On The Importance of Aspect Ratio in Cinema
The first technical component of filmmaking that New Critics must be familiar with is the film's aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is a defining characteristic of the cinematic experience, a universal boundary that applies equally to all viewers watching the same movie together. It defines the experience of cinema like a mountain represents the living experiences of a town constructed in its shadow.
The aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio of the film frame or screen. The relationship between aspect ratio, framing, and lens choice is a delicate balance, where every choice contributes to the alchemy of how viewers will perceive the story unfolding before them in theaters and on smaller screens. The aspect ratio literally shapes the audience’s field of view and can psychologically influence how a viewer experiences a scene.
Aspect ratios span a spectrum from narrow to ultra-wide. Wider aspect ratios can create a sense of grandeur and are often used for landscapes, battle scenes, and scenes where the environment has a crucial impact on the unfolding events. Narrower aspect ratios focus the audience’s attention on the on-screen subjects. While narrow aspect ratios can create a sense of claustrophobia, they can also establish deep intimacy between characters on screen.
Let us explore the different aspect ratio options and why they are chosen for each film, beginning on the left side of the spectrum with the narrow ratios and moving to the right towards the widest.
Academy Ratio 1.33:1 (4:3)
Often associated with classic television and early cinema, the Academy Ratio was the standard aspect ratio for most films until the 1950s. It is nearly square, ideal for early cinema’s single, central subjects. It is still used occasionally for stylistic reasons, often to evoke nostalgia or to confine the visual space within the frame. The Academy Ratio was standardized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the early 1930s. This was the format in which film was born and matured commercially. The Academy Ratio matched the 35 mm film stock, which was most convenient for filming and projection. It was also the format in which the universal standard for sound was established. The Academy Ratio was adopted by television production, which initially competed directly with Cinema.
The Academy Ratio creates a close, intimate framing of subjects, naturally directing the viewer’s attention to the center of the frame. Great for portraits and close-up shots, Academy Ratio creates personal, engaging experiences for viewers. Modern use of the Academy Ratio in films creates a unique constraint for viewers, conveying a specific psychological experience within the frame.
American Standard (1.85:1)
The popularity of television in the 1950s had a substantial impact on the theater experience. The widespread purchase of television sets meant news, drama, and comedies were center stage in the living rooms of all who could afford them. Wider-screen formats emerged as a distinct experience, beyond the small-screen limitations of television programming, to convince audiences to continue going to the theater while adapting to television at home.
Hollywood was initially ambitious in the scope it sought. CinemaScope's aspect ratio threw down a massive gauntlet against television by offering a mind-blowing 2.35:1 ratio, requiring special curved screens with multiple projectors, and it was complicated and often too expensive to appeal to the masses of moviegoers. Therefore, a compromise had to be reached and a standard established to produce high-quality films that could be shown consistently in theaters worldwide.
American Standard (1.85:1) was the compromise between the narrow confines of the Academy standard (1.33:1) and the overly ambitious CinemaScope (2.35:1). The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) adopted the American Standard, which allowed filmmakers to use the entire width of 35 mm film stock without requiring anamorphic lenses (which compress the image horizontally while filming, allowing for expanding back to full size during projection).
Eventually, the American Standard became the norm in American Cinema, and audiences quickly became used to seeing their films on the big screen in this aspect ratio. The most effective facet of the American Standard aspect ratio remains its versatility. It is wide enough to capture and portray expansive landscapes and large sets while providing space for personal, character-driven narrative scenes. Whether framing intense dialogue or fast-action sequences, American Standard allows for a wide range of storytelling potential.
American Standard also translated well between the theater and television screens. It remains a functional middle ground between the ambitions of CinemaScope and the functional depth of the Academy ratio.
IMAX (1.90:1)
“Image Maximum” marked a significant advancement in movie technology. Large-format film creates an immersive experience with high-quality imagery that continues to power a unique theater experience for viewers.
IMAX was developed by Canadian filmmakers and investors in 1967 to create a highly immersive film experience with larger screens and higher-resolution images than standard theaters had ever offered. However, they also required special projectors and, eventually, unique theaters built to show these films. The first IMAX theater was built in Toronto in 1971 and became a unique venue for short documentary screenings. Over the years, IMAX film technology has evolved to include 3D and curved screens, installed in large domes that wrap around audiences and envelop them in massive theater experiences. The IMAX format was commercially adopted in the 1990s and early 2000s and remains a unique choice for epic films that tell massive stories in an immersive setting.
The first “floor-to-ceiling” movie experiences, combined with high-quality sound systems, create cocoons for Cinema. Increased resolution and image clarity significantly enhance the visual experience of action sequences, nature documentaries, and space films. It can also be argued that a movie's emotional realism is amplified by this immersive IMAX format. Any filmmaker looking to create a spectacle for moviegoers would be remiss not to consider IMAX as an option for filming and presenting their movie.
70 mm (2.20:1)
“What if we doubled 35 mm?” This question was first asked in the 1950s, when moviegoing declined amid the mass adoption of television. Movies like Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia were shot in 70 mm, creating vast, detailed landscapes and expansive vistas on screen. Before the invention of IMAX, 70 mm filmmaking was an effective way to develop significant, immersive theater experiences. The clarity and depth of 70 mm capture and projection draw viewers into a film’s world more effectively than standard, versatile formats. 70 mm movies are epic spectacles associated with the golden age of Cinema and remain an essential tool for the visual storyteller seeking to create a deep, personal experience for moviegoers.
Anamorphic Widescreen (2.39:1)
Another child of 1950s CinemaScope, the Anamorphic lens squeezes a broader field of view onto a film image. These lenses compress the horizontal axis of an image by a factor of two while leaving the vertical axis unchanged. A scene that is twice as wide as it is high will then be compressed to fit within a standard 35 mm film frame.
During projection or post-production, this process is reversed when another anamorphic lens stretches the image back to its original aspect ratio, creating a widescreen image. It is like packing a large blanket into an airtight plastic bag, then sucking all the air out of the bag so it fits in a small suitcase. Opening the plastic bag returns all the air, and the blanket can be removed and used in full size.
Anamorphic lenses are an incredible tool for photography, offering unique properties for capturing light. Today, Anamorphic Widescreen is the standard for immersive, epic films that feature complex action across a broad landscape, massive set pieces, and grand action sequences, creating spectacle and grandeur in the movie-watching experience.
However, there is a trade-off. Anamorphic lenses do a number on the light. Lens flaring and distinctive background blurring often create a dreamlike impression of what is presented on screen, enhancing or detracting from storytelling, depending on what is being displayed and how it serves the narrative at each moment. Additionally, anamorphic filming is so extensive that it can amplify a sense of isolation and be used intentionally in storytelling or detract from scenes of emotional intensity between characters. Anamorphic aspect ratio gives cinematographers greater responsibility for composing a scene, opening up broad horizontal lines and many options for where characters and objects are placed in relation to one another, all contributing to the overall emotion the film conveys to viewers.
Consider the framing of different aspect ratios and how they have affected the films you love (and those you didn’t). Were they too claustrophobic? Too expensive to drive an intimate experience of what the characters were going through? Or was the aspect ratio of your film perfectly chosen and aligned to the subjective story being told on screen? The New Critic must take the aspect ratio into account when analyzing and appreciating Cinema.
