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Full Frame DVD is "Open-Matte"!
You-Bet:
Wow, this is interesting. I may be jumping the gun here since I haven't seen it with my own eyes (yet!), but the report over at DaveCullen sounds interesting to say the least. Someone has done a side by side comparison of the Widescreen and Full Frame version of BBM, and the report is better than expected.
This is my understanding. The "Full Frame" version of "Brokeback Mountain" is NOT Pan and Scan...rather it is "Open Matte" which perserves most of the side to side frame ratio and instead opens up the top to bottom ratio with "unused/unseen" film footage which was "hidden" by the 1:85:1 widescreen aspect ratio. In other words, with "Open Matte" Full Frame you get MORE picture on top and bottom (filling the entire TV screen) and lose very little picture from side to side.
**NOTE**, this does NOT mean it's better than Widescreen as it distorts the framing composition of the cinematography (which was intended for 1:85 widescreen).
Here is what the poster said:
"The Full Frame version is at least 75% Open-Matte. What I mean is, in at least 75% of the shots nothing has been trimmed off the left or right sides (of the picture), the Full Frame just shows more above and/or below the theatrical frame lines."
He goes on to say, even though you get a more intimate view (tent scenes, etc) of the film you lose the director's vision and cinematographer's compostion. And with Brokeback that's a substantial loss. But as an "alternative" viewing experience....Full Frame is more "up close and personal" without the dreaded "pan and scan".
You can read his post (scroll down page) and see an example of Open Matte with screen caps of "Air Force One" at the link below:
http://davecullen.com/forum/index.php?topic=4716.450
The poster say's he will post screencaps of the Widescreen/Full Frame comparison in the coming days.
Here is another link which describes "Open Matte" Full Frame with a screen cap example. Click below and scroll down to "Full Frame (Open Matte)"
http://michaeldvd.com.au/Articles/WidescreenPrimer/WidescreenPrimer2....
I will always buy Widescreen DVD's, but in this case I just may add the Full Frame version to go along side my Widescreen version! More Mountain? More Sky? More Jack? More Ennis?
littledarlin:
since my WS dvd has yet to arrive, maybe i'll go buy the fullscreen to hold me off. that way i won't feel so bad for having 2 of the same thing :D
EnnisDelMar:
Wasn't the film also shot in an unusual format?
rtprod:
Brandon,
It was shot in 1.85:1 rather than extra wide 2:35:1, which is usually used for scenic epics. According to Prieto, the reason for this was to emphasize the height of the mountains and trees, using the full power of the frame vertically.
However, I'm not really getting his logic because technically, 1.85 is no taller than 2.35, just less wide. I believe he was referring to the matte process, meaning that films are shot open matte, full frame and then "masked" at whatever ratio they are to be projected in. Therefore, BBM was masked at 1.85 with less cropped vertically than it would have had at 2.35.
rt
You-Bet:
Brandon, what rt said :)
Thanks rt, I was sitting here trying to put a response together for Brandon, but you made it so much clearer!
After reading this report I raced down to Tower to buy the Full Frame version (to go with my Widescreen version) only to find they had sold out their entire shipment of Full Frame (as well as Widescreen) BBM DVD's! Amazing.
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