Last Updated 5 days ago
Open matte is a presentation of a film that reveals picture above and below the widescreen frame. That extra image was recorded during filming but masked or cropped out of the widescreen version. You may see more sky, floor, ceiling or headroom.
Open matte describes a framing choice, not a fixed aspect ratio or an increase in resolution. A taller image is not automatically the intended version; that depends on how the filmmakers composed and approved the release.
How Open Matte Works
A camera can record a taller image than the final release needs. In a traditional soft-matte 35mm workflow, the cinematographer composes within widescreen frame lines while the negative records additional picture above and below them. Projection masking or the finishing process limits what the audience sees. An open matte transfer reveals some or all of that additional picture.
Soft matte leaves that extra image available for a different presentation. A hard matte physically limits the image recorded or printed, so the masked area on that element contains no picture to recover. Full aperture refers to the full camera image area; an open matte release does not necessarily show every part of it.
This was useful when adapting films for 4:3 television and home video. Where the source allowed it, a transfer could reveal more vertical picture instead of relying entirely on cropping the sides. The exact result depends on the source format and transfer.
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Open Matte vs. Widescreen: Which Is Correct?
The intended composition matters more than the amount of image visible. Opening a frame changes the headroom, negative space and balance of the shot. If the filmmakers composed only for widescreen, the additional area can weaken that composition.
However, a production may protect and compose for more than one release format. An approved open matte version can be a deliberate alternate presentation. Check the particular film and release rather than assuming that either “more image” or “the widest image” is always correct.
Open Matte vs. Pan and Scan vs. Letterboxing
Open matte reveals recorded picture above and below the widescreen crop. It cannot create image that the camera or source element never captured.
Pan and scan selects a narrower portion of a widescreen image, losing picture from the sides. The selected area can move horizontally to keep the important action in view. Some transfers combine vertical opening with horizontal cropping, so an alternate version may show more in one direction and less in another.
Letterboxing preserves a wider composition within a narrower display shape by leaving black bars above and below it. Removing those bars from a finished file does not reveal hidden picture; the extra image must exist in the source.
Common Problems With Open Matte
A boom mic, lighting fixture or unfinished set edge may sit outside the intended widescreen frame but inside the recorded image. Opening the matte can expose it. Even without visible equipment, the added area can introduce distracting objects or excessive headroom. Whether that happens depends on how the shot was framed and protected on set.
What This Means on Set
Confirm the intended delivery ratios with the cinematographer and use the correct frame guides on monitors. If the production must deliver multiple ratios, check the full required picture area for microphones, stands, set edges and other unwanted details. Recording a larger frame gives post-production options, but it does not replace planning the compositions.
Example in a Sentence
“The open matte transfer reveals more of the room above and below the theatrical frame.”
Related Terms
Aspect Ratio — The relationship between an image’s width and height.
Masking — Hiding part of the recorded or projected image to control the visible frame.
Letterbox — Preserving a wider image within a narrower display shape using bars above and below.
Academy Ratio — The approximately 1.37:1 format associated with traditional 35mm sound-film presentation.
Anamorphic Lens — A lens that squeezes the image horizontally during capture for later desqueezing.