Galaxy Quest aspect ratio

[Wesly Moore]

This from today's New Releases column:

"Next, we've gotten a fair amount of email regarding the extras and aspect ratio of the upcoming GALAXYQUEST disc due on 5/2. While we've heard that the film was shown in two aspect ratios theatrically (1.85:1 for the earthbound scenes, and 2.35:1 after the crew take off into space), the DVD is entirely in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Since I'd never seen it in a theater, I can't say for sure what aspect ratio(s) it should be in. Maybe the film was shot Super 35 and then matted to different aspect ratios?"

And here I've been blaming the projectionist for botching the presentation when I saw this at a local theater. Did anybody else notice the aspect ratio change when they saw this theatrically, or perhaps have some definitive information on this? It's got me curious now...

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Wesly Moore
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weslymoore@aol.com


[This message has been edited by Wesly Moore (edited 03-30-2000).]

[clortho]

I noticed it change, because in the theatre I saw it in, they did not have curtains they could pull on the side to cover the extra screen when it was showing 1.85:1. I was so happy when it switched to 2.35:1, because it was a true eye sore before it did.

Clortho

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I am the Keymaster
clortho@hotmail.com

[LBPound23]

That's weird that Galaxy Quest had different ratios. Is it the first movie to change ratios in the middle of the film?

[Blade]

From Galaxy Quest's tech specs page at IMDB.com:

Aspect ratio
1.33 : 1 (first 2 minutes)
1.85 : 1 (first 20 minutes)
2.35 : 1

Truly bizarre.

I wonder if not being able to show the film in it's 3 different aspect ratios is a limitation of the DVD format or a choice on the part of those doing the authoring of the DVD video?

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-David

Howdy

DreamWorks told us that it was a choice to crop the entire film to 2.35:1. Multiple aspect ratios often work well in the theater (i.e., "opening up" 1.85:1 to 2.35:1) because of the screen size.

But, and I agree in most cases, that the average TV screen doesn't really have the size to deliver the impact that a change in aspect ratios would bring in the theater.

But, I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on this one...!

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Peter M. Bracke
Editor

[Hendrik]

Q: "...Is it the first movie to change ratios in the middle of the film?"

A: No! Douglas Trumbull's "Brainstorm" (1983) featured three different aspect ratios:
http://us.imdb.com/Technical?0085271

(Confucius said it best: There's nothing new under the sun...)

! !

[manigrasso]

I'm not sure, but I think the concert movie Woodstock also had different ratios.

Didn't Dr. Strangelove also feature multiple aspect ratios?

[Gabe Oppenheim]

Also, "The Horse Whisperer" (shudder!) went from 1.85 to 2.35.

[Wesly Moore]

"Dr. Strangelove" did indeed use two different aspect ratios, 1.37:1 and 1.66:1.

It's interesting that I knew exactly what was happening with the 1.33:1 presentation of the "TV show" images at the beginning of the film, but was really annoyed by the 1.85:1 switch to 2.35:1, assuming that it was a mistake on the part of the projectionist. Maybe if I had seen it in a larger theater...

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Wesly Moore
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weslymoore@aol.com

[TampaFlyer]

> Truly bizarre.

Not at all, if you've seen the movie. The beginning is supposed to be scenes from an old TV show, hence the 1.33 ratio. Then the ratio goes to 1.85 for the present day scenes. The switch to 2.35 occurs when the actors realize they're actually in space, not on a set.

[Poidog]

Originally posted by Peter Bracke:
DreamWorks told us that it was a choice to crop the entire film to 2.35:1. Multiple aspect ratios often work well in the theater (i.e., "opening up" 1.85:1 to 2.35:1) because of the screen size.

But, and I agree in most cases, that the average TV screen doesn't really have the size to deliver the impact that a change in aspect ratios would bring in the theater.

But, I'm sure everyone has their own opinion on this one...!

You bet. We always talk about preserving the integrity of the image, even if it does not translate "well" onto TV screens. Well, if you saw the movie in theaters, the aspect ratios did give impact visually. And, it was just cool seeing it open up (related to an event in that scene) like that.

The 1.85:1 scenes should be windowboxed in the 2.35:1 frame (like in theaters). Yes, it wouldn't look appealing but when the image opens up into 2.35:1, impact is there. Again, it would probably not have much visual impact on the TV screen but what really does?

Peter told me that the 1.33:1 scenes were windowboxed (not full frame like The Digital Bits claims) so it would look tiny. So why not put the 1.85:1 scenes the same way?

If that's the way it was shown in theaters, do the same for video.

Mahalo,
PoiDog

[This message has been edited by Poidog (edited 04-01-2000).]

[P7A77]

Normally I'd agree with you, and perhaps there should be a special edition which does that, but I think it would actually have the opposite effect intented if they did that. In fact, I think they should make the 1.33:1 part full-frame (is there a way to have part of a movie be non-anamorphic?).

I haven't seen the movie (I should, I know), but since it was shown like a normal 1.85:1, nobody would notice, and the widening would have a suble impact. But if it's windowboxed, that's all anyone's going to be paying attention to for twenty minutes of the movie, and they'll feel that for the first bit, they were just being ripped off, rather than feeling for the second bit they were getting more. Hell, some people on this list felt that way in the /theaters/.

Tho' why can't they just show it at the normal size and crop it down when they get to that part? That would be best, I believe. Sure, not quite the same effect, but still /an/ effect, and one that wouldn't distract.

[RoboDad]

P7A77,

The problem with that technique is that it is distracting. That exact "effect" was used on Brainstorm. In the theater, there was a sense of expansion of awareness as the screen widened, whenever a character was living someone else's experiences. On the DVD, however, both the 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 sequences are displayed at the full width of the screen. The result is a loss of visual information, and a sense of contraction, rather than expansion, whenever the "brainstorm" sequences occur. This is not, I am sure, what the director had in mind.

I believe the aspect ratios were used in Galaxy Quest to achieve the same (or similar) effect as was achieved in Brainstorm theatrically, and that effect will be lost on the DVD. And that, my friends, is a shame.

Robo

[clortho]

One thing I'm curious about is whether or not the 1.85:1 scenes were cropped down from 2:35 , hence on the dvd we would actually get a little more information on the sides if they were to include an "original" 2.35:1 image.

I also happened to see a screener of what the VHS people will be getting, and is that pan&scan version awful! Most of the scenes looked like they cropped off the sides equally resulting in many people and much of the space backgrounds being cut off during scenes in which they were important. Makes me glad I'm a DVD enthusiast.

Clortho

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