I want to make a quick video on the usage of aspect ratios as a thematic device in film.
While the first 40 years of film were limited to one ratio for length and width of a screen,
modern filmmakers have several aspect ratios to choose from, and each one can have different
emotional effect for the viewer. Let’s look at why filmmakers choose the ratios they choose
and explore the emotional effect of changing aspect ratio during a film.
The oldest aspect ratio is the 4:3 Academy Ratio, and it lost its popularity after the
introduction of 16:9 ratio in the 1950’s. Directors still use this ratio sometimes,
though, to make the film feel like it’s from an older time period. A great example
is The Grand Budapest Hotel which switches to Academy when the story goes back to the 1930's**
The aspect ratio change is a great way to emotionally transport us to the time
period when this ratio was popular. We associate the aspect ratio with old timey movies, and
it helps pull us into the old timey style, quirkiness, manners, and culture that The
Grand Budapest Hotel has. 500 Days of Summer uses Polaroid square ratio
as a way to show a glamourized, reminiscent past.
This time capsule look coincides nicely with Tom’s
old fashioned, unrealistic view of love. Towards the end of the movie, though, this Polaroid
look is eventually pushed off screen as Tom realizes the expectation of this old-fashioned
outlook does not coincide with reality. 2.35 ratio is ultra widescreen, and it gives
the look of an epic big budget drama or sci-fi film. I like how Aunty Donna uses it for over-the-top drama.
The ratio is reserved for extremely epic movies. A movie like Napoleon Dynamite would look
kind of off in this extreme ratio, but a movie like Star Wars wouldn’t look nearly the
same without it. Portraying space is commonly associated with
big aspect ratio changes. Interstellar switches to IMAX footage when the shots are of space,
and goes back to 16:9 for shots of the spaceship. What better way to make space look bigger
than by literally adding to the screen? The same is done in Apollo 13 and Galaxy Quest
to show the huge scope of space.
Aspect ratio changes to add scope aren’t
exclusive to space movies, though. Right before the Bane vs. Batman fight in The Dark Knight
Rises, for example, the camera transitions to bigger IMAX footage. This change has a
great subconscious emotional effect. It reminds us subtly that we’re about to watch an intense,
epic scene. Hunger Games also does a good job of adding anticipation by slowly expanding
into IMAX footage before the fighting begins. The right Aspect Ratio can contribute to the
realism of a film. A scripted film that’s supposed to look like a documentary has to
be 16:9 or else it won’t emotionally feel like a documentary. The opening scene in The
Incredibles purposefully looks like 16m 4:3* ratio film, and the effect adds realism, so
the movie feels less like a cartoon and more like a realistic action film.
Catch Me If You Can cleverly uses aspect ratio change to show Frank is contained. He starts
on TV in the small Academy Ratio, and then he’s next shown through a small slit in
a wall. He is literally being squished in the frame. It gives the emotionally feeling
that Frank is trapped. The most ambitious aspect ratio changes are
when the ratio is ignored completely. Life of Pi has the fish literally jumping out of
the frame, and Oz the Great and Powerful does the same with a burst of flame. It’s a really
immersive technique and makes for a great visual.
Aspect Ratios have a chance to greatly contribute to the visual storytelling of a film. Whether
they indicate time period, intensity, or added realism, aspect ratios are another clever
tool at the disposal of the modern director. If you want to fully understand the style
of a film, the film’s aspect ratio is a great frame of reference. Thanks for watching.