Amazon has ruined HBO’s “The Wire”

[keylight]

Amazon has ruined HBO’s “The Wire”. By ruined I mean they have completely altered the show from the way it was intended to be viewed. What did they do?

A few months back Amazon and HBO struck a deal to bring a bunch of old shows from HBO’s catalog to Amazon Prime. Yay! But recently while watching the first episode of The Wire on Amazon, something felt off to me. Then it clicked. So many of the shots looked like they were framed incorrectly. So I pulled out my old DVDs of the first season and sure enough…..

They changed the aspect ratio from the original 4:3 to 16:9. Here, take a look for yourself:







Now I'm aware that some people may not mind the wide framing, and everyone is certainly entitled to their own personal aesthetic preferences when they are creating their own work. But it is incredibly annoying and in my book, entirely unacceptable, to change the framing like this when the choice to shoot 4:3 was deliberate. From an article on Creative Cow:

And perhaps the final contrast to the rest of high-end episodic television, The Wire for each of its five seasons has been produced in good old fashioned 4 x 3 standard definition. DP Dave Insley recalled, "The reason the show has stayed 4x3 is because David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie. The show's never been HD, even 4x3 HD and that (SD) is how it is on the DVDs. There is no 16x9 version anywhere." As a viewer with an HD set I will point out that like much of SD television that makes its way to HD channels, it appears that HBO utilizes state-of-the-art line doubling technology. It may still be standard definition, but line doubled it looks considerably better on a high definition set than it would on a standard definition set.

Insley explained, "When the show started 2001 / 2002 they framed it for 16 x 9 as a way of future-proofing. Then a couple of seasons ago, right before Season 4 began shooting, there was a big discussion about it and after much discussion -- David, Nina, Joe Chappelle, the Producers, the DPs -- and we discussed what should be the style of the show. David made the decision that we would stay with 4x3. The DPs pretty much defined the look to be what it is now. And it's been consistent for the past two seasons."

Changing the aspect ratio like this is akin to colorizing classic black and white films to make them more palatable to new viewers. No, it’s worse than that actually. It's like colorizing the classic 1973 B&W movie Paper Moon.

The choice by Amazon (and HBO?) to stream The Wire as 16:9 is wrong. I’ve checked at least one episode in each of the other seasons and for now it appears that Amazon has only gone with the 16:9 format for Season 1.

While I’m hoping they will leave the other seasons untouched (and return the first season back to its original aspect ratio) I’m not holding my breath.

What's your take on this?

 

[Egg Born Son]

I have no idea what the intent was but just based on your sample frames there it looks framed for 16:9 and broadcast at 4:3 to me. The additional footage is there so that's how it was filmed. They haven't cut a 16:9 slice out of 4:3 footage. I do agree with your sentiment, I used to buy widescreen VHS even though the resolution was terrible but I'm not sure this is the case here. I could be wrong because the 4:3 frame is claustrophobic and that could well be a deliberate choice given it could enhance a show like that. On the other hand the 16:9 frame is very cinematic and the extra on the outside of the frame isn't throwaway, it has been considered in the shot.

 

[Egg Born Son]

Okay they did frame it for 16:9 but deliberately chose 4:3 for broadcast.

http://library.creativecow.net/articles/griffin_nick/hbo_the_wire.php

Insley explained, "When the show started 2001 / 2002 they framed it for 16 x 9 as a way of future-proofing. Then a couple of seasons ago, right before Season 4 began shooting, there was a big discussion about it and after much discussion -- David, Nina, Joe Chappelle, the Producers, the DPs -- and we discussed what should be the style of the show. David made the decision that we would stay with 4x3. The DPs pretty much defined the look to be what it is now. And it's been consistent for the past two seasons."

 

[keylight]

The paragraph before the one you quoted is much more telling about the intentions:

"The reason the show has stayed 4x3 is because David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie. The show's never been HD, even 4x3 HD and that (SD) is how it is on the DVDs. There is no 16x9 version anywhere."

But what you quoted is relevant too, which is why I quoted both in my original post. My reading is this.... They shot it 16:9 to appease those who were controlling the $$, but they didn't really intend to air it that way.

 

[Egg Born Son]

Ah sorry, didn't click that I found the same source you already referenced. Did have the feeling it sounded familiar!

The Wire is one of the shows I never really got around to watching so I'm only approaching this on the more abstract topic of aspect ratio. As to which is right, in this case it's pretty murky on the evidence. Without a direct quote from the makers we don't know if it was their call on the re-release or not. The Wire was made during a time of transition between the two standards. What was the more 'realistic' format then could be easily considered to no longer be the case. The new standard for 'real' news is now 16:9 and 4:3 carries connotations of 'historical record' in the same way as black and white has for the past 50 years or so. This may still suit the show as the occasional half episode I had on in the background over the years looked kind of dated to me anyway.

We know that they expected to need to re-release in 16:9 at the start of the show because they made sure they had the safety (anti-safety?) properly framed 16:9. We know that in the middle they decided to maintain the 4:3 ratio for consistency and realism. Now that today realism might be considered 16:9 it is possible this decision is consensual. Even though I prefer to see things as intended I've also have a preference for wider aspect ratios so if I was to get this series, as a consumer I would probably prefer to get it in 16:9 since the ratio was intended even if not broadcast. However it is almost guaranteed that had I been a fan of the series as originally broadcast I would feel identical to you.

If I was a real fan I'd probably want both for completeness I have at least four different copies/variations of my favourite movie. The framing will be correct in either format. In this sense it really is an unsual case.

EDIT: In view of this, with digital release there is no valid technological or economic reason to not parallel release both versions since the work has already been done. Just a lack of imagination on the part of the businessmen.

