How to shoot widescreen (16:9) video
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There are two good reasons for wanting to shoot a video production in the widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio. One reason is that many distributors, video competitions and other entities are already imposing the 16:9 aspect ratio, only accepting 4:3 projects if they are cropped top and bottom to match the 16:9 aspect ratio (this will ruin your framing, unless you framed for 16:9 while shooting).
The main reason, however, is that the 16:9 aspect ratio is vastly more cinematic than the 4:3 aspect ratio – it is much more conducive to compelling camerawork and is simply more pleasing to the eye. Any video maker who is serious about shooting projects that have a high-end look and are future-proof should shoot in the widescreen aspect ratio. This article explores the available options.
1. Using a camera with native 16:9 CCDs
This is the best option by far, as the resulting image is at full resolution and does not require any manipulation in post-production. The image is focused on 16:9 CCDs and the image you see in the viewfinder is a widescreen image. If you feed the video output to a 4:3 monitor the image will be horizontally squeezed, so make sure you use a monitor with a 16:9 option.
Footage shot with such cameras is anamorphic 16:9 video, and its ideal outlet is a widescreen television or monitor. If the footage is aimed at 4:3 screens, black bars must be inserted on the top and bottom of the frame. This process is known as letterboxing and it is the only way to fit a 16:9 image onto a 4:3 frame without ruining the framing. DVD players letterbox anamorphic widescreen footage automatically if connected to a 4:3 TV; if you are releasing the project on tape, you have to do the letterboxing in post-production before making the tapes.
Examples of true 16:9 widescreen cameras are the Canon XL2, the classic Sony DSR 500 and the marvelous JVC DV700, now sadly discontinued.