Video Essay: Experimenting With Non-Traditional Aspect Ratios In Modern Cinema

The aspect ratio of any given movie literally frames our experience of the entire work. Whereas real-life exists in 360 degrees in all directions, filmmakers must make very conscious decisions about what to put inside that box, what to exclude from it, and how to present it all to the audience.

For the most part, movies stick to a few standard widescreen aspect ratios, or, if the filmmaker is feeling a bit daring, the less common 4:3 aspect ratio. (For example, Fish Tank and Ida.) But one video essay argues there's been a rise in experimentation with non-traditional aspect ratios, including films that change proportions mid-scene (i.e., Tom at the Farm or Life of Pi) or reject the idea of a rectangular frame altogether (Gust Van den Berghe's Lucifer). Watch and learn after the jump. 

De Filmkrant posted the non-traditional aspect ratios video essay on Vimeo.