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Film & Television vocabulary · Editing and Post-Production

Letterboxing

Meaning in film & television, with examples

nounCommon term

In film & television, letterboxing means: Displaying a wide image in a narrower screen shape with bars above and below, preserving the full picture.

In Turkish: alt ve üst siyah bantlı gösterim

How it is used

Used when preserving a wider aspect ratio rather than cropping the sides.

Example sentences

  1. Letterboxing kept both characters visible at opposite ends of the widescreen frame.

    The full horizontal composition is preserved on the display.

  2. The channel approved letterboxing instead of cutting off the landscape edges.

    The delivery choice protects the original image boundaries.

Common collocations

  • apply letterboxing
  • letterboxing bars
  • editingThe work of choosing, ordering and joining shots so that they tell the story with the right rhythm, emotion and meaning.
  • post-productionAll the work done on a film after the shoot ends, including editing, visual effects, color grading, sound design, music and the final mix.

More terms: Editing and Post-Production

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