The aspect ratio for my feature film, FRACTALS, in its final form, is 2:1. Or 2.00:1. I came to this aspect ratio through experimentation.
Though my camera shoots in 16x9, and can crop footage down to 2.35:1 to give the imitation of a scope film, I didn't feel like these standard cinematic and TV aspect ratios worked for this particular project. I wanted something a little more... unique. Special.
While I assembled the film in 2.35:1 - I knew I wouldn't be sticking with this shape. It just didn't make sense for the project. It seemed false, and amateur.
Over the winter of 2021, I experimented with what I called a PHI equivalent aspect ratio of 1.62:1 (rounded up from 1.618). While this would have been the PERFECT ratio for a movie called FRACTALS, I couldn't re-format the footage to comfortably fit in a frame of this shape. It was too narrow and a lot of the footage was shot on too long of a lens to allow room for the actors comfortably exist within the frame.
Additionally, to save space on my hard drives, I shot a lot of the movie, not in the 16x9 full sensor resolution, but cropped for 2.35:1. I will never make this mistake again, as I had little to no room to adjust the ratio in post-production. My suggestion to filmmakers: Invest in data storage, hard drives, SSDs... and shoot full sensor data, with the lowest compression possible. You'll thank yourself in the long run.
I've gotten a lot of flack over the years from various industry "professionals" for my constant insistence that raw footage be future-proofed. They hate that term, future proof. But, this is exactly why I think it's important: creative freedom.
The balance between ultra-wide cinemascope, the aspect ratio of a TV, and the 1.62 I was striving for, seemed obvious: 2:1. This is an aspect ratio emerging as a popular choice for cinematographers because it is exactly the balance many projects need to stand out and apart from its peers. Additionally, 2:1 isn't an aspect ratio that imitates the film medium. 2:1 is an aspect ratio that took hold during the proliferation of digital cinema technology. It is a modern aspect ratio.
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