Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
all projection prints in 16 mm are single perf, camera fi lm has usually been double perf. But, because
in super 16, this area is used for picture, it must be shot on single-perf fi lm. The frame in super
16 mm is the same height as a 16 mm frame, but it is much wider. The aspect ratio of 16 mm is 1.33 : 1,
where the aspect ratio of super 16 is 1.66 : 1. For more information, see Appendix 5 on aspect ratios.
Because super 16 mm is a shooting-only format, it must be fi nished to digital video or blown up to
35 mm for projection.
When working with super 16 mm, there are many considerations. In conforming and printing, be
aware that special printers need to be used, and not all labs can work with super 16 mm. Because the
fi lm is single perf, conforming and splicing is a bit more complicated.
35 mm 4 perf
The most common fi lm shooting format is 35 mm 4 perf, and it is the standard fi lm projection format.
The 4 perf refers to the perforations running down both sides of the fi lm edges. In this case, each
frame is 4 perforations tall. This makes the aspect ratio 1.37 : 1. However, modern fi lm is rarely projected
in this aspect ratio; normally it is masked to 1.66 : 1 or 1.85 : 1. All 35 mm projectors are
designed to project in 4 perf. Again, for more information, see Appendix 5.
35 mm 3 perf
In 35 mm 3 perf, only 3 perforations are pulled down making it a shooting-only format. The aspect
ratio is approximately 1.77 : 1 and is often used for shooting 16 × 9 HD video. Because only 3 perforations
are pulled down for each frame, fi lm usage is reduced by 25 percent, and therefore represents
a substantial cost savings. It can be optically printed at 4 perf for projection, but this is expensive
and more than offsets any cost savings.
Super 35
Super 35 is another shooting-only format. In super 35, the entire frame area is used for picture. In
standard 35 mm, a small area to one side of the frame is reserved for the sound track; however, in
super 35 mm, this area is used for image. The format is most often used for wide-screen 35 mm
in 2.35 : 1 aspect ratio. In this case, the super 35 negative is optically compressed to anamorphic and
printed. It can be shot in 4 perf or 3 perf.
65 mm and 70 mm
The 65 mm and 70 mm are the same format; 65 mm is a shooting-only format that can be directly
printed to 70 mm print stock. The 70 mm print is 5 mm wider to accommodate extra sound tracks.
The format was developed in the 1950s for major motion pictures, but is not generally used any
more.
IMAX
IMAX is a huge format using 65 mm fi lm running horizontally. It is both a shooting and projection
format. While several major motion pictures have been released in IMAX, for the most part, it is a
178