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Topic: Drive-In Aspect Ratio's - Do They Really Matter?

Evans A Criswell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1579
From: Huntsville, AL, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 12-03-2002 10:02 AM

quote:
Despite a possible perception problem with flat films "not filling the screen", a scope screen is the only way to show all films including flat "as big as you can" and properly.

Make a little half-page-sized handout that you give to your customers that explain that there are two commonly-used movie formats, and that your screen has the shape of the wider format, since it isn't feasible to put movable side masking on a large outdoor screen. Show a diagram of a 2.39:1-sized rectangle and a 1.85:1-sized rectangle and show how each look on your screen.

Most customers are not aware of proper movie aspect ratios and few know that there are different aspect ratios for movies! It wouldn't hurt to educate them a little!

Making such a handout would take little effort and wouldn't cost much. If you printed 3 vertically in landscape mode on a piece of paper, with a laser printer and just one ream of paper (500 pages), you could make 1500 of the things.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-03-2002 10:52 AM

In all my years of running drive-in booths, no one ever complained about the flat image on a scope screen. I had been asked a couple of times why the picture filled the screen sometimes and not others, but no one ever complained. After all, it's been commonplace (in drive-ins) since 1954. I think everyone already knows -- particularly since TV has increasingly used letterboxing.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 12-03-2002 09:20 PM

2.39 is the way to go.

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David Kilderry
Master Film Handler

Posts: 355
From: Melbourne Australia
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-03-2002 11:05 PM

Most drive-in theatres in my experience have a 2.0:1 or 2.2:1 aspect ratio. Full c/s ratio is obviously preferred, but 1.85 cropped top and bottom to fill one of these aspect ratios is a no-no. Not only is the image cropped top and bottom, the inefficient light of the w/s ratio makes the image look all the more lifeless in a drive-in. Scope always looks better at a drive-in even with 2.0 or 2.2:1 screens.

Black masking either top, bottom or sides always ads a direct contrast to any screen and is partcularly effective in a drive-in. Shame to build a nice big screen then cut down it's projected image size with black paint masking though.

Whilst on the subject of drive-ins, who in the US still sells new drive-in speakers? The last outlet in Australia has dried up.

David

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 12-04-2002 03:51 AM

The obvious solution is to get a 2.39 screen. The even more obvious solution is to refuse to show those crappy 1.85 movies. [Big Grin]

Here's a tip if your drive in permits it. Many drive in booths are a small 2nd story room on top of a larger ground level concession/office/restroom area. If yours is like this and you can actually walk out a ways on the roof in front of your booth window on top of the main level, then get yourself some 2x4s and make a left and right masking guard. (Essentially this is like building two vertical poles that are heavily braced on the bottom so they cannot tip over.) Place this at least 15 feet in front of the booth window. The farther away you place it, the better the effect. Now open up your 1.85 plate to the absolute extreme edges you can get away with, but no so much that you are revealing dts timecode or the edge of the picture on the right. Now put your poles in place and your resulting edges to your 1.85 image will be razor sharp, just like a matted 1.85 image on a scope print. [thumbsup]

Here is what I mean. Look for the two red poles...

Randy, did I read your post correctly? You sat Spirit TWICE??? [puke]

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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 12-04-2002 07:21 AM

David, apparently SPECO still makes 'em. Short of that, have all the manufacturers destroyed the moulds?????

SPECO
709 North 6th Street
Kansas City, KANSAS
66101 USA
913-321-3978

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Randy Loy
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 156

Registered: Aug 1999

posted 12-04-2002 09:50 AM

Brad,

Yes, I must confess, I did have to sit through "Spirit" twice. [Embarrassed]

We saw it at one of the drive-ins we attend regularly and then went to check out another drive-in, in another state, that we had never visited. They just happened to also be showing "Spirit," as their first feature.

With as many drive-ins as we see, we often run into the same features at many of them. I think we saw "Twister" about five or six times at drive-ins when it came out (no complaints [Big Grin]

). Often we run into the same double feature combo at drive-ins. That's when we have to remind ourselves that we're there to see the theatre, not the movie. It really helps when we know the owner and they invite us to help out in the booth or somewhere else behind the scenes. [thumbsup]

That way we don't have to keep enduring the same films over and over!

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Chris Erwin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 195
From: Olive Hill,KY
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 12-04-2002 05:31 PM

Dave is right, SPECO does still sell the RCA speaker w/cord unpainted for a listed $18.50 dealer price. It is item 9154-U. They still have some parts for RCA/and Circlite Junctions,Transformers,Speakers, and misc. Also still have some lighting (aisle lights,exit lights,ramp lights,etc.) The above address is correct. Tel: (913) 321-3978, 1-800-633-5913.

Hope that helps!

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Michael Brown
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1522
From: Bradford, England
Registered: May 2001

posted 12-05-2002 03:15 PM

quote:

Barry Floyd wrote:
My gut instinct was to go with the 2.39:1 to begin with, and most all of you seem to agree.

At the Drive-In Owners Conference back in February of '02, we all drove down to a member's Florida Drive-In to watch a couple of shows. Black Hawk Down had numerous scenes that featured sub- titles, and all of them were unreadable as they were cropped off the screen.
I had never noticed this before at a drive-in, but then again, I don't see too many films with sub- titles either.

Thanks to all for the replies, we'll go with the 2.39:1 screens.... now we just have to decide who to build them.

quote:

John Hawkinson wrote:
Huh. You'd think they would have framed it up and cut off the top of the image...

BHW is a scope film. So was it projeced at an aspect ratio wider that 2.39:1?

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David Kilderry
Master Film Handler

Posts: 355
From: Melbourne Australia
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-05-2002 03:53 PM

I recently saw "Banger Sisters" (c/s) at a drive-in with a 2:1 aspect ratio screen and a lens with a focal length way too short, the image was subsequently missing top, bottom and sides. To compare, I visited another drive-in showing the same film with a similar 2:1 aspect ratio screen and it looked much better, the opening credits were easily within the screen area where as with drive-in one, these were cropped. The correct focal length lens is even more important than a 2.39:1 screen. Pity the Isco Ultra Star HD plus range is not available with drive-in type focal lengths, where the correct lens and extra light are needed the most.

Thanks for the info on the drive-in speakers, we'll contact Speco.

David

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