Last Updated 2 weeks ago
Open matte refers to a way of presenting a filmed image where the full camera aperture, or more of the original captured frame, is shown instead of the wider cropped version that would normally be used for theatrical projection. In practical terms, it means the audience sees extra image at the top and bottom of the frame that is usually masked out.
At its core, open matte is about image area and aspect ratio. A film may be photographed using more of the frame than the audience is meant to see in its final intended presentation. During theatrical projection, the top and bottom of that image may be cropped to create a widescreen composition such as 1.85:1. If that masking is removed later, the viewer sees more of the original frame. That is what creates the open matte version.
The important thing to understand is that open matte does not mean the image is necessarily better or more correct just because more is visible. It simply means more of the originally photographed frame is being shown.
How Open Matte Works
In many traditional film workflows, especially with flat 35mm photography, cinematographers could shoot an image that contained extra picture area above and below the intended widescreen frame. They would still compose for the final theatrical ratio, usually using frame lines or viewfinder guides to protect the proper composition. The extra image existed on the negative, but the audience was not meant to see all of it during normal theatrical exhibition.
That means a film might technically contain more visual information than what was shown in theatres. When the full frame is later revealed in a different presentation, such as an older TV or home video transfer, the image appears more open vertically. You may see more ceiling, more floor, more headroom, or more of the environment.
That is why open matte versions often look taller than the theatrical version. The widescreen crop has been opened up.
Why Open Matte Matters
Open matte matters because it affects composition.
Composition is not just about what the camera captured. It is about what the audience is supposed to see. A cinematographer may deliberately frame for a widescreen presentation with careful balance, headroom, negative space, and screen direction. When an open matte version reveals more at the top and bottom, that balance can change.
Sometimes the change is minor. Sometimes it makes the image feel looser, flatter, or less intentional. A shot that looked tight and controlled in its theatrical framing may suddenly feel too tall or too empty in open matte form. Characters may appear to have too much space over their heads. Background elements may become more distracting. The image may feel less disciplined overall.
This is why “more image” does not automatically mean “better image.”
Why Open Matte Was Useful
Open matte became especially useful in older distribution contexts because it gave distributors and broadcasters a way to adapt widescreen-shot material for more square television screens without cutting off the sides of the image. Instead of using a pan-and-scan approach that chops away left and right information, an open matte transfer could sometimes reveal more top and bottom image and preserve more of the shot’s horizontal content.
That made it attractive for certain home video and television releases, especially when older display formats did not match theatrical widescreen ratios well.
From a technical and commercial standpoint, this gave productions flexibility.
From an artistic standpoint, it was more complicated.
Open Matte Versus Theatrical Framing
This is where people get confused.
A lot of viewers assume that if an open matte version shows more picture, it must be the full or uncropped version and therefore the “real” one. That logic is shaky. In many cases, the theatrical framing is the actual intended composition. The open matte image may include visual information that was never supposed to be emphasized, even if it was technically photographed.
So while open matte reveals more frame area, it may reveal less disciplined composition.
That does not make open matte useless. It just means it should not automatically be treated as the definitive version of the image.
Open Matte Versus Pan and Scan
Open matte and pan and scan are not the same thing.
Open matte usually reveals more of the top and bottom of the photographed image.
Pan and scan crops into a widescreen image to make it fit a narrower screen, often cutting off parts of the left and right side of the frame.
One expands vertically by showing more recorded image. The other trims horizontally to fit a different display shape. They solve format problems in very different ways.
Common Problems With Open Matte
One issue with open matte presentations is that they can reveal things the production did not want seen. Because the theatrical crop was expected to hide part of the frame, equipment or set edges may have been placed just outside the intended visible area. In an open matte version, that extra space can sometimes expose boom mics, lights, unfinished set elements, or other unwanted production details.
Even when that does not happen, the image can still feel wrong if the cinematographer was clearly composing for a wider ratio and not for the fully open frame.
So open matte can be interesting from a technical point of view, but it is not automatically a cleaner or more faithful presentation.
Why the Term Still Matters
Open matte still matters because it helps explain how films are shot versus how they are exhibited. It is one of those terms that reveals an important truth about filmmaking: the frame the camera captures is not always identical to the frame the audience is meant to see.
That distinction matters for cinematography, presentation, restoration, home video, and film history. It also helps people understand why some alternate versions of films look subtly off, even when they appear to contain more image.
The extra picture may be real, but the intended composition is still what matters most.
Example in a Sentence
“The open matte version shows more image at the top and bottom of the frame, but the original widescreen composition feels tighter and more deliberate.”
Related Terms
[Aspect Ratio] The proportional relationship between the width and height of the image.
[Soft Matte] A widescreen presentation method where the image is photographed full frame and later masked to the intended ratio.
[Hard Matte] A process where the crop is built into the image more permanently rather than being added later in projection or presentation.
[Pan and Scan] A reformatting method that crops a widescreen image to fit a narrower screen shape.
[Full Aperture] The larger exposed image area captured by the camera before final framing or masking.
[Projection Masking] The use of masking to control how much of the film frame is visible during projection.
[Academy Ratio] A traditional film frame shape associated with older 35mm photography.
[Anamorphic] A widescreen capture method that uses special lenses to squeeze the image during filming and expand it during projection or playback.