Good article on widescreen television shows from slate
02-07-02, 10:19 AM
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Good article on widescreen television shows from slate
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2061664
It's mostly positive. It also includes a comparison between the opening of the film "Blade Runner"'s widescreen vs. full-screen formats.
It's mostly positive. It also includes a comparison between the opening of the film "Blade Runner"'s widescreen vs. full-screen formats.
02-07-02, 11:08 AM
#2
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Widescreen has become a great fad. It doesn't seem to matter that unlike movies, there is no technical reason to prefer the format for a TV show. Widescreen is great at showing the expanse of a landscape, but majority of TV shots are interiors and close-ups.
Sure, sit-coms could do without widescreen, but dramas, mini-series, sports (have you seen a football game in widescreen? It's like God himself had blessed my television), broadcast movies, telefilms, genre shows, and damn_near everything else could take advantage of the format.
None of this has ever made sense to me. Not all films in a theater are the same aspect ratio, so why should all television shows constrain themselves to one format? (other than burn-in limitations with television screens) What's the difference between moving the curtains in a few feet versus black bars on your screen?
To me, the issue always boils down to OAR ... OAR ... OAR. The film/television-maker's vision is paramount. If he wants it 2.35:1, 1.85:1, 1.33:1, or 1:9000, it should be broadcast that way. There's no better example of this than Justice League where the creator's widescreen vision is infinitely superior to the 4:3 version that even has "extra" image. If someone wants to do a show in letterbox, let them do it. Sometimes different is simply different ... but sometimes different is better.
das
02-07-02, 01:12 PM
#3
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If you read to the end of the page, you will see the writers real attitude toward Widescreen/Full Screen.
Meanwhile, virtually every theatrical release shown on television continues to appear in full-screen. Since it's a myth that today's TV viewers will start letter-writing campaigns every time a movie shows up in widescreen, isn't it time to bury the hatchet between the movie and TV worlds? After all, television has never looked less square.
Meanwhile, virtually every theatrical release shown on television continues to appear in full-screen. Since it's a myth that today's TV viewers will start letter-writing campaigns every time a movie shows up in widescreen, isn't it time to bury the hatchet between the movie and TV worlds? After all, television has never looked less square.
02-07-02, 01:12 PM
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Widescreen has become a great fad. It doesn't seem to matter that unlike movies, there is no technical reason to prefer the format for a TV show. Widescreen is great at showing the expanse of a landscape, but majority of TV shots are interiors and close-ups.
02-07-02, 02:57 PM
#5
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally posted by Iron_Giant
If you read to the end of the page, you will see the writers real attitude toward Widescreen/Full Screen.
Meanwhile, virtually every theatrical release shown on television continues to appear in full-screen. Since it's a myth that today's TV viewers will start letter-writing campaigns every time a movie shows up in widescreen, isn't it time to bury the hatchet between the movie and TV worlds? After all, television has never looked less square.
If you read to the end of the page, you will see the writers real attitude toward Widescreen/Full Screen.
Meanwhile, virtually every theatrical release shown on television continues to appear in full-screen. Since it's a myth that today's TV viewers will start letter-writing campaigns every time a movie shows up in widescreen, isn't it time to bury the hatchet between the movie and TV worlds? After all, television has never looked less square.
02-07-02, 03:18 PM
#6
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I've read this paragraph about 10 times and I still don't understand it:
But so far, the emergence of DVDs has generated little comment from those entertainment industry execs who have long insisted that widescreen couldn't be popular. The dollar trends may force them to change their attitude, as a new market opens in DVDs of popular TV shows, like Buffy, The Sopranos, and The X-Files. Seventeen spots on Amazon's Top 100 DVD list are taken by epics originally produced for the small screen.
What is he trying to say here? What does the fact that 17 of Amazon's top 100 DVDs are for television material have to do with his first sentence about widescreen? How do these "dollar trends" force execs to change their attitude?
A decent article overall, but that paragraph just confuses me. I don't understand what television shows selling well on DVD has to do with "industry execs who have long insisted that widescreen couldn't be popular". Maybe I'm missing something...
But so far, the emergence of DVDs has generated little comment from those entertainment industry execs who have long insisted that widescreen couldn't be popular. The dollar trends may force them to change their attitude, as a new market opens in DVDs of popular TV shows, like Buffy, The Sopranos, and The X-Files. Seventeen spots on Amazon's Top 100 DVD list are taken by epics originally produced for the small screen.
What is he trying to say here? What does the fact that 17 of Amazon's top 100 DVDs are for television material have to do with his first sentence about widescreen? How do these "dollar trends" force execs to change their attitude?
A decent article overall, but that paragraph just confuses me. I don't understand what television shows selling well on DVD has to do with "industry execs who have long insisted that widescreen couldn't be popular". Maybe I'm missing something...
02-07-02, 04:21 PM
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I can't believe Widescreen has not taken off here more, most of my friends in Ireland and even my 16 year old brother all have Widescreen Tv's.
I would like to know what is the ratio as far as sales wide vs normal tvs in the UK.
I think that makes sense. Pick up any british Home Theater mag, and I think you would find it hard pushed to get a review of a non widescreen telly
I would like to know what is the ratio as far as sales wide vs normal tvs in the UK.
I think that makes sense. Pick up any british Home Theater mag, and I think you would find it hard pushed to get a review of a non widescreen telly
