4:3-16:9

[Lake Films]

Hey. In FCP, what is the procedure to turn 4:3 footage into 16:9, or at least make it appear that way ??

I tried something called 'anamorphic squeeze' in FCP, but it didn't look too good.

My guess is, be happy with the 'letterbox bars' for this one and next time shoot 16:9?

Thanks..

 

[VaricamLife]

If you want a real full frame 16:9 then you need to increase the 4:3 footage's size, reframe shots as need be, and voila, you'll have full screen 16:9 finish. However, because this is a digital increase you will give up a degree of quality in the footage. So might not be what you want.

Next choice is basically what you said, break out the letterbox. Variety of ways to do it, whether through a wide screen filter, mattes, crops, etc. It'll give a 16:9 letterbox look. And if you have misframed things on your raw footage, you can likely play with some problem shots a bit to help improve your composition.

And yes, if you want a 16:9 finish, best to know that before you record your first frame. Never forget about post production workflows in pre-production. So many things will just be so much easier if you shoot for them (16:9, variable frame rates, warm/cold lighting, etc.). Good luck.

Cheers.

 

[Lake Films]

Thanks for the info. One more question, is there a 'tutorial' on how to do that 'squeeze' effect in FCP, the correct dimensions etc...? Thanks!