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issues converting frame rate
Recently started a project with mixed frame rates. We are working with standard NTSC 29.97, DVCpro 720p 60, and DVCpro 720p 24. The timeline is setup to work in NTSC 29.97. It is my understanding that the 29.97 and 60 can be used on the same timeline with no problem in FCP 6. I went ahead and used Cinema Tools 4.0.1 to convert the 24 footage to 29.97. What threw me off is that the speed of the clips has been changed in a way that I did not expect. Most of the clips have been sped up by about 20 percent. 4 of the clips (out of 29) went the other way and was slowed down by 50 percent.
My question is, will my converted footage be okay on the timeline? and how come the different speeds occurred on the converted clips? Also, if we used just the audio portion of an unconverted clip, will it be all right or will it mess up the timeline?
Thanks in advance
-Andrew Moon
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1 Reply
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Andrew
Your converted clips will be NOT ok in the timeline. You can’t use Cinematools to convert from 24 Fps to 29.97.
Think of it this way: 1 sec can be divided when recording video in either 24 or 29.97 (or 25 in PAL countries)
When you convert a 24 clip into 29.97 via Cinematools you are not changing the NUMBER of frames but only how the existing number of frames are played back. Take a example clip of 240 frames at 24 = 10 sec, 240 frames at 29.97 = 8 sec.To correctly convert 24 to 29.97 you have to convert the 10 sec at 24 into 10 sec at 29.97, ergo adding frames every second, or better said repeating frames to fit the 24 into the 29.97.
FCP should do this when you throw the 24 clip into your 29.97 timeline. As I’m in PAL land somebody else might want to give you the details and pitfalls of this process.
As to why some clips slowed down: Only guess is that the footage was shot with a Varicam and shot at a different frame rate? If this is the case and nobody told you when you got the footage its kind of complicated. That’s the first question you have to answer before you can go on.
Hope that helps a little
Carsten
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