Basic trope: Showing the entirety of an image in a screen with a different Aspect Ratio, with rectangular bars (usually black) filling in the unused space.
- Straight:
- A 2.39:1 frame on a 16:9 screen
- A 16:9 frame on a 4:3 screen
- Exaggerated:
- A 2.39:1 frame or wider on a 4:3 screen
- Horizontal video on a vertical screen, or visa versa
- Black bars on all sides, aka Windowbox
- Downplayed:
- A 1.85:1 frame on a 16:9 screen
- A 14:9why? frame on a 4:3 screen
- Lampshaded: "These black bars make it much more cinematic"
- Justified: The director specifically shot and blocked the movie for widescreen, and letterbox format shows the whole frame
- Enforced: The director will not allow Pan and Scan, Open Matte or squished releases
- Inverted:
- Pan and Scan
- Pillarbox (when the content is narrower than the screen, such as 4:3 content on a 16:9 screen)
- Subverted: The opening credits were letterboxed, but the movie is Pan and Scan
- Double Subverted: Until an Aspect Ratio Switch reveals only the first scene is in the TV's ratio
- Parodied:
- The characters reach out of the letterbox
- The letterbox has a mind of its own, changing colors, even showing text to the audience
- Zig-Zagged: The video is letterboxed, then stabilized. That means the letterbox appears to move semi-randomly
- Averted:
- Pan and Scan, Visual Compression or Open Matte is used
- The movie has the same aspect ratio as the TV
- Played for Drama: Eyed Screen
- Played for Laughs: The letterbox doesn't like one of the characters, and hides them
- Played for Horror: The letterbox closes in to create claustrophobia
- Exploited:
- The letterbox hides things until the character (and the audience) notices them
- The black space can be used for captions, information, or anything without encroaching on the movie's space.
