We’re always surrounded by various aspect ratios on screens. This is my consideration that is not based on specific human-engineering stuff or science views. Or rather, it’s close to strange rumors like the Golden Ratio.
Effective aspect ratio techniques on screens
Kill la Kill, Japanese TV animation in 2013, made use of change the scene aspect ratio from 16:9 to 4:3 for depicting as flashbacks. Of cause, it also had a change in Hue and scan lines, but it was just slight.
Typically, sepia and fractal noise effect have been very famous means for flashbacks. I’m not sure what inspired the director of Kill la Kill to come up with and what’s the origin, but this aspect ratio technique seems smart and innovative by making use of our ratio metacognition. You can see this kind of other expressions in various movies and also figure out other intentions below.
- the transition between different times
- the battle scene
- the comparison with the split-screen format
- the concentration of characters
- depicting the vast view
- controlling audiences’ tension and relief
Why 4:3 makes us feel nostalgic?
Ratios have been evolved, so we connect the growth with their history or nostalgia unconsciously. (Honestly, I’m not sure about the sense of children who have never seen the 4:3 ratio on TV in person.)
According to this video, their history seems to go back even to Edison. And it says the specifications of the movie aspect ratio had changed due to various formats of film equipment, cameras, and projectors.
Surprisingly, the 16:9 ratio was born but as a compromise. 16:9 was the geometric mean between 4:3 and the 2.35:1, the two most common extremes in terms of aspect ratio. (So 16:9 was not invented because of each 4 and 3 squared.)
Social media still invents new ratios, 1.91:1 is in now
With the birth of 16:9, the controversy finally seemed to end, and people could have settled a mature ratio era. But the world is ever-changing. As a designer, I have been at the mercy of massive versions of ratios because of social media. While aspect ratios depended on the formats of real equipment in the 20th century, these are now depending on virtual UI design.
The first impact was Instagram. Early Instagram adopted a 1:1 ratio as polaroids reboot, combining with a filter culture. Of course, the square itself wasn’t a novelty, and the regulation seemed to be limited and less adorable, especially for DSLR camera freaks. However, we’ve learned the way of communication mutually, or sometimes how to show off, with the square. Aside from that, some users or ad companies invented new unique expressions using multiple photos, such as grid layouts and carousel posts.
For better or worse, the social media ratio got more diverse, such as OG image, minimal thumbnail, cover image, and mobile trimming. The ratios of Facebook Open Graph or TwitterCards, you always see on timelines, are less understandable ratio. Why they defined 1.91:1, and why they haven’t explained yet?
From far 16:9 to near 16:9
16:9 is still the most widely spread standard on movies, TV shows, and Youtube. But the content could change depending on the situation, the device, or the content even though the aspect ratio is the same 16:9.
Most ordinary people are watching Youtube on a mobile or a tablet screen whose inches are mostly from 5 to 12. In addition, they watch it within approximately 1 ft. Considering these and easy shooting ways as well, there are some guidelines for YouTubers, such as the number of people, the distance a person to a camera, and the captions.
- the number of people: one or two people
- the distance a person to a camera: near as much as possible
- the captions: fewer, bigger and more simple (unlike a widget UI on TV)
Vertical 9:16 creativity
For Music videos
Instagram Stories and Snapchat adopt the 9:16 ratio. This ratio is just the reverse of the most familiar 16:9, so technically it’s not the brand-new.
However, the vertical ratios including 9:16 are good for shooting a person itself rather than the scenery, because our bodies as a ratio are essentially vertical and fit into it. Or rather, we don’t need to think of the composition of the video frame. Moreover another feature of these social media, a post disappears after 24 hours, also makes us take it easy and shoot much roughly.
Consequently, people would consider 9:16 to be suitable for shooting a trivial personal daily life, which is not necessarily beautiful, special, and filtered. This metacognition is effective to depict daily life as music videos as if you watch your own video in Camera Roll.
For Japanese porn
Only if you have an opportunity to watch the latest Japanese porn videos, you can find the 9:16 insert scenes. It’s similar but another emotional shooting technique. The difference from the above example of music videos is whether switching both 16:9 and 9:16. It seems like the mockumentary method. In a sense, it’s an enormous discovery. Without ethical thinking, we can’t help considering this illusion as something like a revenge porn video shot by mobile.
For K-POP culture
As I mentioned in other stories, the K-POP industry has many types of creations and fan-service. One of the most remarkable things is a vertical-type of dance video. There are a bunch of versions because the groups usually upload every member’s version and every TV show’s version individually.
It’s sometimes called ‘FanCam’ even though uploaded by official Youtube channels because it might originate the videos shot by fans at concerts with mobile.
How to manage this chaos
Designers occasionally have to control a bunch of ratios by trimming just one or a limited amount of footage. For directing a filming situation as a designer, what is the best trimming way that can be adapted to various types of ratio efficiently, with keeping the maximum area of original material? Theoretically, are we supposed to end up 1:1, like 16:9 was born as a compromise?
As filmmakers had struggled and done in the 20th century, on-screen designers will have to invent the post-internet standards by turning these obstacles into success.
The Next Story
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still writing
- how to direct photo shooting considering this chaos
- the right photograph in the right place
- the mock-up for managing a bunch of ratios
