Instead of cropping the sides of the image to make it fit a square TV (Pan and Scan), directors would often protect the top and bottom of the film frame during shooting. When the movie aired on television or was released on VHS, the projectionist would "open the matte," revealing image data that was hidden by the theatrical black bars.
"Matte" means to matte (crop) the image on the top and/or bottom. When you show it without the matte (cropping), it's "open matte" The Terminator (1984) - Technical specifications - IMDb
Until then, groups like “-CM-” fill a niche for film students, restoration hobbyists, and frame-obsessed fans who want to see what the cinematographer actually shot.
This is significant for two reasons:
The Terminator 1984 Open Matte 720p Web-dl -cm-... -
Instead of cropping the sides of the image to make it fit a square TV (Pan and Scan), directors would often protect the top and bottom of the film frame during shooting. When the movie aired on television or was released on VHS, the projectionist would "open the matte," revealing image data that was hidden by the theatrical black bars.
"Matte" means to matte (crop) the image on the top and/or bottom. When you show it without the matte (cropping), it's "open matte" The Terminator (1984) - Technical specifications - IMDb The Terminator 1984 Open Matte 720p WEB-DL -CM-...
Until then, groups like “-CM-” fill a niche for film students, restoration hobbyists, and frame-obsessed fans who want to see what the cinematographer actually shot. Instead of cropping the sides of the image