your pixels are crooked
I re-grabbed new screenshots and thumbnails for every video there on the sidebar. What was wrong with the old ones? Well, as much as I was in denial about it, they were squished. Slightly. If you want to get all technical about it: the pixel aspect ratio (width of 1 pixel vs. height of 1 pixel) of NTSC DV video is roughly 0.9:1, whereas still images like JPEGs have a pixel aspect ratio of 1:1. May not seem like a big deal, but that .1 per pixel adds up, and you end up with an image slightly stretched out by a few pixels. And it looks nasty. I realized the mistake and changed the settings to export still frames to create images with the proper ratio.
Why am I bothering to mention this? I actually, uh, don't really know. But I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about aspect ratios.
Most of you probably already know the deal, but here're the basics for the uninitiated: a picture's aspect ratio is a ratio of how wide to how high the image is. Standard television is 4:3, HDTV is slightly wider at 16:9, most movies are generally 1.85:1, and big epic movies are generally 2.35:1. What's the difference? Well, if your image is wider than it is high, it changes the way you compose shots, block scenes, work with visual space, etc. That's why "full-frame" or "pan-and-scan" DVDs of wide-aspect ratio movies drive filmmakers absolutely insane. I have actually refused to watch movies when only the full-screen version was available (but that's me, and I'm slighly insane). Once upon a time, most all movies were 4:3, but wider aspect ratios became popular in the 50s in order to compete with the growing television market. Wider picture = more grandiose an experience = reason to go to a movie theater.
Anyway. 'Round here, most of our work is composed for a 16:9 frame, since that's quickly becoming the standard. Also, you may not be aware of it, but the aspect ratio will often tell you subconsciously what kind film you're watching. 4:3 (full frame) is traditionally for TV news and sitcoms, 16:9 is often serious dramatic shows and documentaries, and anything wider is a feature. This is not always true, but it generally is, at least right now. So the choice of aspect ratio is one of the first decisions you make when shooting a movie, and that choice will affect the look of the rest of the film.
And now we get to our dirty little secret. We're not shooting "true" widescreen video, because we don't have the proper lenses. We use the poor man's widescreen: shooting full frame 4:3 video, then chopping off a bit off the top and a bit off the bottom to make it appear the proper aspect ratio. Some people advise against doing this, since technically you're losing image information and creating a lower-res image. But that's a compromise that we're almost always willing to make, because aspect ratio is that important a part of presentation. But this is a debate that will continue to rage on message boards, in schools, and in homes across America for some time to come.
Yeah, but anyway, the pictures on the sidebar are better. Trust me.
Comments
blah, blah, blah...
Nate Kemper on the internet? Amazing!
(I was kidding, everything you just said was very importt, but, still, not as cool as Nate Kemper on the internet)
Posted by: mickey | January 16, 2006 05:15 AM
Nate Kemper on the internet looks better today--too pixelated yesterday! Glad he's back--long live Nate. --Kathy Bernhard (Josh's Mom)
Posted by: Kathy Bernhard | January 16, 2006 10:03 AM
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