aspect ratio 11% squished

Good morning LAFCPUG,

I haven't seen discussion of this problem that I'm having in any of the forums. Perhaps you can help...

I am editing footage shot on the DVX100a with the anamorphic converter. I captured into FCP. Checked the anamorphic option. Edited. Everything fine. Dropped the anamorphic sequences into a non-anamorphic timeline for 4:3 export. Everything fine. Sort of.

The problem is that on my broadcast monitor (and TV when burned to disc and played in DVD player), the image is cut off all the way around at about 11% (10%?) -- it seems to corrolate to the motion safe indicators....however, the image is also squished a bit. Which makes the actors look thiner, which they might like, but I don't think was what the DP had in mind.

Probably important for me to note that the aspect ratio playback in FCP is fine -- footage only squishes on the monitor (and, subsequently the TV).

Explanations? Help?

Thank you!!

When you dropped the 16:9 sequence into the 4:3 sequence, did you get black bars at the top and bottom of the frame? This would indicate that it was ok up till there.

Yeah, it sure did.

But while playing from the timeline, it would (simultaneously) look perfect in the canvas and slightly (just slightly) distorted on the monitor.

I was hoping it was just a little monitor quirk, but when I burned it to disc it was the same in the DVD player/TV.

Do you have Square Pixels selected in any of your Sequence Settings? Give us all your Sequence Settings (both in the 16:9 sequence and the 4:3 one) and we'll go from there.

Settings for 16:9 sequence and 4:3 sequence are the easy set up for DV NTSC 48 kHz. 720x480 frame size.

In the 4:3 sequence, I have 9 nested 16:9 sequences -- same problem throughout. It should be said that this problem occurs with both the 16:9 sequences and the 4:3 and occurs in the same way.

Square pixels in one sequence (opening titles) -- I used the distort at -33.33 to compensate. No other square pixels in other sequences.

You sound like you know what you're doing - so forgive me for this queston but you're not expecting to see right to the edge of your picture on the monitor the same way that you can on the canvas are you? This is the whole reason for the motion safe indicators ...

Have you had this problem before? If not, what differs in this project from previous working projects?

Hey,

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I don't know what I'm doing at all....this is my first project....so each new element is a new learning curve for me.

And I *was* expecting to see the edges of the picture like in the canvas. Does that mean that to achieve full frame when exporting to DVD, it's common practice to use the motion tab to bring the image to 89 or 90% to fit in the motion safe indicators?

Here's history: feature film (yes, my first project...you can call me overly ambitious. I understand) shot on minidv. Exporting out to DVD/VHS for festival submission. Of course we'd love a film transfer, but unless we win the powerball, it doesn't seem likely. The DP favors the edges and I'd love to preserve his composition -- it's awfully pretty.

Thanks so much for your help...& patience.

> Does that mean that to achieve full frame when exporting to DVD, it's
> common practice to use the motion tab to bring the image to 89 or 90% to
> fit in the motion safe indicators?

Not in my own experience. Usually when my directors shoot DV, it's customary to consider the area outside the TV-safe lines (or action safe) to be forfeit when viewed on a TV. However, that doesn't mean the image isn't there. If you're submitting the film to a festival and the image is projected, or if the DVD is viewed on a computer, you will see the edges of the frame. That's why you have to consider the TV-safe area as well. So if you got a boom in the shot outside the TV-safe area, you can't just let it go, and if you're using Motion controls to adjust your frame, you have to blow up the frame minutely so that you don't get black bars on the edges. They make for nasty little surprises the minute you play your DVD in a computer.

OK. Wow. Thanks. The scary world of exhibition (and first time filmmaking!) I wonder what the committee will be watching on...

So, is it a standard thing too that images on TV are slightly squished? It's not a huge difference, but it's noticable. Is that something we're just used to seeing (like we get used to people with orange faces)?

it might be possible that your anamorphic converter doesn't have exactly the same aspect as the anamorphic in FCP. You may need to manually adjust it to get it right. The good news is that all the shots will be off by the same amount so once you get it figured out once, those settings will work on all the other clips.

Andy

That is probably exactly the squish problem. I suppose it only makes sense that different converters convert to different ratios by little bits.

Thank you so much, Jude, Derek & Andy for your guidance through this step. It makes it much less scary to have a community for support.

Cheers!

(for a diversion....the trailer for the movie is up at www.babylionproductions.com/trailer.shtml)

If your annimorphic has a 1.5 compression ratio 16:8 (2:1 aspect ratio) such as on some of the ISCO anamorphics, then you will have an exact 11% squeeze when displayed in 16:9 1.33 compression (1.78:1 aspect ratio.

Dave

That would make sense, but, if *was* the converter, wouldn't that also display squished in FCP? Why does it look right in the canvas and not on the monitor? Should I forget the canvas (like with color, etc.) and adjust the ratio for the monitor?

Does that still apply when the movie is projected....or transfered to film....is that exclusively broadcast......or is the monitor showing me the way QuickTime reads the material?

Thanks for your help.

Could also be that you're looking at square pixels onn your computer monitor, but TV monitors use rectangular pixels (taller than the width)

If you go into the Canvas window & uncheck "Display as Square Pixels" does the squeezed image look similar to the squeeze you are seeing on your video monitor?

Dave

Well, strangely, it seems that when it's unchecked, it's a little more squished than the monitor image. But I didn't know that little box was there....so that's awfully helpful to know.

I'll fuss around with it and let you know....6 am is a little fuzzy for me...
Off for more coffee.

Thanks.