Open Matte [best] ◎ ❲CERTIFIED❳
You switch to the Blu-ray, and suddenly the picture is wider, but the top and bottom are clipped off. You feel claustrophobic.
To fix this, the projectionist puts a physical or digital (a black bar) over the top and bottom of the film strip. They "mask" the image. You only see the slice in the middle. open matte
You might just find the secret version of the film the director never intended you to see—but that the camera saw anyway. Have you ever spotted a boom mic or a stunt wire because the matte was opened? Let me know in the comments. You switch to the Blu-ray, and suddenly the
If you love movies, you need to know about this. Because once you see an Open Matte version of a film, you might never want to watch the "official" version again. Let’s do a quick science lesson. When a director shoots a movie, the camera sensor captures a massive square-ish image (usually a ratio of 1.33:1 or 1.37:1—basically, the shape of an old CRT television). They "mask" the image
You see more of the ship sinking. You see more of the grand staircase. You see the ocean spray above the characters' heads. It is a completely different visual experience—and for many, a superior one. Here is the modern conflict. Studios hate releasing Open Matte versions because they break the "framing." A director framed that close-up to put the actor’s eye exactly one third of the way down the screen. If you open the matte, suddenly the actor is in the middle of nowhere.
For decades, when a 2.39:1 widescreen movie aired on 4:3 TVs, studios did "Pan & Scan"—they cut the sides off. But for some cheap TV broadcasts or foreign DVD releases, they did the opposite: they just opened the matte .
You’re watching The Shining on cable TV. Jack Torrance is typing away at the Overlook Hotel. Suddenly, you notice something wrong —or rather, something right . There is more room above his head. You can see the top of the typewriter. The frame feels... taller.