Re: editing 24p, 24p adv, and 60i footage

[Sean ONeil] "??? Are you serious? Footage shot at 24 has a completely different look than footage shot at 30. Doesn't matter if it's converted to 60i via pulldown and brodcast on TV. It still has a completely distinct cinematic look, whereas stuff shot at 30fps looks more like sitcom/soap opera."

You aren't paying attention Sean. 24P is recorded to tape at 29.97fps. It has the LOOK of a film cadence, while remaining in the 29.97 frame rate of video. It doesn't look like 30i of the OLD Soap Operas (they all now go thru a film look process to look less video, BTW).

[Sean ONeil] "
That's why its always better to capture and edit 24p footage at 24p (23.98)."

Wrong. Not if you are going to output back to SD tape. What would be the point? Tape runs at 29.97, so why would you capture and edit at 23.98, only to go back to 29.97? What is the possible benefit?

I have worked on several TV shows that were shot on super 16mm, telecined to digibeta...24fps recorded to tape at 29.97 using the 3:2 pulldown. Now, when we edited, we edited at 29.97fps. When we onlined the show we onlined at 29.97fps. Not once did we capture and edit at 23.98. There was no point.

But, if you shoot on HD or telecine film to HD at 23.98, then make DVCAM downconverts, then yes, there is a reason to edit 23.98, as the master is 23.98. But, if you shot 24P on DVCAM, your master is 29.97, to edit 29.97.

[Sean ONeil] "People have been editing pulldown footage w/o regard to cadence since the advent of digital video editing. Myself included. But as of the past couple years, progressive displays are the norm for consumers. So you will get calls like that and that's why I think its important for people to change their workflow standards when working with 24fps material. Capturing and editing 23.98 footage at 23.98 is the simplest solution."

People have been shooting 24P and 24PA footage and editing it in a variety of ways without taking the time to research and test their workflows. They just choose that setting because they want the "film look." In fact, more that once I have seen people who captured the footage at 24fps...TRUE 24fps...editing that and then trying to either online that or get that back to tape. You can't...it is 24fps. But they didn't understand, they just wanted the film look. These are cases of looking before you leap.

If you are going to shoot on DVCAM tape, and end up with a DVCAM master or other SD tape master (digibeta), then shoot and edit 29.97. Shoot 24P or 30P if you want the film look. I fail to see any benefit to shooting and editing 24PA for outputting to tape.

If you plan to master to DVD, or to high end HD like HDCAM or D5, or planning a film out, then shooting and editing 24PA as 23.98 is the way to go.

This is the general rule, and what I tell people who are inexperienced with this. BUT, if working 23.98 works for you, by all means, do it that way. Some people do and it works. But many are too inexperienced and make mistakes somewhere in the process.


Shane

Littlefrog Post
www.lfhd.net