THE SHIELD seas.4 disc 3 - 16:9 tease ! ? ! ? (1 Viewer)

[Sean Patrick]

i finally got around to watching THE SHIELD season 4 on dvd, and tonight I came across something very strange on disc 3.

the entire 3rd episode on the disc (the exnteded episode), and the "Previously on the Shield" segment on that segment were presented in 16:9. And they looked great. i got excited that maybe last season they switched to 16:9 halfway through, but unfortunately the next episode went back to 4:3.

I was troubled by a couple of things - first, that they'd shoot only the special extended episode in 16:9 and then switch back to 4:3, but then it occured to me : the "previously seen" shots from earlier in the season looked great in 16:9, almost like they were composed for 16:9 (didn't look zoomed in at all, and it actually looked LESS grainy than the Shield usually looks) and i started to think that the entire show was shot natively in 16:9 and preserved that way in some capacity, just not released in widescreen on home video.

any reason for that? there were many times this season where i felt the shots were cut off on the sides...i dont' remember thinking that during the previous seasons....many times, a character is talking and their face is half cut off outside of the frame, and before the show seemed perfectly framed at 4:3.

anyway i was just mad that apparently the whole season could have been presented in 16:9, and it wasn't. the 16:9 episode retained the grimy, immediate look of the rest of the show and enhanced its immediacy.

 

[Rick P]

The Region 2 releases are all 16:9

 

[Tony Kwong]

They have been 16x9 since the beginning. Oddly enough I like the shield in 4x3 better. I've seen them both ways. To me this show just looks a bit weird in 16x9. Maybe if they compose it for 16x9 a bit more it will be better, but I like the cramped not everyone in full frame look of the show. It's like the camera is trying to catch the action on screen. It works for the show.

 

[TravisR]

Only that one episode is intended to be seen 16x9, every other episode is intended to be seen at 4x3. There's more information on the sides in the 16x9 versions of the episodes but you're not supposed to see it.

 

[Sean Patrick]

I agree with you guys about seasons 1-3 but not season 4. There were too many times things looked cut off, and the "previous scenes" in the 16:9 presentation looked perfectly framed.

 

[Simon Massey]

This is the only series where I have strayed from the intended AR because I have to say it still looks great in 16:9 and I still got the "cramped, not everyone in the shot" look that Tony mentions. Though I understand the AR is supposed to be 4:3, they don't seem to push it (unlike say Joss Whedon who was very specific about Buffy being 4:3) and it certainly seems to me like they are filming for both ARs.

Having said that I am still waiting for a Season 3 release of the Shield in UK after a hell of a long wait (over a year now I think since Season 2 was released) so I may have to cave and but the US version.

 

[Gord Lacey]

As I've said before, the intended aspect ratio of the show is 4x3. They shoot with that being the intended aspect ratio, and they edit using 4x3 material.

Gord

 

[Sean Patrick]

and as i've said before, many many scenes in season 4 look cropped at 4:3 and the widescreen presentation of the same shots look framed perfectly. i think they might have changed their shooting approach for season 4.

 

[TravisR]

I'm not trying to belabor the point but I'm 99% sure that FX ran 'Back In The Hole' in widescreen and the DVD shows that episode in widescreen. So why would FX and Fox choose to go with the proper aspect ratio on only one of the episodes but present the other episodes in the wrong aspect ratio?

 

[Sean Patrick]

travis -

i'd agree with you 100% if it were not for the "previously on the Shield" segment of that widescreen episide which shows almost 5 minutes of footage from throughout the season, in 16:9 - perfectly framed.

i've watched all 4 seasons now on dvd and it wasn't until starting season 4 that i thought the show looked cropped. seasons 1-3 looks perfect in 4:3.

 

[Gord Lacey]

I watched them shoot season 5, episode 5, and sat in the editing room with Shawn Ryan as he edited season 5, episode 3. I can tell you that the director was composing for 4x3, and the material being edited on the screen was in 4x3.

Gord

 

[Sean Patrick]

i'll still probbaly try and track down the region 2 version of this season if i can.

but i appreciate the info, guess i was wrong about my 16:9 theory.

 

[AlexSchwarz]

Sean, that may prove to be difficult. There have been no region 2 sets since season 2, and I should lnow - I DID buy those due to widescreen but sold them recently to finally purchase the region 1 sets; I figured I had to deal with 4x3 somehow if I wanted to continue that show. (it's not broadcasted here in Germany, so basically, I depend on dvds)

The release was probably canned due to low sales.

 

[Simon Massey]

Gord

Fair enough. If the show is intended to be 4x3 it should be watched that way. It's my only sin with regards to watching film/tv in the proper AR and I'll stick with it for now in 16x9.

That is if the ever get round to releasing further seasons in the UK which is looking increasingly unlikely.

 

[Michael Reuben]

The one that just aired, entitled "Jailbait"? That was some episode!

M.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Damn, it's airing already? I hate that we don't have the show in Canada. I have to rely on a friend to record the episodes to DVD and then send them to me in the mail.

Gord

 

[Tony Kwong]

re framing camerawork of the show, I like the fluid movement of the camera for scenes that should be mostly static on most shows. in the Barn type shots where it's mostly one person talking to another across desk, movenment is greatly prefered. But when action is hot and heavy this makes it much harder to watch specially when framing is too close to the subject on stedicam. I notice soemtimes in point a-b scenes, the jump cuts work pretty well in the show as well.