Open matte

Open matte can be used with non-anamorphic films presented in 2.20:1 or 2.39:1, but it is not used as often, mainly because it adds too much additional headroom, depending upon how well the framing was protected or for aesthetic purposes.

Films shot anamorphically use the entire 35 mm frame (except for the soundtrack area), so they must use pan and scan as a result.

[citation needed] Many films over the years have used the open matte technique for home video releases and television broadcasts, the most prominent of which include the Back to the Future trilogy, the Jurassic Park trilogy, Schindler's List, Titanic, Top Gun, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Fugitive, Silverado and Predator, as well as many films that have been specially formatted for the IMAX expanded aspect ratio of 1.90:1 and 1.43:1.

Films such as James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Michael Bay's The Rock (1996), and Steven Spielberg's Minority Report (2002), all of which were shot in Super 35 also utilize the open matte technique, but this is mixed with pan and scan due to the visual effects being rendered in a wider aspect ratio.

For films with wider aspect ratios (2.39:1, for example) the matting bars will appear on the top and bottom of the screen of the broadcast image, thus preserving each director's framing intent.

A frame from a 35 mm film print. Here, the picture is framed for the intended theatrical aspect ratio (inside the yellow box). The picture outside of the yellow box is matted out when the film is shown in widescreen. For 4:3 television and home media versions, a large portion of the picture can be used (inside the red box) with an open matte.
Open matte example with a slight shift of the image section upwards.
Aspect ratio 2.35:1 versus 1.85:1