Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
is widely used for video distribution, but is highly controversial. Many fi lmmakers are offended to
see their compositions cropped, electronic pans and even edits added all in an effort to keep the action
on the narrow screen. Some fi lmmakers have even called to have the practice outlawed.
The cropping is moved right and left to keep the action on the screen creating camera moves that
were never there in production. Pan and scan can be done in Final Cut Pro with the motion controls,
but is most often done as part of the DVD authoring, making it possible for the viewer to select
between anamorphic 16 × 9, 4 × 3 letterbox, or 4 × 3 pan and scan in the DVD player’s setup
menu.
There was a time when 4 × 3 was thought to be the perfect aspect ratio and that there would never
be a need for anything else. But soon fi lmmakers wanted wider and wider images, and audiences
agreed. Today 4 × 3 has an archaic look, and while still quite common, it feels antiquated. Which is
why it will no doubt make a strong comeback in twenty years when people long for “the good old
days” of the twentieth century.
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