8mm Forum: Scope, flat or adapted?

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Topic: Scope, flat or adapted?

Can Sanalan
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 130
From: London, United Kingdom
Registered: Jul 2017

posted May 10, 2018 05:41 PM

Which do you prefer to screen, collect, or believe is more valuable/sort after?
Curious for opinions.
Most flats I have are usually tv prints which are mostly censored versions, curious to know if that bothers other collectors so do you prefer scope?

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Tom Photiou
Film God

Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003

posted May 13, 2018 04:15 PM

My Dances with wolves is flat but is a full theatrical version with the american rating at the end. it is a stunning print and there is no panning or scanning. My copy of Hannie Caulder is also a full theatrical print with the BBFC rating at the start, this one is masked for widescreen, again a stunning flat print.
We do have a number of scope prints on 8mm and one on 16mm. I do like the scope format but have to say on 8mm (with only a few exceptions), image quality is compromised plus some top cropping. On 16mm, scope prints seem fine and are as sharp as the flat prints. Either way, we are more than happy with flat. [Wink]

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Can Sanalan
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 130
From: London, United Kingdom
Registered: Jul 2017

posted May 15, 2018 03:43 PM

Good to hear your thoughts Tom. For me, I don't quite mind either of the two. If I were to be picky, I would like to own a film in scope, if it's original theatrical format was 2.35. I like to see the whole picture so as the composition of the shot is as it was intended. However with scope you do need a much wider space to really get the nice big picture. But there's also a charm of the flat format for me. Reminds me of when I used to watch films on my parents tv with the 4:3 format.
I do own both formats on 16mm however the flats I have are all pretty much tv prints so most if not all are censored to some degree which is a shame but not a deal breaker.
I don't own any scope on 8mm, yet, but look forward to seeing one when I can.

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Tom Photiou
Film God

Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003

posted May 15, 2018 04:42 PM

We do have a fair number of scope films on 8mm. they are good to watch but some of the early releases had only average quality, the later super 8s are much better but on some of titles you do note a little cropping. Having said that, viewing the fog, pearl harbour, T2 and grease in particular really is something on that scope screen, all excellent sharp prints.
we only have one title so far on 16mm in scope which is kidnapped and i have to say we are more than happy with both brightness and sharpness of the image.
If all of my future purchases from here on were all flat or masked i would not be at all bothered. our flat copy of dances with wolves is superb and it doesn't have any panning or scanning so flat is fine for us these days. [Wink]

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Adrian Winchester
Film God

Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004

posted May 16, 2018 06:08 AM

In general, I prefer 'scope if that's the original ratio, although the amount of the frame that you lose at the top and bottom of a 'scope print can be annoying, so if there was the option of a really sharp adapted scope print that offers the entire picture, that would also be appealing. I'd imagine that such prints are more common with regard to 1:1.85 than 1:2.35 films, though. If anyone has an adapted scope print that provides the entire width, I'd be interested to know as I think they tend to be a compromise that's more like 1:2. One feature I have crops the width to approximately this amount, but it's full frame, so you get additional areas at the top and bottom that you wouldn't see in a cinema or on DVD Blu-ray. It's certainly not what the director intended but it makes interesting viewing!

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Adrian Winchester

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