CineScope

CineScope was a widescreen format used in filmmaking from 1953 to 1967. It was developed by 20th Century Fox as a response to the growing popularity of television and a means to entice audiences back to movie theaters with a more immersive cinematic experience.

The CineScope system involved several key components. Primarily, it employed anamorphic lenses both on the camera and projector. During filming, the camera lens squeezed the image horizontally onto the standard 35mm film stock. This compression effectively widened the field of view captured on the frame.

In the projection booth, a complementary anamorphic lens was used on the projector to unsqueeze the image, restoring its original width and producing a wider aspect ratio on the screen. The initial CineScope aspect ratio was 2.55:1, but this was later reduced to 2.35:1 (later standardized as 2.39:1) after the introduction of magnetic sound tracks on the film which took up space along the edge.

CineScope's adoption revolutionized the film industry, inspiring numerous competing widescreen formats. While CineScope itself eventually faded from widespread use, its influence on modern widescreen cinematography is undeniable, and the term "Scope" is still commonly used to refer to any film shot with an anamorphic lens system resulting in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio or similar. Common derivatives like Panavision were further developments of anamorphic widescreen technology building on CineScope's base. The legacy of CineScope includes a broader appreciation for widescreen formats and the evolution of cinematic storytelling within larger visual canvases.