Open matte
Open Matte [ əʊpn̩ˈ mæt ] ( English open bars or open passe-partout ) is a removal of the masking from the film image for the display in 4: 3 full screen format.
The negative aspect ratio of a 35 mm film has an aspect ratio of 4: 3 (width to height). For cinema presentations, parts of the upper and lower edges of the image are covered (masked) so that the image is projected in the desired cinema format. In contrast to the widescreen cinema screen, most televisions had an aspect ratio of 4: 3 until a few years ago, so the masked image on a television caused black bars above and below the picture. To avoid this, in certain cases it is possible to undo the masking and thereby capture the entire image.
These full-screen TV versions are particularly popular in the USA , where DVDs are often also released in full-screen format in addition to the cinema format.
Procedure
There are two methods for masking the selected image section.
Hard matting
With hard matting , the unused part of the image is covered in black during the copying process. Copies of the original film rolls only contain the image that is to be shown in the cinemas.
Soft matting
The unused part of the image is not covered with soft matting . Instead, the projectionist in the cinema has to take on this task. He must ensure that the parts of the image that are not actively used by the cameraman are covered and thus not visible to the cinema-goer. As a result, with soft matting there is in principle more image material than is actually shown on the screen. Since the cameraman usually only allows the actual (cinema) section to flow into his image design, it happens that the equipment required for the shoot, such as microphones , cables , rails, etc., is visible in the part that is actually not visible .
Comparison of the procedures
Films that have been copied using the hard-matting process can only be digitized in the same way as they would be seen in the cinema. This usually causes black bars on the screen, but it also takes over the images intended by the cameraman. If a different image format is required in this case, it is possible to enlarge the film until it completely fills the target format. In order to keep the things relevant for the action in the picture, the enlarged section can be selected or moved if necessary ( Pan & Scan ). With this method, however, it is not possible to display the entire original image in the target format at once.
This shortcoming is eliminated with Soft Matting. However, the film equipment mentioned above, which may appear in the additional image areas, must be taken into account. In such a case, the overall image can be selectively enlarged; compared to enlarging with hard matting, however, you have more freedom.
During the transfer process, the technicians responsible can, in coordination with the cameraman and / or director, choose the desired image section and change it selectively within the film.
Change of artistic statement
If the image is selectively shown or selectively enlarged or (in the open matte case) even expanded by parts that are not actually present, the image impression desired by the cameraman is changed. The proportions within the picture change; furthermore, the viewer's attention can be distracted by elements that fit into the film image but would not actually be seen.
See also
Web links
- Overview of different film formats. Retrieved September 20, 2018 .
- Explanatory video for film formats