Aspect Ratio: Which Should You Choose?

[@awesome_johnathan]

“4:3 is the best and only aspect ratio that should be used.” This post was made by 4:3 gang

[@awesome_johnathan]

@Dante Ellis use 4:3 in every game

[@dosomestuff1949]

Zack Snyder’s justice league

[@spo0nofficial]

4:3 gang 💪💪💪💪💪

[@Surreal_Blocksworld]

I use 16:9 aspect ratio 😎😎😎

[@MaddoxsLaundromatAdventures]

I like the 4.3 aspect ratio and I Use it in My YT Videos

[@uknownada]

3:40 I completely disagree with this. Having the fish or other effects jump into the letter boxing is incredibly distracting and the opposite of immersion. If I'm constantly reminded that there IS an aspect ratio, then I'm drawn away from the world.

[@goblinsmoker]

uknownada yep, came to the comments to say the same thing but you worded it better then I would've. the effect is very jarring.

[@1980rlquinn]

I agree. Rather than making it an "immersive experience," it calls attention to the otherwise unassuming borders that separate the moving image from the world outside the film.

[@nicholasvladd7149]

Yeah and it looks really tacky and cheap.

[@kalkazar13]

I don't know about "Oz the Great and Powerful." But Life of Pi is supposed to be 3D. And in 3D, the fish jumping out of the aspect ratio actually works. It's like they're jumping out of the screen. I promise you, it works if you're seeing it the way it's meant to be seen. The film isn't as good in 2D, because the effects aren't just slapped-on gimmicks. See it with the glasses if you can. Seriously, it's probably the only film I can think of where the 3D effects actually add anything.

[@uknownada]

I saw Oz in theaters, and when I saw the flame happen there, I thought it was pretty cool. But it was only once (and maybe twice, I don't remember), and the aspect ratio was being used for another purpose anyways, so that kinda works. I've never seen Life of Pi, but having rewatched this video, maybe it could work. If it's so fast that don't notice them going into the letterboxing but somehow flying at me directly, then it probably works great! I wrote that comment after having seen the new Ghostbusters, where it was used frequently. It was to the point of me being so annoyed with an otherwise mediocre comedy. This kind of technique might work for quick action scenes, but absolutely not for lengthy comedy scenes.

[@edancoll3250]

The Canadian film Mommy is about a troubled kid who has violent outbursts. The aspect ratio changes rapidly to show his mood swings, becoming narrow in times of anger.

[@rovocyte9493]

this movie should have defenitly been on that video

[@iury7432]

it also uses 1:1 aspect ratio for the most part, to invoke intimacy with the characters

[@thefilmessay9832]

I talk about mommy and its aspect ratios in my film essay I just made! If you wanna hear about it check it out on my channel. Xavier Dolan is truly a visionary in using ratio to tell stories

[@cineturon]

Quite a superficial way to describe the change in aspect ration in "Mommy". And it's far from "rapid". First, it slowly widens, in a subtle way. Only to switch back to the default 1:1, when the protagonist's state of mind also has somewhat of a stepback to "normal".

[@subkontrabasklarinet]

People who let their TVs stretch the 4:3 aspect ratio to 16:9 should be punished.

[@alexjameson5428]

Does it crop the picture when you do that?

[@ooh-ahh]

+Alex Jameson Either it crops, or it squeezes flat. In the least worse case it's a combination of both and called "smart". Which is actually not smart, but just less dumb.

[@m3rl1on]

i thought smart was just zooming in until the gap is filled.

[@blorfenburger]

That's what my mom does. I constantly have to fix it

[@karlrehnfeldt5140]

Commonly used in CSGO though.

[@Asterluna]

"Aspect ratios are a great frame of reference"

[@jacobmacdonagh4070]

Aspect ratios are a great ratio of aspects

[@Thecommentator123]

hahaha

[@TheElvire96]

The change of aspect ratio in The Dark Knight Rises were so unsettling, I usually never notice them but in this movie it kept changes every single scene to the point where I was wondering if something was wrong with the copy I had. It really annoyed me.

[@mehulkalra2002]

interstellar dunkirk aquaman also have similar shots

[@krypticunlimited6925]

​Interstellar did it right

[@nh0522]

its just christopher nolan's style.

