Frames and containers: Reframings and re-fits and cross media platform delivery

FRAMES AND CONTAINERS: REFRAMING’S AND RE-FITS AND CROSS MEDIA PLATFORM DELIVERY
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The lasting antagonistic relationship between the conception of the frame and container has undergone a vast evolution since it was first proposed in Sergei Eisenstein’s 1931 essay “The Dynamic Square.” Eisenstein suggests that the film does not have to fill its container, but instead should use a multitude of expressive rectangles to relay a specific emotion or for dramatic effect (Savage 2014). Filmmakers hardly adopted this suggestion until the 1950s, where the screen sizes of films, was twice as large as in the 1930s, allowing for dynamic frames in films, such as Around the World in 30 Days. In the 1930s, the 1:33:1 aspect ratio was used ubiquitously, but this changed after Eisenstein's death when the use of fluid frames began to be integrated into films but with different tweaks (Munday 2017; Harris & Haglund 2017). The aspect ratio is defined as the proportion of a movie’s width to its height. Fluid frames present an opportunity for the movie directors to engage the viewer in their narrative as frames change with the emotion that they are intended to invoke and relay information critical in the story.
The entertainment industry has undergone a drastic transformation with the disruptive force of technology across sectors. The advent of technology led to a transformation of the platforms that consumers enjoyed the film. For example, screens in theatres can be changed swiftly to suit the aspect ratio of a film and to render the best viewing experience for the viewers. Technological advancements also benefited movie directors since they can be creative with the use of fluid frames without being limited creatively by the commercial elements of the film production and distribution (Munday 2017). The radical change in the limitations and opportunities that directors now have at their disposal has led to the pervasive adoption of fluid frames in the production of film and acceptance in different markets. Viewers are also familiar with fluid frames that alleviate former concerns among directors that viewers would be more interested in the black spaces left as the frames change between the frame and the container more than their focus within the frames.
Filmmakers before the 1950s were limited to a rigid landscape container that limited their ability to alter the aspect ratio of the entire film or specific shots. This rigidity was not only technological but was also caused by cultural and commercial forces. The screen sizes were smaller that led even Eisenstein to rely on the landscape portraits to fit the needs of financiers and the screens available in movie theaters (Munday 2017). The trend changed with the emergence of larger screens that gave film directors' room to experiment with different approaches to Eisenstein’s fluid frames proposition. The sequel to American Graffiti was dedicated to the development of a common understanding to make it possible to address the differences associated with growth.
Fluid frames are pervasive in contemporary films, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, which has been attribu...