Why Pillowboxing Might Be Hurting Your Film (and How to Fix It)

If you’ve spent any time in a coloring bay or an editing suite, chances are you’ve seen (or created) what’s known as scope framing: that familiar look where black bars are added to the top and bottom of a 16x9 image to give it that cinematic, widescreen feel. It’s a popular move—and if we're honest, it can look great on a laptop or in a Vimeo link. But when it comes to making a professional DCP (Digital Cinema Package), adding in cropped borders creates an all black window around your film called Pillowboxing. For customers, pillowboxing is one of the most common and frustrating problems we see in our office.

Here’s why.

When you create a 1920x1080 (or 3840x2160) file with black bars baked in, you're essentially locking in a specific presentation format. But theatrical exhibition doesn’t play by the same rules as your home setup. Digital cinema projectors are designed to display content natively—that means they expect your movie to match the official aspect ratios of theatrical containers (like Flat 1.85:1 or Scope 2.39:1). If your image has bars already burned in, the DCP has no idea those bars are decorative. They become part of the image, and now you’re projecting black bars on top of black bars. Which, if it's not intentional, change change the look of your film.

Even worse? We’ve seen entire films projected smaller than intended because of this. What should feel big and bold ends up letterboxed and shrunk, like watching a YouTube trailer from the back row.

The solution is simple: don’t bake in those bars.

Instead, deliver your image clean—no letterboxing, no pillarboxing. Let the DCP studio handle the proper scaling and formatting for theatrical delivery. A professional DCP house will place your film in the correct container, apply safe padding (if needed), and ensure your film fills the screen the way you intended.

At Echo Park DCP, we specialize in translating your final cut into a theatrical experience that honors your vision—without compromises, tech headaches, or awkward black bars. So whether your film is Flat, Scope, or somewhere in between, we’ve got you covered.

Your film deserves to look its best on the big screen. Let’s make that happen—but without the pillows.