[@MrRamanPP]

"And the Academy Award for best aspect ratio goes to..."

[@BowserHype27]

Go to 0:18, and you'll find it lol

[@thisissaah_3536]

All of them.

[@jaekamacho1416]

*Zack Snyder's Justice League!*

[@Segatari]

4:3

[@legendp2011]

movies like the grand budapest hotel, the hunger games catching fire and tron legacy where great at changing aspect ratios. becuase they did it for a scene, but movies where they cut back and forth between different aspect ratios in the same scene, sometimes back to back, drive me nuts

[@DysnomiaFilms]

+legendp2011 Like Nolan's films

[@legendp2011]

DysnomiaFilms I've seen his films, butt not in imax aspect ratio

[@DysnomiaFilms]

legendp2011 It happens in every screened version of his films. If it's not in IMAX it just switches to 16:9 when the IMAX segments come on, and they're so random. I think this video represented the purpose for the aspect switch. In Interstellar and the Dark Knight, it doesn't happen to show a particular emotional moment, it just happens whenever Nolan could afford to use an IMAX camera. It's all over the place, often for like 1 random shot.

[@legendp2011]

DysnomiaFilms I've seen interstellar in vmax and it was in 2:35 the whole time, same with inception at hoyts

[@DysnomiaFilms]

legendp2011 Okay, I'll take your word for it. Come to think of it when I saw Interstellar it was at a digital IMAX, which is very different from real IMAX but still probably has the ratio change for that reason. The DVD and blu ray have the same ratio change so I guess I just figured it was the same everywhere.

[@iirelu]

I like how Tron: Legacy did things. The real world was a cinematic 2.35 ratio, but the virtual world switched to 16:9. Somehow it works perfectly (to me at least) because it looks a lot more game-y and artificial, which is the exact intention.

[@msec109]

donny you have no frame of reference here.

[@TylerJMacDonald]

you're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know

[@ihsantriapramanda1973]

Were you listening to the dude's story?

[@UrwanyF]

Thank you, Jesse Eisenberg, great video!

[@richardgreenwoodjr5263]

Not a bad video, but just to let you know 16x9 or 1.77:1 is not a Cinematic Aspect Ratio- it is TV. What you are referring to as 16x9 is actually 1.85:1...which has been the standard in film since the 50's, 16x9 was developed in the late 80's and begun being used in the 90's for Flatscreen widescreen TV's...as 16x9 (1.77:1) is the geometric mean to the two most drastic aspect ratios 4:3 (1.37:1) and 2.35:1.

[@usmh]

+Richard Greenwood Jr Oh come on. 4:3 is 1.37? It's obviously 1 and 1/3, or 1.33...

[@richardgreenwoodjr5263]

+usmh it's 1.37 because of the audio strip put on the film for screening. 1.33 was MOS

[@usmh]

Richard Greenwood Jr Then it's not 4:3.

[@PassCookie]

but i saw many movies that are 16:9 full screen, (and they were not cutted from 4:3 into 16:9)

[@jasonwhytemedia]

Also all scope movies are 2.39, not 2.35:1. 2.35:1 is not an aspect ratio.

[@jeffreygoodman2742]

The worst is when movies that were shot in 16:9 get cut down to 4:3 for tv. You miss the action on the sides and miss a lot.

[@ooh-ahh]

Did you just hop off a time machine coming from 1985?

[@charlescampuz5812]

That’s why open-matte filming became a thing. In case you got to narrow down the frame, just unmask the top and bottom portions of the original frame.

[@martyjackson4166]

Basically very few movies have been shot in 16:9. Don’t confuse 16:9 with 1.85:1. The person in the video is an idiot

[@har5814]

@@charlescampuz5812 it's irritating that if they release the standard version theres details lost on top and below when they pan and scan before

[@honestsignalz]

Thank you Mr. Kubrick.

[@PeterBondeVillain]

Thanks for the video. I, personally, hate when films change aspect ratios. It takes me out of the mood and atmosphere that the film initially establishes, and brings focus to the technical aspects of the medium.

