Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

Figure 17.9. A 2.20:1 widescreenaspect ratio on Blade Runner. Thewide format allows for a graphic useof negative space and an off-balanceframe.Figure 17.10. 65mm 5 PerfAspect ratio: 2.28:12.066” x .906” - 1.872 sq. in.54.48mm x 23.01mm -1207.58 sq. mmcal lenses and the lessened requirement for lighting and schedulemay offset the cost of the optical print.Once the Super35 full aperture is shot, any number of formats canbe extracted from it. Except in unusual cases, a hard matte would notbe used to mask the negative. These illustrations demonstrate whatwould happen in the post-production process, not what happens inthe camera. This is one of the beauties of this process: a single negativecan be used for many different formats. See the ground glasschart for some of the combinations of Super35 and other formats(Figure 17.16).If the film is going directly to video, there is no reason to waste filmfor an optical sound track. In this case, it is possible to use Super35 asit is. This is sometimes called Super TV.3-PERFAll of the above methods are adaptations that deal with one basicbuilt-in drawback of 35mm film; one that goes back to it’s veryinvention. Since its inception, 35mm has been advanced by 4 perforationsfor each frame. Unlike the aperture gate, this is not somethingthat is easily changed. Worldwide, there are tens of thousandsof cameras, optical printers, lab equipment, telecines, and theaterprojectors that are based on this system (Figure 17.10). Some systemsadvance the film by three perforations for each frame. Speciallymodified cameras must be used for this process.Since it would be impossible to change the entire world systemto suit this, the 3-perf negative is converted at some stage to 4 perf.The original advantages in shooting remain. If the project is goingdirectly to video, then it is not a problem, except that the telecinemust be suited to this process. Arriflex can now make any of theircameras available in 3-perf formats. 3-perf systems have the advantageof using less film stock and longer running times out of eachmag. Many television shows shot on film use 3-perf. It is also popularon features with a limited budget.2-PERF TECHNISCOPEInvented by Technicolor Rome, Techniscope is a 2-perf format forvery wide screen but with half the film stock usage of normal 35mm.It was used on Sergio Leone on many of his films. This is a popularformat again and with the greatly improved film stocks now available,excessive grain is not as much of a problem.338