VistaVision

VistaVision is a variant of the 35mm motion picture film format created by Paramount Studios in the 1950s. With all of the other major studios using CinemaScope, Paramount debuted VistaVision in 1954 with White Christmas. The film is run horizontally, as in a still camera, with a width of 8 perforations per frame. This gave a wider aspect ratio of 1.5 against the conventional 1.33, and a larger image area. The film was usually then matted to a standard aspect ratio and optically printed onto vertical reels. Most films were ultimately framed at 1.85, although there was for a time a VistaVision ratio of 1.96.

Related Topics:
35mm motion picture film - Paramount Studios - CinemaScope - White Christmas - Aspect ratio

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Alfred Hitchcock took to the format and used it for many of his films in the 1950s. However, it never really caught on, as it required considerable labwork including optical printing and matting down to a conventional aspect ratio on vertical film (with the exception of a very small number of theaters between 1954 and 1956), as well as the cost of twice as much film stock during filming. In the end, VistaVision lost out in the general market to the less expensive, anamorphic systems such as Panavision and the more capable 70mm format. It has virtually disappeared as a primary imaging system for feature films, although it was still very infrequently used in lesser-known Japanese films up to 2000.

Related Topics:
Alfred Hitchcock - 1950s - Anamorphic - Panavision - 70mm format

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Since 1977 the format has enjoyed a brief renaissance, due to Lucasfilm's handmade retooled VistaVision cameras, as an intermediate format used for shooting special effects, thanks to the reduced grain and easy adaptability of compact still cameras. However, both the advent of computer-generated imagery and usage of 70 mm for similar optical work has largely rendered this usage of VistaVision obsolete as well.

Related Topics:
1977 - Lucasfilm - Special effect - Computer-generated imagery

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