Go Wide.
by Holly DeRuyterThursday, April 3rd, 2008
Our world has been dominated by the 4:3 square box and it’s time for a change.
As Assistant Editor here at See3, our clients often ask me: why shoot widescreen? The term “widescreen” can also be called “16:9″ or “anamorphic“. The history behind widescreen is that it was originally adapted by Hollywood to give them a one-up on TV when it was first introduced. The reason you should use widescreen is simple: it gives you a larger view of what was filmed. More picture, more action in the frame, more for the viewer to enjoy. I think of it as taking blinders off a horse.
YouTube and other video hosting websites still squish 16:9 footage into a 4:3 frame, and put black frames on the footage, but this is changing. Newer websites have caught on and now play 16:9 footage in a 16:9 player. This has started to put the nail in the coffin of 4:3 and it won’t be long before all websites follow suit. As we usher in HD broadcast and HD footage, the world is going widescreen. When you shoot your next video, don’t get stuck in a box. Go wide.
