Page 8 - RD_2019-03.ppp

ARE WE BEING SHORT CHANGED AT THE CINEMA?

Back in the 1950s, most cinemas converted to
new wider screen format of CinmaScope, in
many cases, at great expense. New lenses,
alterations to the proscenium and theatre lay-
out and maybe even new projectors. Why?
The Industry had embraced the new format in
a attempt to stem the declining audiences of
the day (in the US at that time), due to the
effects television in the home . The bigger, wider image was promoted for all it was worth, and it
worked!

CinemaScope was the brain child of 20 th
Century Fox, and introduced audiences
to bigger, wider image images and ster-
eophonic sound.

In the cinema industry until recent
times, a film advertised as being in Cin-
emaScope (or one of the more recent
processes), meant you could expect to
see a bigger, wider image than that pre-
sented as standard. The impact of the
curtains opening up to reveal the full
2.35 to 1 ratio ‘scope screen after having
watched a few trailers on the regular
sized screen, provided an impact and
the feeling of something special.
A somewhat exaggerated promotional image for Today things have changed. Many new
CinemaScope
cinemas are simple box-shaped audito-
ria, with simple wall-to-wall screens, and
of course no screen curtains, just simple
black masking. There seems to be a greater emphases on the type of seating rather that the screen
image.

Regular screen Regular screen
image 1.66:1 image 1.66:1

CinemaScope image CinemaScope image
2.35:1 ratio
2.35:1 ratio

Comparison screens. Left: CinemaScope screen, correct proportions, same height as regular screen, but
with increased width. Right: The CinemaScope image is reduced to fit the width of the regular screen.

8 REEL DEALS March 2019