Brought to you by an episode of Xena

[eruthros]

I sometimes get all nostalgic when I watch old tv. Sometimes for the fandom as it was, sometimes for the things you could do on television then, sometimes for the hilarity of old special effects.

And sometimes for the aspect ratio.

Listen, there is nothing like 4:3 for turning every close-up, every intense conversation, every emotional moment, every attempt to get three people in the same shot while catching their facial expressions, into an opportunity to shout "make out!" at the screen. I mean, people still need to make out sometimes in 16:9, but it's not as constant -- the framing isn't as constrained.

I know old TV couldn't do anywhere near the same landscapes and scene-setting, couldn't have as much business in the background, and was way harder to put into a multivid with movies, but sometimes I regret all the lost makeouts.

Also: Did you know that you can get technical specs for shows on imdb? I find it kind of fascinating. Look! Intended aspect ratios versus aired aspect ratios! Film negative formats! Intriguing.

Comments

[chagrined]

I found this interesting to think about! It is definitely something that comes up in Oz a lot, I think. Haha, since that is the thing I am currently re-consuming. It's all in 4:3 and they definitely use it to good effect. I think it also does a lot to increase the feeling of claustrophobia of being shut in, contained in a prison. It wouldn't be the same with 16:9 footage. Everything's so ~close together~.

[eruthros]

Oh, that's an interesting point! It is very claustrophobic, 4:3. And I think maybe there's something to think about when shows change aspect ratios, as the X-Files did mid-series, and what that does to them. Hmmmm.