[@somethingsnowing]

All interesting to note that Lawrence of Arabia used an ultra wide aspect ratio to show the wide expanse of the desert and to make the view feel the vastness

[@rihannafan3567]

Do I hear Clint Eastwood by Gorrilaz in the backround?

[@cninh4574]

WonderGhost I think so!

[@rebeccabowen3754]

He often uses it in his videos which is great :D

[@thatonerebel3455]

Yeah... I think it’s the instrumental

[@josephfavor7419]

RihannaFan356 yes

[@lozdyck8155]

I can pick out that melodica riff from a mile away.

[@Kinography]

Well, Michael Bay’s answer in Transformers 5: The Last Knight is, “all of them.”

[@ronxinator9050]

Didn't expect a reference to Aunty Donna

[@samwallaceart288]

Woah, I seriously did not notice the aspect ratio change in Grand Budapest Hotel until you pointed it out. Immersion, yo!

[@chrisparker5372]

The best films sneak that change in. In Grand Budapest Hotel, there's a 4:3 title card as they transition to 4:3. I never noticed the change. Galaxy Quest, I don't know what they did, but I've watched it 400 times and never noticed that change. Brilliant. Thanks! This is great stuff!

[@Cinna316]

03:01 It's Catching Fire the one who changes aspect ratio at the same time as Katniss enters the arena. IMO the most organic transition to date.

[@BartScantlin]

This is really nice. We never really discussed this in film school. Glad someone is talking about it.

[@breakfastmachinearchive8]

That Lawrence of Arabia joke doesn't even make sense...Lawrence was shot in 2.20:1, which is actually *narrower* than the Hollywood standard of 2.35:1. Would have been funny if they had gone for Ben Hur.

[@experi-mentalproductions5358]

That's Family Guy for you....

[@jessicabudin]

As a film and comedy lover from Australia, seeing you reference Aunty Donna bring me such joy! Great video and discussion :)

[@N00BPUN1SH3R]

the hunger games catching fire change was so smooth when I saw it in the cinema, looked perfect

[@CaCriGuz]

This, how you explain it, is a great way to understand aspect ratio, as a subtle suggestion for mood changes or as a tool for bringing back feelings from old movies. But I think you should mentioned the composition side of it, each aspect ratio impliess less or more object inside the frame, thus different compositonal challenges. Thats my point of view. Thank you for the video. Cheers: D

[@Bagio_Official9]

I was wondering why they did this in INTERSTELLAR because i noticed that they changed it constantly,and now i know thanks that's a great video :)

[@PeopleCanFly23]

16:9 Duh...

[@tmark66]

Very interesting video on a subject I really don't give much thought too. Now it's all I will see when watching for aspect ratio changes!

[@DanCarsonMusic]

Who’s here after the Snyder cut??

[@ericluken1]

Nice aunt Donna reference

[@markoneill2447]

+Eric Luken I fucken love Aunty Donna

[@markoneill2447]

+Eric Luken *cresps

[@Altangadas198]

I love a (4:3) My #1 Favorite Aspect ratio!! It is real!!

[@noisy99_]

1:1 is officially my favorite. Its somehow immersive

[@eggsalad77]

Awesome! Going to use your video to help hammer home a short lesson on aspect ratio during today's high school film class.

[@Trixum_]

Oh god, as a guy who takes pictures, 1:1 is a fkin vibe and is so underrated if you know how to use it

[@priyangshuhazowary]

4:3 is coming again'

[@JudeTheDuud]

2:55 wow that was smooth

[@sonalirai5835]

I never even noticed that the aspect ratio changes in grand budapest hotel until you pointed it out in this video!

[@l4nternz]

Most films don't actually use 16:9, they use 1.85 ratio, which is slightly wider than 16:9 It can make a difference between having something look like its a TV show or a movie It's subtle

[@KevinAndrewRea]

Nice channel man...LOVE this style of video essay. You, everyframeapainting & all channels alike are doing critical work for film education!

[@tgcvision]

I just got your channel name, because after watching your videos, now I notice these things while watching a movie. great stuff!

[@tymo7777]

Dude your videos are amazing. Subscribed for sure.

[@tomascorsi5582]

I love all your videos, man. Great content.

