Panaflex User's Manual, 2nd Edition

The Pros and Cons of Academy, Anamorphic & Super-35 Cinematography

Academy Cinematography

For theatrical release, the great advantage of spherical cinematography is that the same original image can be used for all forms of presentation.

The disadvantages are that the image must be framed top and bottom to suit both the 1.85:1 Widescreen and the 4:3 television formats. This will entail additional cost in ceiling pieces, keeping lights higher and being careful that dolly tracks to not appear in the television picture. When shooting it will mean framing close–ups in such a manner that artists’ heads do not go through the top of the wide screen format, thus losing much of their impact when shown on television with all the additional head and foot ...