Ok I'm not to sure about this... Someone told me I should start shooting in widescreen for my next short. I'm not too sure about it 'cause on normal 4:3 screens its doesn't look too great. What are the advantages, anyone?

Most people would tell you that shooting in widescreen gives your film a more professional and clean-cut feel. (but thats up for debate)


Widescreen should look perfectly normal on 4:3 televisions unless you do it wrong. The way you choose to achieve the widescreen shooting ratio depends on your camera and editing software.

Do not shoot widescreen on your camera. It squeezes the footage, lowering the resolution. If you've got an HD camera, that's another story.

What you want to do with a DV camera is cover the view-screen with tape to mark a 16:9 area, and then apply a matte in post-production to add the black bars. Now it'll play fine on a regular TV, and look all cool and filmic. The widescreen composition is definitely more cinematic.

I've seen other people do fine with it, but I've personally always had great contempt for 4:3 format. You just seem to have so many more options for making a good composition in widescreen.

Widescreen is much more suited for the cinema look than 4:3. If you can start practicing with 16:9, than do it.

A clarification: Depending on your camera, you are probably NOT losing resolution by switching to 16:9 mode. For instance, a Sony PD150 will stretch your image, yes, but when you capture your footage it must be captured as ANAMORPHIC. Also you must set up an anamorphic timeline. If you have done this all correctly (search a technical DV forum or an editing manual for details) in Final Cut, for instance, there will NOT be black bars. The preview window itself will be 16:9. Then when exporting it, depending on your settings, you may shoose to output an anamorphic file (will look stetched on normal tvs and correct on widescreen setups), letterboxed, or cropped.

The stretchng is actually what keeps ALL the pixels in use. It is the same practise as using an anamorphic lens to fill a more-square film frame. The process streches the image out and then it must be played back on a projector with an anamorphic lens to squeeze it back. On most consumer/prosumer camcorders, this is done digitally. If you choose to crop your video in post, you WILL loose resolution, obviously, because about 1/3 of your pixels are being used to display black bars instead of your image. a 16:9 TV will either still show the black bars (squeezing your image further), or digitally zoom in to get rid of the bars and thus enlarge the size of your pixels...ugly.

Go anamorphic.

I'm shooting with a Panasonic DVX 100A next week. And I've been very much debating this question. This camera is nice because it shoots true 16:9 aspect ratio... but I'm also shooting a scene in the water with a pansonic handicam-a good one-but it doesn't shoot in true widescreen mode. So I would have to shoot in 4:3 and then change it into widescreen in post (which you can do, but I heard it loses some resolution).

Problem is, I really do love the widescreen 'look'. So I think I'm gonna do it... hmmm.

I own a DVX100b and the camera does not shoot native widescreen. To get the best widescreen results however, use Squeeze mode and Thin. That's what Iraq in Fragments was shot with - check out the trailer and the quality is pretty good. Yes, even the DVX loses resolution as any camera that doesn't shoot native 16:9 and it will probably be a lot more significant on the Handycam.

Oh wait, you're just going to edit it in post for the handycam footage? In that case, just try to frame it as if it were 16:9, perhaps using tape or another method and just add in the black lines in post.

-Kegan

Kegan-
Yes, I realize I should use the Squeeze feature and shoot anamorphic.

And yes, with the handicam I would shoot 4:3 and get it to match up in post... just have to make sure I allow for the correct framing.

Good, framing on a 4:3 screen will be hard I imagine. Does the handycam have a widescreen LCD or is it just a normal 4:3 screen?

Shooting "squeeze" and "anamorphic" are a little different, as anamorphic requires the adapter that screws onto the lens.

I'm not sure of your in-water shot, but unless its a fast, shaky, blurry or unclear scene...you'll notice a significant difference in DVX footage and the handycam. Just offering some advice.

-Kegan

Kegan,
I'm aware that there's going to be a difference between the handicam and the dvx... but since that shot is in the water, I'm going with it.

I have an underwater housing for the handicam, so not only will I not be able to use the LCD, but even looking through the camera viewfinder itself will be a *****.

Again, it's in the water, so the moving, splashing, watery thing will help me out... are you saying that stretching it out from 4:3 into 16:9 in post is what will make me lose resolution-or that the camera itself is just inferior? or both?

I guess I didn't realize the difference about anamorphic and squeeze... so no, i will not be shooting anamorphic, ie, i don't have the adaptor. but i'll shoot squeeze mode i think for sure... i just love the widescreen 'look'.

If everything will be easier to deal with, and easier to edit, it is appealing to consider shooting all in 4:3... but i'm pretty attached to the widescreen thing. hmmm...

Well, the camera is inferior yes - but if things will be moving fast and splashy then you're fine. It's a different type of shot regardless, so I'm sure it won't look that much worse. Both the camera itself and stretching it out in post will make it lose resolution.

Now, to get max resolution shooting all 4:3 would make sense, but to be honest - shooting 16:9 on the DVX with squeeze mode and the detail level on thin, you should be fine. As for the handicam, shoot 4:3 and add the lines in post. Stretching it out to 16:9 will lose even more resolution. Adding black lines to 4:3 footage will give the widescreen look and keep resolution as its already inferior to the DVX.

Since you can't see the LCD or viewfinder, it may be hard to do so unless there isn't a specific subject and its just establishing that you are indeed underwater.

-Kegan

quote:

Originally posted by titaniumdoughnut:
Do not shoot widescreen on your camera. It squeezes the footage, lowering the resolution. If you've got an HD camera, that's another story...

HD should shoot native 16:9 right ? like the
canon xl-h1 and the panasonic hvx ? or what do you mean coz I'm looking into an hd camera for shooting 16:9 ?

Thanks all. I decided to take some test shots in widescreen. It looks fantastic. Looks like I’ll be shooting my next short in 16x9.

quote:

Originally posted by Alex"blakc007":
[QUOTE]HD should shoot native 16:9 right ? like the canon xl-h1 and the panasonic hvx ? or what do you mean coz I'm looking into an hd camera for shooting 16:9 ?

Yes. The HD and HDV standards are both 16:9.