just thought 16:9 as the majority of work would be shot/shown in it these days. Whereas 4:3 could also be susceptible to being played back wrongly at 16:9 and be horribly stretched

 

True, but at least players/displays can be set up to not stretch 4:3 to 16:9 (assuming you have a competent operator). I would think a 1:1 file/media on anything would be more problematic since it's an unconventional format.

 

So I would shoot 16:9 or 4:3 (depending on equipment, mask off a display during shooting to know what I'm doing and then mask in post. Probably easiest workflow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

True, but at least players/displays can be set up to not stretch 4:3 to 16:9 (assuming you have a competent operator). I would think a 1:1 file/media on anything would be more problematic since it's an unconventional format.

 

So I would shoot 16:9 or 4:3 (depending on equipment, mask off a display during shooting to know what I'm doing and then mask in post. Probably easiest workflow.

 

Shoot 16x9 and mask the image. Festivals aren't going to take the time to setup anything special.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yup - the shoot 16:9 and mask during shooting + in post sounds like the best workflow

 

does anyone know of any examples of films/scenes being shot and composed with the square 1:1 format(or even youtube/vimeo examples)? Other than photography of course...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • Premium Member

if people are interested - I went and shot for 1:1 - here's the teaser trailer i put together

 

 

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/43490693" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

 

Nice work -- it's funny how the 1:1 frame looks taller than it is wider, but when I measured it, it was 1:1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice work -- it's funny how the 1:1 frame looks taller than it is wider, but when I measured it, it was 1:1.

 

haha yes, every time I see it I get a slight panic attack thinking that I exported incorrectly.

 

It seems the 'square' nature only really pops when its framed or bordered. When its just sitting plain in a 16:9 screen it seems to look taller than it actually is. Peculiar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...