MovieChat Forums > The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) Discussion > The aspect ratio transition on the Blu-r...

The aspect ratio transition on the Blu-ray was brilliant!

posted 9 years ago by purple66
3 replies | jump to latest

I was not expecting it at all, I know a few films before have had changing aspect ratios on the Blu-rays (The Dark Knight, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises etc.), but they never had a transition like that; In those films it just went back and fourth all the time with no real reason other than some bits looked better like that. But in Catching Fire, it's done gradually as Katniss is watching Cinna being killed and she's being lifted upwards in the dark elevator - The picture gradually expands until it becomes full screen (takes over the "black bars" and fills the entire TV screen) at the moment she is in the arena - The screen opens up and stays that way for the games, and then goes back to normal once they're over. No back and fourth, it was great. :)

[–] PotterFan1029 9 years ago

I thought that was cool too. I don't think it is specific to the BluRay though. I heard that it gradually changed from widescreen to full screen in theaters, I believe. If I remember correctly, all of the arena scenes were filmed with IMAX cameras. The way they expanded the picture as Katniss entered the arena was an excellent way to transition to really immerse us in the arena.

[–] Block-Busted 8 years ago

Yup. The entire 48 minutes was in IMAX from start to finish, including scenes in control room.

Honestly, Lionsgate dropped the ball on this film's marketing BIG TIME. 'Catching Fire' is literally the only film to have the entire extendes sequence to be in IMAX with no cutting back to 35mm - something that should've been marketed as something revolutionary.

[–] NotASpeckOfCereal 8 years ago

This is the way it played on IMAX screens in the theaters.

As you say, that's how it is on the Blu-ray release.

However, I've heard rumor that they didn't preserve the aspect ratios on the 4K release, which comes out tomorrow (11-08-16). What I read from supposedly an authority on a 4K specialty forum is that the director Lawrence didn't want it that way, so the new masters were created without it.

If so, that's a shame.

Note: this is the only Hunger Games film that had IMAX frames. The rest will remain as they already are, with black bars throughout the film. Ironically, it was Lawrence who said at the time that while IMAX was appropriate for Catching Fire, it wasn't necessary for the Mockingjay releases, which makes sense because of the huge arena on CF and the more closed in scenes of MJ. But for him to dump all of that now is, in a word, weird.

Be sure to proof your posts to see if you any words out