[@cg.man_aka_kevin]

And the 4:3 aspect ratio is also used for the old video effect, for video The Backrooms... :)

[@turntablethomas2584]

I love my Ghostbusters 2016 dvd… you can see the slime, vomit, lasers fly through the black bars

[@TVChild3]

Mommy is probably one of the best examples of the aspect ratio change because it's not used for spectacle but to emphasize the characters' inner lives. I was waiting for this video to mention it but no such luck :/

[@cornelisvandijkhuizen]

The original Hunger Games doesn't switch aspect ratios, the second one does as the entire arena is shot on IMAX film. It's on the Blu-Ray as well. Definitely one of the best uses of aspect ratio change I've ever seen.

[@ClashBerry]

Awesome video! I'm really glad I found this channel :D

[@xvAlien]

your two most recent videos have really taken off, congrats

[@gigiblack2231]

I never really noticed the different ratios until this video.

[@Kagemusha08]

I disagree about jumping out of the aspect ratio. It totally ruined my sense of immersion in those films. I suppose for a film that play around with narrative or the 4th wall it could make sense but in the examples you have it felt like a cheap trick.

[@12qzwx]

+Kagemusha08 I disagree with your disagreeing, because It totally helped in my sense of immersion in those films, I suppose for a film that does not plays arround narrative or the 4th wall, it could make sense, but in the examples he gave it felt completely brilliant.

[@AngryHandstands]

+Kagemusha08 I think as far as immersion goes, you're gonna have a hard time if you're looking hard for specific examples such as shown in the video. Immersion is built. Perhaps if you were a good fifteen minutes+ into a movie and sucked into the action you'd find it less deliberate and more natural.

[@ErzengelDesLichtes]

+Kagemusha08 For me, when I see the breaking of the frame, it's just distracting. Like when I watched Life of Pi, the fish escaping the aspect ratio made me literally stop the movie and rewind to try to figure out WTF just happened. If STOPPING THE MOVIE because of something in the movie isn't an instance of breaking of immersion, I don't know what is. Oz the Great and Powerful was much more obvious, and made me go "Oh, FFS. The director is just crying out 'NOTICE ME! I'M SO CLEVER!'." That took me out of the movie, too. It made me wonder why the smoke in the next scene wasn't escaping the aspect ratio, too, which continued to keep me out of the movie, looking at the oh-so-clever director instead of at the story that is ostensibly the thing I'm supposed to be enjoying. The only time I've seen it work is when the bits escaping the aspect ratio lead to an enlarging of the aspect ratio, usually with a 4:3 zooming in and some of the objects on the side escape the confines and the whole scene then zooms in to the 16:9. Honestly, it's like something popping out of the screen in a 3D movie. It's annoying, distracting, and an indication of an amateur saying "Look how cool this is! Look at the technological might I wield!" rather than the more subtle, refined touch that adds to the story.

[@ChicagoMonsterPunk]

I really like your videos! I thought you'd mention Xavier Dolan's use of aspect ratio in 'Mommy' though.

[@hiltonlive32grnrngr]

Having been a 1990 baby and having grown up in an era where everything was 4:3, i miss the 4:3 aspect ratio and still am not used to 16:9. Being a filmmaker, i was planning on making a TV series and shooting it in 4:3 and then use 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 for my movies.

[@trikuxabi]

Xavier Dolan cleverly uses aspect ratio to make you feel closer to the characters in Mommy. When life is hard of them, they have very little freedom, so the aspect ratio is 1:1. When things get better you can see how the image slowly expands until it gets to a realistic, relaxing and glorious 16:9.

[@BenjaminHarris612]

This was awesome, I never even noticed films changed aspect ratios halfway through

[@CaptainDoomsday]

Now there's something I never really thought about. Interesting video.

[@gastonmannlicher8077]

I loved the 2.76:1 of The Hateful Eight.

[@penguinYT1]

Nice work! Excellent footage choices.

[@ah_effe]

"Short and sweet" that what describe your videos, so great!

[@kamokwele12]

The coolest thing about your video's is that wvwn when I see a title and think 'pshh I know what he'll be talking about this time'. I get caught by surprise. Nice seeing other peoples view of things. 'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.' Pslm 27:17

[@doppmedia]

Those Batman and Interstellar sequences switch between IMAX and 35mm because that's the way they were shot. You can't use an IMAX camera near a talking character, the noise of the camera would be audible in the audio recordings, instead, they rolled those scenes in 35mm.

