Frame Rate Isn’t Just Speed

Frame Rate Isn’t Just Speed

One could probably write a whole book or thesis on this
one topic alone, but it’s no accident that fi lm images are
displayed at 24 frames per second and that newer digital
formats, which could theoretically be optimized for just
about any frame rate, also aim for this rate (despite how
diffi cult it is to fi nd a low-end camera that shoots 24p
natively, with no interlacing).
The question that would generate all of the chatter is
“why?” There is no logical answer, and many attempts have
been made to explore alternatives. The simple truth seems
to be that frame rates of 30 fps and higher feel more like
direct reality, but 24 fps is just above the threshold where
persistence of vision breaks down, giving it a more ephemeral
and dream-like quality, just as do other cinematic conventions
such as light bloom and shallow depth of fi eld.
If you have a choice on a given project and you want it to
have a cinematic look, try creating it at 24 fps and judge
for yourself. After Effects is quite forgiving about letting
you change frame rates mid-stream compared with most
video applications; details on how the conversion actually
works appeared back..

If you have no choice but to work at 29.97 fps, you still
have a choice: progressive versus interlaced. It’s not necessarily
an error to render animation without adding interlacing;
in fact, step through your favorite animated series
on television and you may fi nd that it’s animated at 15 fps
or less (and basically never at 59.94 fps, which is effectively
what 29.97 fps interlaced means in animation terms). South
Park doesn’t count.

29.97 fps Videotape Never Took Over

The debate between using 24 fps film and 29.97
fps videotape in the U.S. and other countries with
NTSC has been raging since long before the digital
era. It began with the advent of videotape in the
1950s, when tape was cheap and fast, if cumbersome
by today’s standards.
One particular experiment from this era stands out.
For six episodes, the producers of The Twilight Zone
tried tape before they evidently realized it was
ruining the show’s mystique.
Video’s higher frame rate and harder look instantly
turned one of the most intriguing and ironic series
of all time into something that looked more like a
soap opera. To judge for yourself, rent DVDs from
Season 2 that include the following videotaped
episodes: “Static,” “Night of the Meek,” “The Lateness
of the Hour,” “The Whole Truth,” “Twenty-Two,”
or “Long Distance Call.”
Even though videotape was always much cheaper
and more convenient than film, there seem to be
dramatic reasons for why it never took over