Film Pulldown Formats (2-/3-/4-perf)

35mm film has four perforation holes per frame height—how many of these the camera transports per frame (the pulldown) is selectable. 4-perf is the classic full frame, 3-perf and 2-perf are the more economical variants. The choice is made before the first shooting day and determines the frame height, native aspect ratio, material consumption, and thus the running time of each 400-foot roll.

The Three Formats

• 4-perf — full negative height, native ~4:3. Maximum negative area for spherical, mandatory format for classic 2x anamorphic lenses. Most expensive variant: around 4.5 minutes per 400-foot roll at 24 fps.
• 3-perf — cropped to 1.85:1, hardly any waste. About a third more running time per roll (approx. 6 minutes); today the standard for spherical 35mm productions.
• 2-perf — Scope frame (~2.40:1) from half negative height. Almost 9 minutes per roll, but with significantly more visible grain, because less negative works per frame. Precisely for this reason, 2-perf is often deliberately chosen for texture.

On-Set Usage

The pulldown is not a menu setting, but mechanics: the camera's movement mechanism must be built or retrofitted for it. The rental house configures the body accordingly. Anyone planning for 2-perf should first ask which bodies the rental house can even retrofit.

Practical Tips

• First determine the aspect ratio and grain tolerance, then the perf format—not working backward from the budget.
• 2-perf saves material, but not light: the emulsion remains equally sensitive, only the area per frame shrinks.
• 4-perf plus push processing is a common way to achieve scale AND texture.
• Clarify the scan chain for 3-perf—standard today, inquire with older facilities.