What's new

Alien 3- correct aspect ratio? (1 Viewer)

ScottR

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2000
Messages
2,646
The dvd of Alien 3 is supposed to be 2.35:1...but the actual film looks very stretched out and "fat." Everyone's heads look squished and all of the on-screen titles almost fall off of the screen...is it supposed to look like this? It's almost as if they blew up the picture and matted it down to 2.35:1.
 

Geoff_D

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 18, 2002
Messages
933
The title sequence is stretched in some moments, like when Ripley is put onto the table after she's rescued from the EEV. It's intentional and been that way on every version I've ever seen. And as for the title legends themselves, there is quite a bit missing on my tv - but I've put it down to the overscan on my 28" widescreen set.
 

Michael Reuben

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 12, 1998
Messages
21,763
Real Name
Michael Reuben
The titles on Alien3, as well as the text describing the condition of the Nostromo victims and survivors, go to the extreme edge of the screen, and some letters will fall victim to overscan. Ironically, the P&S version (at least as I recall) letterboxed and windowboxed these early scenes, thus ensuring that all of the text would be readable.
M.
 

Gordon McMurphy

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2002
Messages
3,530
The titles were "shot" in with anamorphic Panavision at 2.40:1, but the principal photography was 1.33:1 Super 35 with 2.40:1 extracted for theatrical prints and widescreen VHS and DVD. I've got a feeling that certain SFX shots were Panavision anamorphic - or maybe even VistaVision! Who knows? Hey, Fincher! :wink:


Gordy
 

Declan

Second Unit
Joined
Aug 22, 2002
Messages
410
Alien 3 is most definitley Panavision and not Super 35. The only film in the Alien series to use Super 35 was Resurection. Aliens was super 1.85:1 (if i am not mistaken it was one of the few films to use this flimstock), Alien 1 and 3 were Panavision. This is from experience from watching the film in P/S for over 5-6 years on tape then finally seeing the DVD. But watching the tape you could tell easily that it was Panavision.
 

Gordon McMurphy

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2002
Messages
3,530
Yeah, sorry Declan, you are 100% correct - Alien 3 was shot exclusively with anamorphic lenses at 2.40:1 :b
I haven't seen the film in a long time, and because Fincher seems use Super 35 for his films now, I figured he had always used it! :D Silly me. :frowning:
But what's "Super 1.85:1"? You said that Aliens was shot in that process. I've never heard of it.
Thanks for clearing things up, guys. :emoji_thumbsup:
Gordy
 

Iain Lambert

Screenwriter
Joined
Jun 7, 1999
Messages
1,345
Another easy way to tell that Alien3 is Panavision is that they've gone lens-flare crazy on the cinematography in a couple of the sections, and these are all nice oval ones.

The other weird anamorphic lens thing is the bit shot from the Alien POV - it seems that they have an anamorphic lens on the screen and rotate it independantly of the camera. I wouldn't be surprised if that particular shot was Super35 or something, simply to avoid having to have multiple anamorphic lenses.
 

cafink

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 1999
Messages
3,044
Real Name
Carl Fink
But what's "Super 1.85:1"? You said that Aliens was shot in that process. I've never heard of it.
"Aliens" was composed for an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It was filmed Super35 and the 1.85:1 frame was extracted from the full negative.

Usually, Super35 is used for 2.40:1 films.
 

Declan

Second Unit
Joined
Aug 22, 2002
Messages
410
yeah, thats it. Could'nt think what type of filmstock that was that Cameron used. Simple when you think about it though, cheers Carl
 

Michael Reuben

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 12, 1998
Messages
21,763
Real Name
Michael Reuben
Aliens was super 1.85:1 (if i am not mistaken it was one of the few films to use this flimstock)
Declan, Super35 is not a film stock. It's simply a filming technique that can be applied to any of the same 35mm stocks used for films shot with anamorphic lenses or films shot with optical lenses for 1.85:1 projection.

FYI, Aliens was shot with Kodak 5294, which was Kodak's high-speed version at the time and, I believe, is no longer made. Source: Cameron's interview with The Perfect Vision, published in issue 14 (Summer 1992).

M.
 

Matt Naglieri

Second Unit
Joined
Jul 30, 2001
Messages
283
Im new to the forum and this is my first post.
This is something thats been bothering me for about 10 years now. I decided to put alien 3 into my computer dvd player using windvd and somehow it presents it as it was intended with the full titles displayed. In addition to that theres about a half inch or so of picutre on the side of each title.
If there is any question I am referring to the scenes where the bodys are pulled from the wreckage and their names are displayed on screen.
If someone can tell me how to get a picture of the screen to display for everyone to see please let me know.;) ;)
 

Matt Naglieri

Second Unit
Joined
Jul 30, 2001
Messages
283
Thanks for the welcome Scott,

I've been able to get images of the shots as they should be if anyone would like me to send them via e-mail please let me know
 

Robert Harris

Archivist
Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 8, 1999
Messages
18,311
Real Name
Robert Harris
Super 1.85 is not a format.

It is simply FA or full aperture as opposed to RA, regular aperture, which has the information centered within the actual projected area exclusive of soundtrack.

Films have been shot this way for decades, especially when they were to be printed via dye transfer, allowing for the use of the additional frame real estate.

As an example, the majority of Hitchcock's films from the 60s were shot FA, ie, Birds, Marnie, etc.

RAH
 

MarcusUdeh

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 23, 2003
Messages
785
Does anyone wonder if the newly restored version of Alien 3
will be a re-telecined at 2.40:1? Bear in my mind that's, David Fincher's prefferd final widescreen release ratio.
 

Mike Graham

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 31, 2001
Messages
766
DVD software for computers, such as WinDVD, does not overscan the DVD files, so some titles, especially Blade Runner, appear letterboxed and windowboxed.
 

Geoff_D

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 18, 2002
Messages
933
Yeah, sorry Declan, you are 100% correct - Alien 3 was shot exclusively with anamorphic lenses at 2.40:1
I watched this the other day and noticed that the pick-ups (specifically the dog-burster scene) were shot using the Super35 process and not anamorphic Panavision. Notice the lense flare in one of the shots that pushes in on the dog - it's not a compressed oval flare, but rather a spherical one with the top and bottom missing. BTW I've adjusted the overscan on my set and can now see the full title legends; 'BISHOP' instead of 'SHOP' etc.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,811
Messages
5,123,601
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
1
Top