Anamorphic is everywhere. From epic drama and science-fiction films to football’s cheesy Big Game advertisements, it’s hard to escape that ethereal, otherworldly aesthetic of the “anamorphic look” that just seems to imply the term “high budget.” In this article, I will teach you a few tips and tricks to “fake” this prized and stylized look. Why would anyone want to “fake” the look? The reason is that true anamorphic productions require very expensive, and often rare, lenses that very few filmmakers can afford to own and properly maintain. Some anamorphic lenses can cost about as much as a brand-new SUV, each. For the few who are unfamiliar with anamorphic optics and how they work, here’s a brief overview. Anamorphic optics squeeze a wide image onto a narrower imaging surface (like a film frame or camera sensor) to achieve the signature super-wide aspect ratio (also known as “scope”). A more thorough explanation of anamorphic optics can be found on this article I wrote, Guide to Anamorphic Lenses and Adapters. Now, some of you may ask, “why go through all that trouble to acquire special lenses for this aspect ratio when one could simply crop the common 16:9 (1.78:1) aspect ratio to a wider 2.4:1 ratio?” Read on!
The “Easy” Scope
It takes little intuition to realize that scope aspect ratios can be achieved with a simple crop or letterbox inside your editing suite of choice. Ideally, you would have composed your images properly to ensure that nothing gets cut off when you mask out your final aspect ratio. In many cases, just doing this simple crop can have a profound effect on the final look of your film. While there is a drop in resolution, there’s no real negative affect to the overall image quality because you’re not magnifying the image. I have yet to hear anyone seriously complain about the image quality in a letterboxed HD Blu-ray version of an anamorphic film. On the contrary, our minds might trick us into thinking letterboxed anamorphic films have higher production value, hence, the popularity of the anamorphic look. The only disadvantage to this technique is that you don’t get any of the extra mojo of anamorphic optics. But hey, it’s free to do it in post, and the effect of letterboxing is not insignificant. This technique also has a precedent from the film days in what’s referred to as “techniscope.” Now, you could stop here, content that letterboxing your film will achieve the desired effect, but there are still more steps you can take for a more authentic anamorphic look.
Flares
One of the most obvious aspects of anamorphic optics is their tendency to flare in interesting ways. Rather than just blooming highlights and reducing overall contrast (which will still happen on more vintage designs), the optical design of anamorphic glass lends itself to creating horizontal streaks of light stemming from bright sources from in and, occasionally, out of frame. This kind of flaring is usually associated with science-fiction and car commercials. If you work proficiently in compositing software, there are some good plug-ins and techniques available that offer this aesthetic. Like the letterboxing option above, this is a very affordable option, relative to real anamorphic lens sets. For those who prefer a more analog solution, one which is not dependent on compositing skills in post-production, there are filters. Known as “streak” or “2-point” filters, these specially designed filters cause bright points to form streaks of light, though unlike conventional anamorphic lenses, the flare’s direction can be controlled for extra creative control. Some filters even offer different color flares. Classic anamorphic optics usually flare blue, and you’re stuck with whatever color it is, but with filters, the sky is the limit. Many filter sizes and variations are available so most, if not all, standard lenses should be able to accept one with or without a matte box.
Elliptical Bokeh
Possibly the last holdouts of true anamorphic lenses are the bokeh (the term “bokeh” literally translates to “haze” in Japanese, and is used to refer to the out-of-focus areas of an image) and the asymmetrical focus falloff. True anamorphic glass elongates the bokeh, creating elliptical out-of-focus highlight disks instead of the classic circular highlights found in conventional spherical optics and, without bogging you down with the technical reasons, display a unique discrepancy between the horizontal and vertical focus planes (this is a much subtler characteristic that’s hard to describe, perhaps for a future article). As far as I know, there is no good workflow for consistently imitating this look in post-production; however, there are ways to achieve a similar, if not nearly identical, aesthetic with some clever production tricks. The fact of the matter is that the shape of a lens’s aperture influences the way the lens renders bokeh. Fun kits like the Bokeh Masters Kit leverage this phenomenon for some creative twists. The same concept applies to the anamorphic aesthetic. Put a mask with an elliptical opening on your lens and that lens will now render elliptical out-of-focus highlights, though a heavy vignette may be introduced. This method isn’t a complete catch-all and has some practical drawbacks, but if you’re looking for a way to go the extra mile and make some elliptical bokeh, this solution might be the ticket.
Conclusion
While true anamorphic lenses might only be available to those willing to pay for them, there are ways to creatively imitate that look. Possibly the best part of these methods is that they are interchangeable. You’re not limited to oval bokeh and strong horizontal blue streaks. You can have spherical bokeh and subtle red streaks that go vertical. If you don’t want the letterboxed anamorphic aspect ratio, don’t apply it in post and keep your flares and elliptical bokeh. While in this writer’s opinion, none of these options can really match up against the mystique and allure that comes from true anamorphic optics, it’s hard to beat the creativity that these tools give you.
Are there any tips and tricks that you have for making your footage look like anamorphic? Did I miss anything? Do you not like the anamorphic look at all? Comment below and get the conversation started!
