File:Open matte film illustration.jpg

Summary
Illustration of open matte filming. Photo taken by Wapcaplet, effects in the GIMP.

When filming while intending to use an open matte transfer, extra visuals are captured, though the film may be framed for the 2.35:1 cinema aspect ratio (inside the yellow box). When shown in widescreen versions, only the portion inside the yellow box is used; the rest is masked out. For 4:3 television versions of the film, the extra footage can be used (inside the red box). Without open matte filming, a pan and scan transfer of the widescreen version would have to work within the yellow box, cropping out a significant portion of the picture.