The aspect ratio in cinema, what in English is called “aspect ratio”, is the ratio of the width to the height of an image. This may seem trivial at first glance, but the decision on the aspect ratio is very important on a creative level, as it can produce some effects or others. Commonly, the aspect ratio is expressed by two numbers separated by a colon, example: 4: 3. The first number refers to the width , while the second number refers to the height. In this case, we would have 4 units of width for every 3 units of height, which can also be expressed as 1.33: 1 (if we multiply the two by 3 we get 4: 3).
The most common aspect ratio at the user level is 4: 3, which is the one that comes by default in almost all video cameras, DSLR, mirrorless, even on smartphones. The problem with this aspect ratio is that it is too square and, on the one hand, it reduces the dynamism of the image and, on the other, it does not accurately represent our field of vision .
The other more common option is 16: 9, which is usually used in short films and low-budget films , or as an initial option for later in post-production to change the aspect ratio to our liking. This is usually the second option that usually incorporate the cheapest cameras . This aspect ratio is more rectangular, pronouncing horizontality a little more, thus generating more dynamism and getting closer to what our vision is.
At a professional level, 1.78: 1, 1.85: 1 and 2.35: 1 are usually used. This expands the horizontal component even more, gives much more dynamism and practically mimics our field of vision. Today we are already used to movies adopting this aspect ratio in the cinema, so we associate horizontality with the cinematographic aspect . However, there are many movie directors who choose other aspect ratios, even allowing themselves to be changed during the movie.
