Basic trope: Cropping a movie to a narrower Aspect Ratio and panning to get all the important details in
- Straight: Original aspect ratio is 2.39:1, pan and scanned to 4:3
- Exaggerated:
- The film was originally 2.75:1 and presented in 4:3
- The film was originally 2.39:1 and presented in square (1:1) or even vertical (9:16) video
- Downplayed: The film was originally 1.85:1, presented in 16:9.
- Justified or Enforced: Open Matte isn't an option, consumers would resist Letterboxing, and Visual Compression would look ridiculous, so the studio chooses Pan and Scan.
- Inverted:
- Tilt and Scan (making the image shorter, not narrower)
- Open Matte (more information above and below than the theatrical release)
- Subverted: Letterboxing is used instead for some scenes.
- Double Subverted: You hoped the LaserDisc you got was letterboxed. It was Pan and Scan.
- Parodied: The telecine technician misses all the important details
- Zig-Zagged: The movie was made for 2.39:1 (2048x856), but the digital Cinema cameras captured 2048x1080. The TV release is 1920x1080, both taller and narrower.
- Averted:
- Letterbox, Visual Compression or Open Matte is used.
- The movie has the same aspect ratio as the TV.
- Defied: A director insists that their movie must be shown in letterbox for all home video releases.note
- Deconstructed: A video shows how little character dynamic is shown when only up to two are on screen at once, and how much is missed when a Widescreen Shot comes around.
- Played for Laughs: The telecine operator actively avoids the important characters and anyone who's talking.
- Played for Horror: The abundance of closer shots produced by pan and scan create claustrophobia
- Exploited: Turns out the two people talking weren't even in the same room. Or you thought they were apart and they're actually together.
