Deciding between 24P, 24P Advanced, or 30P

[Jerry Hofmann]

Best is a relative word… if 24fps, choose advanced mode so you can remove the pulldown pattern on the fly as you capture. However, I personally think that more fps is better looking depending on the “look” you want. 24 fps looks a bit more like film, but not enough in my opinion to warrant using it on it’s own. However 24fps material will allow for a higher quality MPEG-2 file for the DVD in the end, so there’s a judgement call there on which format to use, but remember that more fps equals smoother camera moves and motion on screen…

Jerry

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[John Dehn]

Thanks for the response. If I could ask one more thing: You mentioned that if I shoot in Advanced mode I can remove the pull-down pattern on the fly as I capture. Could you explain how I do that? Is it a FCP setting on capture? Also, if I do that am I losing any of the film-like effect from the 24P.

Thanks again for your help.

-jd

[Mike J.]

Well… I don’t agree with Jerry’s more “frames are better” thoughts.

See the point is you want it to look like film. 24fps on 29.97 tape NOT 29.97fps.

The question you’re asking is which is best?

Here’s the deal…. 24p really is 23.98. when it records to tape in 24p mode, it duplicates the look of 24fps film when transfered to 29.97 video tape.

shoot in this mode…it looks like film motion.

24advanced does the same thing BUT the pulldown pattern added as it records to tape is and ADVANCED pattern that makes removing the 3:2 pulldown come up with a “C frame” that is made of a whole image. This requires you to choose the pulldown in FCP to remove and it captures the 29.97 frames into 23.98 whole images. You would set you timeline to work at 23.98 and that would be you setting throughout. Adding other video shot at different frames rates would cause a problem as well.

DO NO USE 24advance if you’re not removing the pulldown and working at 23.98. IF this doesn’t make sense to you, this probably isn’t your ideal choice. This is for projects that would say, be blown up to film or require much effects work.

29.97… well…this is video…looks like video…is video. more frames doesn’t really look like film here. Nuff said really.

the simplest is to shoot 24p for a filmlook which records 24 images to 29.97 tape. Play it back and edit it at 29.97. Imitates film transfered to video. Nothing else to do here.

[Donato M. rondinelli]

We shoot all on-camera interviews in 24p with the SDX900. It makes it more interesting. I was watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition last season & they did the same, cut away from 60i (29.97) footage to on-camera interviews shot in 24p.
Reenactments work well with 24p. Do not shoot text in 24p, like the inside of a book. It will give you a headache.
-dMR