24P or 24PA for FCP?

[Tom Wolsky]

Unless you’re going to output to film or to make a 24fps DVD, then you should use 24p. If you really want the stuttering motion that 24fps creates. I think you can also shoot 30p with that camera, which gives you better motion, without interlacing.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

Unless you’re going to output to film or to make a 24fps DVD, then you should use 24p. If you really want the stuttering motion that 24fps creates. I think you can also shoot 30p with that camera, which gives you better motion, without interlacing.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Arthur Luhn]

So I understand 24PA to be true 24fps; so then why is 24p preferred for FCP? Logically 24pa gives you smaller file sizes, doesn’t it?

Original Idiot

[David Battistella]

Yes, it does give you smaller file sizes because you are capturing six less frames per second.

David

Peace and Love 🙂

[Tom Wolsky]

With that camera you’re recording your material at 29.97 regardless of the whether it’s 24p or 24pa. To call 24pa true 24 is a misnomer and a misunderstanding of what the format is doing.

24pa has one advantage. It lets you work in a 23.98 sequence and output sequence that can be taken directly to film or to a 24p DVD. But those are it’s only uses. If you are going back to tape or need to generate material for broadcast or in any other format that in it’s lifetime will be 29.97, then you should shoot 24p. The purpose of that format is to create a film look. That format can be put on tape, exported to any other 29.97 system and put onto a 29.97 DVD. Greater flexibility but at the expense of taking more data space. The problem with putting 24pa back onto tape or into a 29.97 sequence is that the motion looks horrible. The pulldown cadence makes movement look as if it’s skipping along. I’m not a fan of 24fps motion as it is, and watching 24pa material in video is pretty dreadful in my view. If you know where you’re going with limited delivery expectations than 24pa is fine.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Arthur Luhn]

Thanks for the great clarification, I appreciate it!