[@Haaris.Qureshi]

Doppmedia ADR?

[@nyazillagojira7079]

That's what you have retakes and voice overs to correct any Audio issues.

[@Gruggo]

Man, i hate when my Dad complains when he's watching a 21:9 film on his 16:9 TV. 'I paid for a 65" TV, why wont' they let me use all of it?' I have been searching for a good explanation of why different aspect ratio have a different psychological effect on us as we watch different kinds of content though. This was a good video.

[@Forssa1]

16:9 master race.

[@imranhq13]

+Forssa1 yeah!

[@guitarman0365]

+Forssa1 screen fit is better though you see more detail on the sides that get clipped on normal 16:9

[@Forssa1]

+guitarman0365 Blu-rays are at most 1920 x 1080 (that is 16:9). Any other screen format is wasted resolution. So you are wrong.

[@guitarman0365]

You have never played games then if you can seriously suggest 16:9 is better than screen fit 16:9 leaves so much of the data invisible from the sides of the screen. To say it is a waste actually makes you wrong now you can have preference and that is fine if you prefer to not see the whole picture good for you. But to dismiss screen fit entirely is just ignorant.

[@Forssa1]

guitarman0365 If you wasn't so ignorant yourself and paid attention, you'd realise that this was not about video games. Not that you make a solid point anyway.

[@jaishetty8586]

And all along , I believed the aspect ratio change in IMAX movies was because they couldn't get / afford those huge cameras in to the scene. Thanks for educating me. I am a better technical guy now. Keep up the great work.

[@rytobo99]

Great video! I loved all of your examples!

[@houston-coley]

Wow, most of your videos were reaffirming and adding to things that I already knew (very well I must say), but this was genuinely shocking to me! Learned something new today.

[@dmc1943]

Ur the dude on Letterboxd

[@dgxo]

Now there’s just a thicc black border around my video

[@jordynstevens3945]

This video helped me get an A on my essay, thank you Jack.

[@geoffstockton]

I'm a new subscriber. I LOVE these videos. Thank youX1,000,000.

[@johndoyle7495]

"Wow! This movie has been formatted to fit MY screen?!"

[@CameronKiesser]

The best ratio is the one that fills your screen. It's more immersive. The issue then comes down to what is the best screen ratio. Zack Snyder uses a tablet, so 4:3 fills up the whole tablet screen he has. Most people watch using a 16:9 device. Ultrawides look cool when movies play in "fullscreen".

[@blckberrystone]

Cool, never thought about this. Great video!

[@BzzK1ll]

Can you do something similar for film gauges (35mm, 70mm) etc.? Would also love something highlighting the pros and cons of shooting digital vs film and examples of each.

[@bul13ts]

In Dark Knight I found all those ratio changes to be very distracting, but that change you showed in Dark Knight Rises was just absolutely spectacular!

[@gatnom]

Nice video and good explanation. But especially regarding the IMAX scenes, there are other reasons why not the whole movie is shot in IMAX-format. IMAX shooting is more expensive and also the cameras are quite loud, which make it hard to film quieter scenes or dialogue. Thus, even if the director would have liked the whole movie to be in IMAX, it might be impossible because of this. So sometimes the ratio can be "forced" upon the makers and must not always be voluntarily.

[@PeteWoronowski]

This is very helpful, Thank you! Cheers, Pete

[@ImCohenHD]

Im in loveeeeeeeee with this channel.You produce such cool content. Thanks.

[@emilio_mlx]

Xavier Dolan's Mommy ! The most emotive use of aspect ratios I've seen so far.

[@dmc1943]

Who would’ve thought I’d cry at the size of a screen

[@LeftoversSketchComedy]

Love that Aunty Donna got a mention! 10/10 for depth of research!

[@troymartinez564]

I've shot about a gram of heroin today. Now I'm in a public library watching youtube videos.

[@mericarslan2497]

+Troy Martinez I'm in the exact same situation right now. Just without the heroin.

[@sjwimmel]

+Troy Martinez Congratulations.

