Remove sidebars from 1920 x 1080 footage

[phil63]

H; my first time here, so sorry if this is obvious/already discussed: I can find plenty on aspect ratios/square pixels etc. but I can't seem to sort my particular query.

I am editing footage for an actor friend for a short showreel. The supplied footage is as follows:

Apple ProRes 422_Full Range_Stereo.mov

Type: QuickTime Movie

Image Size: 1920 x 1080

Frame Rate: 25.00

Pixel Aspect Ratio: 1.0

The issue I have is that the actual visible image is 4:3 format, with two hefty side bars. (I'm not sure why the film maker went for this format, but I guess I should respect their artistic choice..)

My first question;  is it safer to leave it like this (especially if the showreel may be viewed on all manner of devices..) or should I try and convert the whole to the actual 4:3 format of the image as filmed, by removing the sidebars? Will that be even less compatible with various screens and devices?

And if it is best to crop off the side bars, how do I do it on an already edited project? I have had a go using various export settings, but that doesn't seem to work..

Thanks in advance!

Phil

[John T Smith]

That really is odd, since my general understanding is that widescreen has a pixel aspect ratio of 1.2

So, instead of asking here, why don't you ask the owner what is wanted?

[phil63]

The actress in question just wants something that'll work for a Spotlight showreel, etc., and having just done a test upload, I think it probably seems safest to leave as-is with the borders... it's certainly the easiest option.