 

[roxics]

I've never seen this show, but if I did I would want to watch it in 16:9. Sounds like maybe they should have just gotten a different DP who wasn't so backwards thinking.

 

[Egg Born Son]

'Backwards thinking' is a little unfair. The reason for starting it in 4:3 was due to the fact most people at the time still had fatback tvs and the terms SD and HD had only been recently coined. The reasons given for continuing the series at 4:3 are artistically valid on two fronts, continuity with previous seasons and it participated in a real way to the feel and look they were after.

 

[Andrius Simutis]

I think you need some side curtains for your monitor. :grin:

Seriously though, I understand your complaint and agree that the directors choices should be respected, but to call it "ruined" is a bit of an overstatement. Showing the 16:9 version isn't that bad as it looks like they're not just cutting the top and bottom but have gone back to the original source. It looks like it was framed well enough to be flexible as 16:9 or 4:3. If you were shooting back then, you probably recall that a lot of the stuff destined for TV was being shot with the center cut guides on so that you'd be trying to frame for both aspects. Soooo glad that isn't the norm anymore. Does it look better in 16:9? Eh, not really in this case but so many people are turned off by 4:3 now, so if 16:9 brings in more people to watch it who never saw it when it first ran then great. It's a really good series that people should see.
As far as the 4:3, my complaint is that they shot and aired it that way to begin with. I understand the intent of trying to make it seem more real, but that effect is now gone and 4:3 only means "dated" these days. I think the show would have been better if they framed and shot for 16:9 without worrying about center cut for 4:3 in the first place.
I'd be curious to hear what David Simon says about it now. I would think that if he's so against it that he would have prevented it from being shown in 16:9.

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

If it was shot in 16:9 then that is how I want to see it.

 

[jimi90501]

My wife and I've never seen it before we started watching it on Amazon Prime. I'd keep in 4:3 since that looks to have a differnt mood (coloring) and the fact that they're using Nikons with film wouldn't seem so strange. First 4 seasons felt reasonably connected, the start of the 5th doesn't.

thanks
jim

 

[keylight]

I think you need some side curtains for your monitor. :grin:

Seriously though, I understand your complaint and agree that the directors choices should be respected, but to call it "ruined" is a bit of an overstatement.

Yes, I was being deliberately hyperbolic with the word "ruined". But somehow saying Amazon has altered for the worse HBO's "The Wire" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

BTW, you make some good points, especially about the "dated" look of 4:3. Which reminds me of the scene in the first episode of the series, when Greggs is pounding out the report on the typewriter and she, Carver, and Herc are talking about the fact that the millennium has come and gone and they still don't have computers....

 

[Josh Bass]

Have never seen the show, but agree in general, would rather see widescreen, regardless of original shooting ratio. 4:3 Make stuff just a little harder to watch, reminds you how old it is, reinforces the (probably ) crappier lighting in the "olden" days, along with the mullets and t-shirts tucked into mom jeans, etc. Buffy seemed that much older in 4:3 (though I SWEAR one whole season was in widescreen---talkin Netflix here.) Farscape is already cheese to the max and doesn't need anything to help it in that department. I realize "The Wire" is a more modern show than these, but they are just other examples. I know when I start a series and 4:3 I think "Aw crap, I gotta sit through this for X number of seasons?"

Anyway, you wanna talk about ruined? Try watching Seinfeld in widescreen HD. You feel like the makeup artist is doing a demo just for you.

 

[Scott F]

First World problems

 

[ASchear]

I think they should play it on Amazon in 16:9 widescreen. When I see a 4:3 aspect ratio now it makes things a bit difficult to watch because most screens are 16:9 now and it's just what I'm used to.

 

[bill totolo]

Back in the film days operators had multiple formats on the graticule of their ground glass. The fact is films are resized dependent on the medium they're shown in all the time.

The most interesting example I can think of are the films in the Kubrick library such as "The Shining". Take a look at the theatrical VS home video aspect ratio of that film. Shot in Academy for 1.85 cropped theatrical presentation but released to home video in 4:3. I think they finally corrected it on the latest BluRay releases.

 

[keylight]

I guess the thing that annoyed me the most about this is that there's pretty clear evidence that the formatting (SD at 4:3) was an intentional choice by the show's creator.

DP Dave Insley recalled, "The reason the show has stayed 4x3 is because David Simon thinks that 4x3 feels more like real life and real television and not like a movie. The show's never been HD, even 4x3 HD and that (SD) is how it is on the DVDs.

Now, having said that.... As 4K becomes more of a standard I could see an updated release at 16:9 (at 1080p) taking the place of the old version as a way to make it more palatable to new viewers, while still keeping with Simon's intent to not have it feel movie-like. But I think it's still too soon for that.

 

[Gillvane]

The 16:9 framing looks much nicer. If I were interested in this series I"d much prefer the 16:9 version. Just because the creators wanted something doesn't mean the producers can't make it better by doing something else. I've seen plenty of "Director's cuts" that are long and ponderous compared to the original release that was pared down by someone a little less myopic about the project.

Obviously this is ironic, because usually it's the other way around. Someone is complaining 16:9 has been cut down to 4:3 and therefore the movie is "ruined". I would say in this case Amazon has enhanced The Wire.

 

[Ian-T]

...best show EVER!!!

 

[TubEfingers]

...best show EVER!!!

with the exception of season 5

 

[David W. Jones]

Kind of like arguing that all of those silent Chaplin films have been ruined because they are no longer projected on film with an organist playing live, and instead we are forced to watch them on video with a synced music track.

For what it's worth, I could never get into the show, so the aspect ratio they choose now doesn't bother me one bit.