Do you find the aspect ratio of Netflix's new fantasy series The Sandman a little off-putting? If so, you are not alone.
Several viewers of the long-awaited comic book adaptation have taken to the internet - opens in a new tab - to express concern about the distorted or "stretched" aspect ratio, which means that characters in some scenes look elongated and little natural. (see the title image above as an example).
Netflix has now responded to the confusion, clarifying (per Variety (opens in a new tab)) that the decidedly offbeat aspect ratio used in The Sandman is a deliberate artistic choice intended to emphasize the dreamlike quality of the setting's fantasy of the creator. Neil Gaiman.
For those who don't know, aspect ratio refers to the proportional relationship between the width and height of an image. TV series typically use a 16:9 aspect ratio, while movies are typically produced in 21:9, although the figure varies between filmmakers and media (The Lighthouse, for example, has a nearly square aspect ratio of 1,19:1). XNUMX:XNUMX).
We don't know exactly what aspect ratio is in play in The Sandman. However, Variety notes that if older lenses were used in your production alongside newer cameras, the combination of old and new could lead to image distortion. In any case, the series looks exactly as its creators intended, despite the frustration of some viewers.
@Netflix_Sandman @netflix #TheSandman is great so far, but why does everything seem so stuffy? Is this supposed to be a dream and am I just a wasteland or is there something wrong with my #aspect ratio? Aug 5, 2022
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After going through development hell on the big and small screen for over three decades, The Sandman finally arrived on Netflix on August 5. Based on Gaiman's beloved comic series of the same name, it tells the story of Dream, one of the Endless Seven, a group of superhuman beings more powerful than gods, who eludes capture after 105 years and sets out to restore order. in his magical kingdom.
Tom Sturridge, David Thewlis, Jenna Coleman, and Game of Thrones alums Charles Dance and Gwendoline Christie are part of the show's all-star cast, and the show is slated to run for multiple seasons, if its first run of episodes proves popular enough. among the public. .
In our review, we said that The Sandman's "engaging cast of characters, expansive universe, and deeply human themes" make it "worthy of Gaiman's dark fantasy comic series." We also spoke to the cast and crew of the shows to find out how they finally brought this high-concept story to life.
So for our money, The Sandman is certainly worthy of follow-up entries, especially given the fact that there's still a lot of Gaiman's universe to explore on screen (the author wrote 10 volumes between 1989 and 1996). And, as it tops Netflix's popularity chart (opens in a new tab) in its first week of release, we hope the streamer feels the same way too.