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What is Anamorphic in Film

What is Anamorphic in Film?

The 1950s gave way to a rise in the home television set. Which would largely result in many Americans staying in on a Friday night. Instead of heading to the box office to view a movie. Captivated by television sets, Hollywood needed a way to draw back the consumer. And get them to come back to the theatre. They produced the anamorphic lens system. Which would be used to create widescreen formatted movies that were only available in the theater. The “cinematic look” would quickly draw attention. But exactly what is anamorphic in film and what does it mean?

Anamorphic Definition

Anamorphic is a technology that was first used in France during WWI to increase soldiers’ view of their enemies when looking through the anamorphic lens cylinders out a tiny eye hole of a tank. Before the anamorphic lens was used, the viewable area was quite small and made it incredibly difficult to spot the enemies.

Anamorphic technology would eventually find its way out of France and into Hollywood where it would be further developed in order to create memorable widescreen movie experiences.

Anamorphic technology would make the movie experience appear bigger and more exciting than the previous experience and, as a result, it would draw Americans out of their homes and back into the theater.

What is an Anamorphic Lens?

When we look to answer the question, “What is anamorphic in film?” it’s more important to dive into the technology which is most notably the anamorphic lens. An anamorphic lens represents a lens that, unlike the spherical lenses that are often used, captures a wider field of view than the original camera senses are capable of. 

The anamorphic lens features glass elements that are located within the unit and which essentially squeeze the original rectangular image into a square image or frame, similar to those used on a digital film sensor.

While spherical lenses are certainly more common than the anamorphic lens, both do have their place in the industry.

Anamorphic Characteristics

As we dive further into the answer to the question, “What is anamorphic in film?” It is important to outline some of the outcomes that result from an anamorphic lens. Certain characteristics of an anamorphic lens result from this type of viewpoint.

For example anamorphic lenses:

  • Have an oval-shaped bokeh.
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  • Will have some falloff in which the focus softens towards the outer edges of the frame.
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  • Will have prominent lens flares when horizontal.
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  • Show signs of vignetting in which the corners of the frame will be darker than other areas of the image.
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  • Is frequently distorted such that a straight line will be curved. 
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  • Represent a wider field of view and shallower depth of field than a spherical lens.

Anamorphic in film would really become popular because the lens provided distinct differences in the types of visuals that would be shared on a filmed movie seen in the theater versus those which could be viewed on home television sets.  

Need visuals to help explain anamorphic lenses? In Depth Cine delves deeply into it, and explains the difference from spherical lenses:

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