Silent film

Natural colour film was not fully developed in the 1920s, and films were exhibited in 35mm black and white prints, many of them tinted, and Hindle Wakes was probably screened in this form. The aspect ratio (the screen's ratio of width to height) of films in the 1920s was commonly 1.33:1. Silent films did not have a soundtrack but had some sort of musical accompaniment, which supported the narrative by helping to convey mood and atmosphere. Plot information, dialogue and comment were all displayed on intertitles that appeared between shots.

Motorised projectors were common in the 1920s, but frames per second (fps) varied. In some screenings the fps changed at different points in the film for dramatic effect. This also happened when the audiences cried 'slower' so they could to read the intertitles or when projectionist wanted, for example, to finish early. Hindle Wakes is listed at 8,800 feet in length. A projection speed of 20 fps produces a running time of 113 minutes. This is the running time on the video. However, the film can and has been projected at a faster rate, up to 24 fps, with a running time reduced to 94 minutes.