What different film aspect rations are around?

Internet Filmmakers' FAQ

Generally there are five aspect rations that are commonly used in theatres today.

1.37:1 (often given as 1.33:1) - used for all films made before 1953 (when CinemaScope was introduced) and occasionally still used in Europe, also for some documentaries, 16mm and non-widescreen TV.

1.66:1 - used widely in Europe

1.75:1 - used in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, sometimes in Europe. Close to the digital TV ratio of 16:9 (1.77:1)

1.85:1 - used in America/Canada and other places (particularly if a film is aimed at the US market)

2.35:1 - CinemaScope (also known as Panavision)

Occasionally you might also find...

SuperScope (used on the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and occasional other films like Days of Heaven

2:1 - used for some obsolete CinemaScope processes

2.2:1 - the ratio of 70mm (which you'll often hear referred to as 65mm, which is the size of the negative - the extra 5mm is the soundtrack)

2.66:1 - used for some obsolete "ultra-wide" processes using 65mm negatives, e.g. "Ben Hur".

Yanman Home Theatre provides an interesting explanation of aspect ratios and "letterboxing" with examples.

Answer by Benjamin Craig | Last updated 19-Nov-2004

Comments

Older Comments

Phil Borgnes | 20-Sep-2007

Clarification on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". It was shot in 1.33 format and for the theatrical release the film had a vertical pan and scan to create a hard-matted 2:1 AR version with mattes on left and right of frame. This was the SuperScope version. The majority of 16mm non-theatrical prints were full frame from the original 1.33 negative. In this case you would see more of the film watching it on 16mm than from the released SuperScope 35mm print.