Ideas for DIY Screen AR Masking Project

[eatbear]

I recently purchased a Panasonic AE4000U, and spent about a week playing with the settings/aspect ratios in my HT space. I picked the Panasonic over the competing Epson for the Lens memory (quick cycling through 6 presets) and the 2.35:1 recognition.

Last night I put in an order for a Carada 112" Criterion BW 2.35:1 screen, and I've started thinking about a manual aspect masking system and how I might create one that is simple yet functional.

I'm interested to see what other people have done in regards to building DIY masking for a 2.35:1 screen..

Quick/easy DIY ideas:

- Simple Velcro-Velvet Masks attached at the top of the frame that hang to the base. The velvet could be filled with foam-core or light cardboard. I'm not too happy about applying a velvet strip to the top of the screen frame (it might be possible to put it on the wall), but either way -- I'm sure you'd barely notice. This idea is very basic and would serve the purpose intended. The cost for a project like this should be under $30 for two masks.

Something to consider is the size: There are quite a few popular framings. The most common under 2.35:1 will be 1.85:1, 1.78:1 (HDTV) and 1.33:1 (SD). You could opt to make two masks that equal a 1.33 AR, make masks for each AR, or just choose the one you'd use most.

- Velvet Mask on Sliding Track I'm sure someone has done something like this. The idea requires using a simple track/mini-wheel system, like those you might find on a desk keyboard tray, or a modern kitchen drawer. A simple velvet mask would be attached to tracks on the top/bottom of the screen frame (preferably with black colored tracks). The benefit to this idea is you could slide them to the outermost position when not in use (2.35:1), and adjust to the aspect ratio of the current media simply by sliding it to scale.

Here's a little mockup I did to simulate what I'm shooting for, in case you're just totally confused right now



Anyway... I'd love to see if anyone has had some experience with manual masking on a CinemaScope screen, and how you went about creating it.

I'm going to start building something next week when the screen arrives, so any ideas/tips are welcomed and appreciated!