[@DrLeePhD]

+Troy Martinez sort your life out.

[@troymartinez564]

I have severe mental issues from years of abuse.

[@sagipho]

+Troy Martinez ok but don't overdose on youtube.

[@NintendoGamer2600]

Emotional attachment to aspect ratios. Aww, how touching 😢 😭

[@kamokwele12]

Wow; I always loved 500 days of summer but never saw it like this, the aspect ratio change. daaaaam!!! Never even noticed the change in 'The Dark Knight Rise.

[@GameSpot1990]

As an editor, thanks for this insightful video :)

[@Bx4Life64]

Awesome vid man, great work!

[@TheUlitamateStunt]

To be fair, the 16:9 and 21:9 switching in IMAX movies is almost entirely a result of practical issues. For Nolan, most exterior shots are done with the 16:9 IMAX cameras, but to do interior and dialogue scenes, he needed to use the quieter, more practical 21:9 32mm cameras.

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

16:10 has to be my fav.

[@dmc1943]

I know this was made years ago but it was done pretty well in mission impossible fallout

[@rheimy7819]

why is mommy not in this analysis im offended

[@jojjebros]

I strongly disagree with the changing of aspect ratio within the same move. I feel it takes me out of the film itself and makes me focus on the technical aspects of film making. For me it's the equevilant of breaking the third wall.

[@MishtahPoog]

+jojjebros The third wall - I like that. So, it shows the crew instead of breaking the fourth wall, which references the audience, right?

[@sjwimmel]

Interesting stuff, great video! Tiny piece of criticism, the end of the video seemed a little sudden to me. Maybe it's just me but I like it when video's have an outro.

[@devingraham4759]

Super informative my friend!

[@colindowden1430]

it would have been good if when each aspect ratio came up you said what ratio it was

[@creepyzebra]

I hate it when things pop out of the aspect bars, it just draws attention to them. Similarly, the changing aspect ratio in The Dark Knight was super distracting. In Interstellar there were some parts that had different ratios for shot/ reverse shot and it was awful.

[@ibrews]

Proud to be the 1000th like! Awesome little lesson- I'd never noticed any of this before!

[@Ty-zi7we]

i immediately heard Clint Eastwood being played in the background, great music choice

[@NicholasTobolski]

If I make my dream movie someday, I’d choose: 1:43.1 for the true experience and die hard enthusiasts, 1:90 or 1:78 for a more traditional experience and for large screen theaters. Get it into more cinemas that way, but render 100% of it to fit the 1:43.1 ratio. no ratio shifts.

[@birdlingbrains]

Other films that are important to note for their changing aspect ratios are 1983's "Brainstorm," which continually switches between 1.85:1 for the "real life" portions and 70mm 2.21:1 ratio for the "Brainstorm" sequences (the remastered DVD displays the film as it originally appeared in theatres, with the 1.85:1 sequences windowboxed within the original 70mm frame,) and Disney's "Brother Bear," which (at least in theatres) was presented as 1.66:1 for the first act, then expanded to 2.35:1 when the film reaches its big turning point. Abel Gance's 1927 film "Napoleon" also did this, expanding to a 3-projector-based 4.0:1 aspect ratio for the climactic battle sequence. Also, I wouldn't classify 2.35:1 as "Ultra-wide screen." Sure, it's the widest in general use today, but Ultra Panavision 70, which was used for "Ben Hur," "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," and Tarantino's upcoming "Hateful 8," would qualify for that distinction with its aspect ratio of 2.76:1.

[@xepher42]

+birdlingbrains I came here just to point out Brother Bear as a great use of aspect ratio change. We literally are shown the character's new, first-person perspective as a bear when he blinks a few times, and then his eyes open wider than the previous film we'd seen. Completely gives a new feel to the new body he's inhabiting. I also thing they dialed up the color saturation at the same time, but I don't have the footage handy to compare that part for sure.

[@Re88eN]

I never even noticed when a film would jump between aspect ratios unless it was a huge subject jump.

[@speelbergo]

good video, but it's not 16:9, it's 1.85:1 which is slightly wider. It's actually 16.65:9. When speaking of film aspect ratios, you should use film terms, not video terms.