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60i vs. 24p Project: Pros and Cons?
I’m hoping to get some more clarification on how Final Cut 6 handles 60i and 24p projects and what the best way to approach this particular project is.
The footage was shot on P2 cards using the Panasonic HPX 500 in 24PN mode (not 24PA, apparently), which means that the clips transfer into Final Cut as 1080/60i 29.97fps and I have to reverse telecine them through Cinema Tools to get them to 24p. However, the footage looks great at 1080i60 and I’m wondering if it’s even worth doing considering that we’re finishing to HD.
If I do decide to reverse telecine the footage to 24fps, I’m also a little confused as to whether or not the resulting clips are truly 24fps or are they 23.98fps? Final Cut and Cinema Tools both recognize them as 24fps (as opposed to 23.98 specifically), but some of what I’ve read seems to suggest that it is, in fact, 23.98. So what is the proper timebase to use for 1080/60i footage reverse telecined to 24fps? 23.98, 24 or even 29.97?
Any suggestions as to what the best workflow is? Stay 60i or go to 24p? Besides frames vs. fields, what are the advantages and disadvantages to each? From a technical standpoint, I just want to make sure that I’m properly prepared for when we turnover for sound and picture online. Thanks in advance!!
-Tom
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4 Replies
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[Tom Runquist] “The footage was shot on P2 cards using the Panasonic HPX 500 in 24PN mode “
If your footage was shot at 24PN, then that means it has no pulldown. It’s native 23.98 (that’s what the “N” stands for).
[Tom Runquist] “I’m also a little confused as to whether or not the resulting clips are truly 24fps or are they 23.98fps?”
They would be 23.98. (unless the HPX500 has a setting that changes from 59.94hz to 60hz. I don’t know if it does or not)
I consider best practices to be editing in the native format, so in your case, 23.98. It just prevents problems down the road. What are you finishing to?
-Russ
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Thank you so much for the response, Russ!
I think I may be confusing 24P with 24P “Native” (or maybe 24P “Normal”) unless they’re one and the same. Panasonic simply refers to the two modes as 24P and 24PA. The 24P mode requires that the standard 3:2 pulldown be applied using Cinema Tools after ingest (at least for the HPX500).
The Cinema Tools manual seems to indicate that the reverse telecine process results in 23.98fps clips, but when I view them in Final Cut, it says they’re 24fps and it wants to put them into 24-frame sequences. I guess that’s where I’m a little confused because if the clips were 23.98, Final Cut should recognize them as such, correct? I don’t see any telecine speed in Cinema Tools other than 30, 25 and 24.
We’re finishing to HD, but the director wants to be able to do a film out from the HD tape.
Thanks again, Russ.
-Tom
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[Tom Runquist] “The Cinema Tools manual seems to indicate that the reverse telecine process results in 23.98fps clips, but when I view them in Final Cut, it says they’re 24fps and it wants to put them into 24-frame sequences”
In Cinema Tools, when removing the pulldown, you have the option of changing the files to 24fps or 23.98fps. If you ended up with files that are 24fps, you could just use the Cinema Tools conform feature to conform them to 23.98.
[Tom Runquist] “if the clips were 23.98, Final Cut should recognize them as such, correct?”
Correct.
If you’re considering a film out, you definitely want to remove the pulldown. Also of note, if you’re planning to go back to film, consult with the company that will be doing the film out to see if there is anything that they would suggest with the process.
As you’ve noted, Panasonic uses 24P, 24PA and 24PN to mean completely different things.
-Russ
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Ahh, thank you very much, Russ. I overlooked the “Conform” function. Things are becoming much clearer. (It’s my first time using Cinema Tools and all). I will definitely consult with one of our post facilities regarding the film out to see what they recommend for delivery.
In the meantime, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to help clarify things.
Cheers!!
-Tom
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