Aspect ratio is a narrative tool, not just a technical parameter. The Academy ratio (1.37:1) is nearly square — intimate, suited to close-ups and interior drama. CinemaScope and its descendants (2.35:1 and wider) spread the frame horizontally, emphasizing landscape, crowds, the smallness of figures in space.

Directors choose ratios for their expressive properties: Wes Anderson's use of 1.37:1 in *The Grand Budapest Hotel* evokes the past (it was standard before television forced widescreen). Xavier Dolan shoots in 1:1 square format for claustrophobic intimacy.

The ratio frames what can be shown in a single image, which shapes what cuts are necessary.

Related: [[deep-focus-controversy]], [[the-long-take]]