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HELP – PULL-DOWN ISSUE WORKING WITH ARCHIVAL FILM IN 24P
Bear with me here… I’m working on a historical doc for a local PBS station. Camera footage was originated using the HDX 200 in 720p-24n. Much of the program uses old 16mm film that’s been xfer’d to an uncompressed video file using the 16mm “Sniper” (a psuedo-telecine transfer system. The system scans the film frames into a pc one at a time and stores the images as a single movie file using a proprietary codec). You can tell the Sniper’s software what frame rate the original film footage was shot at – i.e. 18fps, 24fps and so-on. However, when you export it back out it only outputs to a 29.97 interlaced file.
Here’s the problem: The film I’m working with was originated at [i]18fps[/i] – not 24. But, I’m working with a 24p sequence. I need to convert the footage so that it plays cleanly in a 24p environment. But I can’t run it through CT and do a reverse telecine to remove the pull-down because that’s designed for footage that was originated at 24fps [u]only[/u]. When I try to do it on footage that was shot at 18fps, I end up with a wierd flashing/banding thing as it tries to apply a 24 frame pull-down to an 18 frame image.
I’m thinking that there has to be a plug-in either for FCP, CT or for the Sniper that can work a pull-down from 18fps film to 24p video.
Anyone have any ideas?
Tim Walton
KVIE Public Television -
4 Replies
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[tristan004] “However, when you export it back out it only outputs to a 29.97 interlaced file. “
Can the Sniper output to PAL? The conversion might be easier.
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Yeah, I thought about that. But can I import PAL footage into an NTSC seq?
Tim Walton
KVIE Public Television -
I thought you were working 24p, not NTSC. The conversion from PAL 25fps to 24fps is less complex than from 29.97.
Should produce fewer pulldown artifacts. Worth a try, anyway.
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If you already have what is essentially a 60i file, either the material in it is running too fast (if it was transferred one to one, film frames to video frames) or some kind of pulldown pattern was applied to bring the 18fps to 30fps. If it was one to one, you need to slow down the clip to 75% of its original speed, then convert the resulting material to 24 fps using something like the Natress 24p conversion plug in, or have a facility do it on a professional device, such as a Teranex. If it is still running at what is effectively its native 18fps speed, convert the 60i file directly using one of the above methods.
Next time, you might consider transferring this kind of material at a professional telecine facility, which can transfer directly to 24p or 60i formats from just about any camera frame rate, with proper pulldown patterns applied for the smoothest motion.
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