News Summary

• The width, or lack thereof, of a film or TV show is known as its aspect ratio.
• Early motion pictures used 35mm film running vertically through the camera.
• A standard frame was four perforations tall and had an image close to 1.33:1.
• In 1932, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences standardized what became known as the Academy ratio.
• This became the dominant theatrical format until the early 1950s.
• The format that really launched the widescreen boom was Cinerama, which was introduced commercially in 1952.