When you want your film to be anamorphic widescreen..

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leaftors

Well-known member
Do you crop or resize the image? If you're going to crop, do you mark off your lcdviewfinder with black tapes so you know where the crop lines are? What's the proper way to do this?
 
Some cameras allow you to set 2.40 guides in the camera, which is the best way. If the camera does not provide this, you can mask with tape, but make sure you do it properly. Also, you loose the look around area which can be helpful to the operator. The AF100 has 2.35 guides, but it's really supposed to be 2.40 (2.39), but it's a matter of pixels, so I doubt anyone would even tape that accurately anyhow.

Unless you are shooting with anamorphic lenses, you have to crop. There isn't a way to 'resize' since anamorphic is an aspect ratio and not a resolution.
 
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leaftors said:
Do you crop or resize the image? If you're going to crop, do you mark off your lcdviewfinder with black tapes so you know where the crop lines are? What's the proper way to do this?
Click to expand...

I'd probably use some of those touch pad surface protectors, which are clear, and cut them down to the size of the LCD your camera has, then draw 'crop' lines for your framing for non 16:9 sizes.

The 16:9 ratio is 1.77:1 so 'resizing' will not get you the 'super wide' look. So it is cropping or using an anamorphic lens... Since I've never used an anamorphic lens, just on 'gedankenexperiement' principles, I think there's also a pixel aspect ratio correction to consider when using such a lens on a digital camera... This would also mean that while shooting, the image on the LCD would be squashed horizontally due to the lens.
 
Keep in mind also that "anamorphic" doesn't refer to a particular aspect ratio. It just means that a wider aspect ratio, through lenses or some other process, is recorded onto a particular image shape -- and when it's displayed, it's stretched wide -- it changes shape.

If you shoot full-raster 1920x1080 and crop it down to 2.40:1, it's not technically "anamorphic."
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm shooting with a 7d. So I guess I will crop the top and bottom of the lcd with black tape or even clear tape. How do I do that calculations and know where to place the tape? I would do my own research but I don't even know where to start or what to type into google lol.
 
just record with your cam small bit of tv with cinemascope movie playing in it and fill the picture with movie from sides.Then you know where to put the tape.*
 
leaftors said:
Thanks for the replies. I'm shooting with a 7d. So I guess I will crop the top and bottom of the lcd with black tape or even clear tape. How do I do that calculations and know where to place the tape? I would do my own research but I don't even know where to start or what to type into google lol.
Click to expand...

16:9 is 1.77:1... in photoshop or with a ruler, turn the 1.77:1 into 2.39:1 by finding that withing the 1.77:1 image. Then frame up that chart with your camera. The 1.77:1 should fill the screen perfectly, and then tape off the 2.39 lines on the chart on your monitor
 
Here's a quick crop mask I made in Photoshop. Created a new image 1920x1080. The used the 'select tool' to create a selection window that had 2.39:1 width:height ratio, then selected the area form one side to another. Used Edit->Stroke to place a 'stroked line' on the selected area, then centered the box in the vertical direction.


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I use static-cling film and a sharpie to make masks for my LCD and monitors.

This is also handy for matching perspective on effects plates; if you have a rendered or in-the-can background and need to match perspective, make a cling with the main features and a perspective grid - a frame grab and photoshop are helpful - and overlay it on screen when you set up your keyed shots.
 
I used to make an LCD finder overlay called "Screen Skins" with various framing options (16:9, 1:85, 2:35).
They were sold through dealers: Birns&Sawyer, EVS and Abel Cine. I didn't make many in the 2:35 format, but those dealers may still have some in stock.
Hope this helps.
Ken
the "Screen Skins" guy
 
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