Cinematography: Theory and Practice, 2nd Edition

Film Formats

Aspect Ratios

Before the introduction of sound, the entire width of the film was exposed. This is called full aperture or silent aperture. It is still used today for formats such as Super35 (see the following). The format is essentially what was developed in the Edison labs at the very invention of motion picture film, now called full aperture (Figure 17.2).

Figure 17.1. An Imax frame from The Dark Knight.

Figure 17.2. Full aperture

Aspect ratio: 1.319:1

.980” × 735”

.72 sq. in

25mm × 18.7mm

464.5 sq. mm

Academy Aperture

With the ...