AW: Equipment and ratios

Jasper Sharp jasper_sharp at hotmail.com
Tue May 17 05:19:47 EDT 2011


Hi Stefan,I've not got my bits of paper with me at the moment,  but taking each of your points:Have you been aware of the fact that the aspect ratio 2.35, we are all referring to as Cinemascope, CinemaScope was out of use by the 70s anyway, but just checking Wikipedia: "In order to better hide so-called "negative assembly" splices, the ratio of the image was later changed by others to 2.39:1 and, finally, to 2.40:1, although all professional cameras are capable of shooting 2.55:1 (special 'Scope aperture plate) or 2.66:1 (standard "Full"/"Silent" aperture plate, preferred by many producers and all optical houses)...  2.35:1 or 2.39:1 or 2.40:1 is simply a hard-matted version of the others."Can you break it down to these four “different formats” in Japan?There were a few more mentioned in a 1955/6 Kinema Junpo, article. Can't remember off the top of my head.DaieiScope was essentially VistaVision, so a non-quite-so-wide non-anamorphic system whose aspect ratio could be varied, but average around 1.85:1.That said, I noticed my BFI DVD of an Actors Revenge is 2.35:1, so this means the image is either cropped or, more likely, Daiei had abandoned the system by this point, as indeed everyone else in the world had. Anyone know?Now I guess the lenses were made by Cineovision, Kowa or Shiga.I've certainly seen lots of references to Kowa or Shiga both in Kinema Jumpo and Eiga Nenkan.I'd be grateful if you could let me know your sources Stefan. I'm pretty certain the lenses were made in Japan.Jasper

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Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 11:45:53 +0200
From: nuzumaki at gmx.net
To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: AW: Equipment and ratios

















Jasper,

 

Have you been aware of the fact that the aspect ratio 2.35, we
are all referring to as Cinemascope, is wrong. 

Actually the ratio was enlarged by .05 in the seventies. So the
correct ratio is actually 2.39:1 and not 2.35:1. 

Funny that everybody stuck to 2.35:1 even though this is
actually not true. 

 

Can you break it down to these four “different formats”
in Japan?

 

Daiescope

Nikkatsu Scope

Tohoscope

Toeiscope

 

But was Daiescope just referring to the way of projecting or
also the way the actual film was recorded on?

 

While doing some more research on this subject I found out that
my guess with Lomo is maybe totally wrong. 

Now I guess the lenses were made by Cineovision, Kowa or Shiga. Às
all three of them were based in Japan and producers for anamorphic glass.

Unfortunately I couldn’t really track down a lot of
reliable information on these, as all of these glasses are no longer
manufactured. 

 

Best,

 

Stefan

 

 

 





Von:
owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu [mailto:owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu]
Im Auftrag von Jasper Sharp

Gesendet: Dienstag, 10. Mai 2011 13:28

An: kinejapan

Betreff: RE: Equipment and ratios





 

Stefan,



 





Am
still looking into these areas (or rather, will be doing so soon) - not really
up on the 1960s yet.





From
what I understand though, Shochiku developed its own CinemaScope rival
Grandscope by reverse engineering Fox's system in the early 50s, although i
don't know who supplied the lenses, but presumably a Japanese company like
Nikon rather than Bausch and Lomb, who created the lenses for Fox's system.





Sadly
tis all I can tell you at the moment, but come back to me in a year or so...





best





 





jasper





Jasper Sharp: Writer & Film Curator Homepage

http://jaspersharp.com/



Midnight Eye: The Latest and Best in Japanese Cinema

http://www.midnighteye.com



Zipangu Fest: Japanarchy in the UK

http://zipangufest.com/









> Date: Sat, 7 May 2011 21:59:38 +0200

> From: nuzumaki at gmx.net

> To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu

> Subject: Equipment and ratios

> 

> Dear List,

> 

> Yesterday, when watching Lead Tombstone by Wakamatsu Koji here at the Far
East Film Festival, I recognised that some if the night scenes were extremly
soft and sometimes out of focus as well. 

> As the aspect ratio was 2.35 Cinemascope I was wondering where to get more
information on how and with which equipment Wakamatsu shot this film. 

> I know that the older anamorphic lenses, made in Russia, named Lomo (used
by Kubrick, Solaris), have been unsharp unless not stopped down to a certain
higher exposure level. Which leads me towards the conclusion that Wakamtsu shot
on Russian lenses. 

> 

> Still I was wondering, as Japan was also a producer for anamorphic, which
equipment has been used in the 60's ad later. 

> 

> Is there literature on that subject? 

> Jasper, do you have any idea? I know you have done a lot of research
regarding this. 

> 

> All the best,

> 

> Stefan

> 

> 

> 



 		 	   		  
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