mtadkins

Whenever I start feeling a bit snooty about preferring/demanding the widescreen version of a film, it helps to watch a bit of “pan & scan” footage so I can get all uppity again.

Today Jason Kottke posted a link to the video below, in which some big name filmmakers school you on exactly what’s happening.

[This also brings to mind the Steven Soderbergh rant from a while back about how some networks (HBO, Showtime, AMC, etc) chop down the films they show:

“…it’s fucking lame to watch Jaws—a film that uses the 2.40 ratio as well as any ever produced—in the wrong format on HBO. Does Universal so badly need a few extra pennies that it’s willing to ruin a classic? And does HBO really think its viewers are so stupid as to forget movies currently come in two sizes?

The original link to the article seems to be unavailable, but a kind soul on the AVS Forums had reposted it here.]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMJhM3So4y8