From Paper to Screen

Before I was making films, I was making two-dimensional art. As a visual artist, I am a huge sucker for good composition. I take my love for the two-thirds rule from the drawings and paintings I've done on paper, to the screen.

As we have our main protagonist as a kid/someone in their adolescence, the 21:9 ratio actually carries meaning in an odd sort of way. I feel like, when you're young, you're seeing so much so quickly. You're discovering a lot of the world, and widening your perspective. Although it would have made an amazing pun to have a widescreen ratio, we made the decision that cinemascope is the way to go. As the widest popular aspect ratio for film (pun still worked somewhat!), I believe it will better show the perspective of our main character in that sense. On top of that, although we are learning so much about the world when we are young, that is because there's a lot we don't know; the lack of space vertically reflects that. Where we gain knowledge in one sense, it is because we lack the knowledge to begin with.

Could this be a weirdly convoluted way of talking about an aspect ratio choice? Sure, it definitely could be. But, also, it's important for every part of this film to carry meaning, even in little details like this. The most beautiful thing about creating is that we have the power to create meaning through what we make. We can create something with substance, something that can make someone smile, something that can make someone cry, or laugh. It is amazing that our creations can have an effect on someone and their life. Just for that whatever amount of time someone experiences our work, we have an impact on them. I think that's pretty cool, and I want to make sure that our impact on our audience is maximized by having a purpose for every decision we make.

And, all the talk about being able to create meaning aside, I just think it makes for better, more interesting compositions. What's a visual medium without nice visuals?