7

I'd like to know if there is a reason why Dickons and Edison chose exactly 35mm as the width of their films.

Improve this question
1

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

Yes, they took normal 70mm film stock used to make movies, and cut it in half. It was cheap. It was really not a big deal at the time.

Improve this answer
6
  • 2
    OK, then why is 70mm 70mm?
    – bot47
    Mar 20, 2012 at 18:07
  • 1
    @Max, as far as I can tell, it's basically a random coincidence of history with no deep meaning.
    – mattdm
    Mar 20, 2012 at 18:25
  • 1
    Probably because in the very early movie days, they had bad film and weak lenses. By the late silent movie days, everything was 35mm, which was 1/4 the size (half the width and half the length) It went back to 70mm for Color epic films as they had to compete with TV in the 50s and early 60s
    – Pat Farrell
    Mar 20, 2012 at 23:28
  • 1
    @MaxRied: Becuause 70mm is half the width of an ancient Roman artifact... astrodigital.org/space/stshorse.html
    – Flimzy
    Mar 21, 2012 at 1:53
  • 1
    @MaxRied: Yes, the horse ass explanation is indeed a hoax (snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp)... but it's cute just the same :)
    – Flimzy
    Mar 21, 2012 at 8:31
4

There is a history of the film formats and sizes on this site. It goes into some of the particulars you're interested in. It boils down to the size being half the size of film (70mm) of the time.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.