internet explorers club | look I am obligated to talk about the Valley

A lot of people are talking aspect ratios over the past few weeks. It started with The Wire being edited for HD, which means instead of the 4:3 ratio it was filmed at, it's being converted to 16:9. David Simon actually wrote an incredibly great piece about the struggles he had with converting The Wire, from respecting the original cinematographer's vision, to the struggles of 16:9 shots occasionally not resonating as much as their original composition (and what they did to minimize that as much as possible).

Not done so thoughtfully was the Buffy conversion to HD, which has included removing day-for-night filters and showing crew members in shots. Oops.

Finally, someone decided to make a film shot entirely in portrait mode, and people are angry about it.

On a happier, and frankly, 2.35, note, Molly Lambert wrote a piece on Paul Thomas Anderson and his relationship with the Valley and obviously I love every second of it (AND it's called The Valley Plays Itself which is perfect and a reminder that Los Angeles Plays Itself is streaming on Netflix RIGHT NOW)

The Valley is everywhere and nowhere in media. But in reality, it’s peculiar and extraordinary, which is exactly what Paul Thomas Anderson captures in his movies set there. He portrays the Valley as a specific place, rather than as a stand-in for Anytown, USA. And furthermore, he saw the same beauty that I felt I saw in the Valley’s wonderland: the Ed Ruscha–like beauty of mini malls and gas stations painted against dark night skies and flat, open, blue daylight.

The entire article is more of that, so just go read it.

In other news:

• The codpieces in the new Wolf Hall miniseries are going to be made smaller as to not "offend American sensibilities."
• Also, apparently there's an underground culture of airplane pilots instagramming (which is OK) but also doing it while takeoff and landing (which is not OK).
• Finally, read an interview with Will Shortz's assistant who is "making the NYT crossword puzzle more hip" (and succeeding).

Etcetera: A bar that's in a former underground public restroom. Julian Assange is crowd-funding a statue of himself and I can't even. Beard baubles for the holiday season.

--Emily

p.s. today in Mail Kimp: a remix. Just go listen.