A Tip for Widescreen for Final Cut Pro and Avid Xpress Editors
For all of you Avid and Final Cut Pro Director/Producers, one thing you can keep in mind while shooting is that if you shoot a 4:3 picture and later mask it into a 16:9 image in post, it will give you the option of also being able to release a full-frame 4:3 version of your show.
Masking in post will adjust the image downward 60 lines before adding the letterbox mask, therefore giving you a 4:3 and 16:9 version that share common sides and a common top. The term common side means that characters will appear to enter and exit the scene at the same time in both the 4:3 and 16:9 versions and common top means that both versions will also maintain the same amount of character headroom.
Play around with this concept and see if the aesthetic value of masking a 16:9 image meets your personal standard.
