[HPFGU-Movie] ~*~ Re: Harry Potter DVD's In Full Screen Or Wide Screen Format ? ~*~

[Sherry Garfio]

--- Tim <tmarends at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Pan and Scan is an industry term.  Basically, when they cut a movie 
> to fit in Fullscreen for your TV, they stay focused on the main 
> action of a scene and cut the excess (which is usually the edges).  A 
> classic example of this is the movie "How the West was Won".  It was 
> filmed in Cinerama.  In a wagon train scene, in the original run at 
> the theaters, two characters where talking on the sides of the 
> screen, with a beautiful panorama between them.  When it was cut for 
> video, the panorama was cut out so it looks like they are right next 
> to each other when talking.

I've seen some that are even worse than that, usually older movies (1970's and
earlier).  They'll have two people talking on opposite sides of the screen as
you described, but in the fullscreen version, they pan back and forth between
them as they talk, as if the camera had been moving during filming!  That is
really annoying.  It's better than having half of each person's face at the
edges, I suppose, which I have also seen on TV versions of older films, usually
when two people are sitting in a car talking.

I have noticed that a lot of films these days (mostly kid films, but then
again, with two small children, that's all I get to watch any more) seem to
have the fullscreen video release in mind from the start.  All of the action is
in the center of the wide cinema screen, so you don't lose much when you chop
the edges off.  I realize that video sales are where the film companies make a
lot of their money, but come on - why should I pay more to see it in the
theatre if I can see the exact same thing when the video comes out?  I've
really started to appreciate filmmakers (like Cuaron) who utilize the whole
expanse of the wide format.  And now that DVDs are routinely released in
widescreen format, there's no reason for directors not to.  As I said before, I
don't even think about which format to buy any more.  I had to search for a
widescreen version of Shrek 2 (which I hope means that it was more popular and
sold faster, but I suspect it just means that the store didn't order as many
copies in widescreen), but I didn't give up.  And yes, I'm bringing my kids up
right - widescreen all the way!

Sherry Garfio


=====
"Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
    -- Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire





		
__________________________________ 
Do you Yahoo!? 
The all-new My Yahoo! - What will yours do?
http://my.yahoo.com