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Author Topic: Brother Bear - various aspect ratios Aaron Garman Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: Toledo, OH USA Registered: Mar 2003 posted 10-20-2003 05:07 PM                     I was reading the Home Theater Forum today and they had a story from Hollywood Reporter that said this quote: Directors Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker along with producer Chuck Williams also have fun with the layout and design: The film starts off in an earthen color palette and the standard 1.85:1 format. Then, at the moment the movie's central character, a native American youth named Kenai, is transformed into a grizzly bear, the screen shifts to more saturated colors and Cinemascope or a 2.35:1 format, thus opening up the rich vistas of the Pacific Northwest of 10,000 years ago to our startled eyes. It's a grand moment. My question is, what is going to be the best way to run this film? It is obviously going to be a scope feature, but when the first part is windowboxed, should we close the side masking (if available)? I just don't want to get any complaints from customers about this, and I can see that happening. But then again, if we close the side masking for the opening scenes, the trailers are still scope and will take up the full width most likely. And then there's the problem with folks with top masking. I think it sounds like a nice artistic touch, but going to be hard to pull off nowadays in a multiplex while still practicing showmanship. AJG Home Theater Forum  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 10-20-2003 05:30 PM                     maybe they mean it starts off like, as in a 5 minute scene that is boxed in, and then when the character comes out, it covers the full screen?  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-20-2003 05:30 PM                     The scope picture will be matted just like a flat (1.85) trailer with the black bars on the sides. So at that point in the picture it will open up all by itself to the scope image. So it is a scope film.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Garman Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: Toledo, OH USA Registered: Mar 2003 posted 10-20-2003 05:42 PM                     I understand that Bill, but was curious as to how this is going to look for the audience. I know on scope features, with windowboxed flat trailers, keystoning can be very apparent. I'm just curious how everyone else is going to run this to keep showmanship at a peak for the first scenes. AJG  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 10-20-2003 05:49 PM                        At ShowEast, they showed it on a digital projector. Some of the audience noticed the aspect ratio change, but I'm not sure everyone understood that it was part of telling the story.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-20-2003 05:53 PM                     Oooooh, they did this with the Far and Away trailer a long time ago. I'm going to set up an automated masking opening at that point in the movie like I did with that Far and Away trailer.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-20-2003 06:41 PM                        Didn't "Galaxy Quest" do something very similar?  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-20-2003 06:47 PM                     They did it with "Superman:The Movie" and they opened the movie "Road Warrior" also with a small matted image. And "Brainstorm" also went with a slight change in mattes.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-20-2003 07:14 PM                    This is one I did not do the press preview on but we have at least one awards screening coming up so good to know this. A masking change sounds cool. All we need is Lowell Thomas announcing... "Ladies and Gentlemen: This is...Grizzly Bear!"  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 10-20-2003 07:21 PM                    Brainstorm was cool in that the effects took place when they put the helmet on and the visuals were widended along with an expanded stereo presence. I saw that one in 70mm. They also did that with the Horse Whisperer. The first reel was matted flat and reel two was full screen scope. People complained almost every show to the point we had to start telling people before they went in.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 10-20-2003 07:41 PM                     quote: Didn't "Galaxy Quest" do something very similar? Yes, but in GQ's case the side mattes very gradually widened bit by bit until it finally became full screen... -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-20-2003 08:19 PM                     SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE started out in 1.33:1 and in black-and-white with the sound of a projector playing under the narration as a hand turned comic book pages on-screen. And they had curtains on either side (in color). The curtains opened as the opening credits got underway. A nice touch. STAR TREK III picked up where STAR TREK II had left off and the image started small in the middle of the screen, in black-and-white. As the scene of Spok's burial replayed, the image grew in size until it filled the scope image and also the color slowly drained in at the same time. I recall liking the effect. I haven't seen the print personally but it there's no lens change involved I would just run it in scope and let it take care of itself.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-21-2003 12:27 AM                        The first 15 min or so of WOODSTOCK opens in a 1.37 box and with very AM sounding mono center track -- very hand-held look, and the way we do it, playing it right after our attraction reel which also plays at 1.37, you almost don't realize the movie has started. That opening sequence does a slow fade and the next shot is the entire scope width and the sound of the title music plays in full stereo with the surrounds kicking in. We've played this title in 4 trk mag so often that it's like instinct getting the curtains to pull fully apart and the mask to change exactly at the right moment (and of course kicking up the level about 2 points) -- no doubt about it, the audience KNOWS the feature has now started, and they don't need Lowell Thomas to tell them either -- they've got Crosby Still and Nash instead and a little extra kick from MegaSound. No aluminum cues to trip automation....it's all done by hand, and we wouldn't have it any other way! Frank  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 10-21-2003 05:47 AM                     WOODSTOCK has become one of my favorite films and I would love to see it in a theatre. Be sure to let us all know if you ever run that again. Sounds like a blast!  |  IP: Logged Jonathan M. Crist Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 531 From: Hershey, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 10-21-2003 09:10 AM                     Disney did the same format "widening" with "The Horse Whisperer". The scene in the begining where the girl is injured is letterboxed for the entire first reel, then at the second reel when the horse is let loose (beginning of Reel 2) the picture widens to full Scope.  |  IP: Logged

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