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==History==
==History==
In the silent era, projectors had a fixed aperture and screens had fixed masking. Apertures typically had rounded corners, which were often reflected in the masking. In the early years, a border was either painted directly onto the screen with matte black paint or constructed out of matte black fabric. However, at theaters that employed a stereopticon that projected a taller image than the 35mm picture, the film presentation could not be properly masked.
[[File:Powers Sound Aperture.JPG|A 1.37 aperture plate on a Powers Cameragraph No. 6.|right|thumb|300px]]
[[File:Powers Sound Aperture.JPG|A 1.37 aperture plate on a Powers Cameragraph No. 6.|right|thumb|300px]]
[[File:Masking - round corners.jpg|Silent era masking with rounded corners, from F. H. Richardson's Handbook of Projection, 3rd ed., 1916.|right|thumb|300px]]
[[File:Masking - round corners.jpg|Silent era masking with rounded corners, from F. H. Richardson's Handbook of Projection, 3rd ed., 1916.|right|thumb|300px]]
In the silent era, projectors had a fixed aperture and screens had fixed masking. Apertures typically had rounded corners, which were often reflected in the masking. In the early years, a border was either painted directly onto the screen with matte black paint or constructed out of matte black fabric. However, at theaters that employed a stereopticon that projected a taller image than the 35mm picture, the film presentation could not be properly masked.


The use of fixed masking, often with rounded corners, continued after the standardization of 1.37:1 as the aspect ratio for sound film. It was not until the proliferation of widescreen [[aspect ratios]] in the 1950s that theaters had to adapt by providing adjustable masking, which by necessity resulted in sharp corners on the screen. There were a few exceptions to this, including early pre-1950s widescreen gimmicks like [https://www.chicagofilmsociety.org/2016/02/02/magnascope// Magnascope] which would have required adjustable masking as early as the mid-1920s for theaters interested in screening films using this early widescreen projection process.  
The use of fixed masking, often with rounded corners, continued after the standardization of 1.37:1 as the aspect ratio for sound film. It was not until the proliferation of widescreen [[aspect ratios]] in the 1950s that theaters had to adapt by providing adjustable masking, which by necessity resulted in sharp corners on the screen. There were a few exceptions to this, including early pre-1950s widescreen gimmicks like [https://www.chicagofilmsociety.org/2016/02/02/magnascope// Magnascope] which would have required adjustable masking as early as the mid-1920s for theaters interested in screening films using this early widescreen projection process.  


The early days of widescreen were fairly chaotic as studios tried out different widescreen aspect ratios. Many films released during this period were produced with the understanding that some theaters would still need to screen them 1.37:1 while those who were able (i.e had updated their theaters to accommodate widescreen) would screen them in a widescreen aspect ratio, with widescreen masking.  
The early days of widescreen were fairly chaotic as studios tried out different widescreen aspect ratios. Many films released during this period were produced with the understanding that some theaters would still need to screen them 1.37:1 while those who were able (i.e had updated their theaters to accommodate widescreen) would screen them in a widescreen aspect ratio, with widescreen masking.  
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