23.98 fps time remapping issues

	Re: 23.98 fps time remapping issues by Dave LaRonde on Apr 11, 2008 at 8:52:24 pm [Mack Williams] "...and I was told we needed to be working at 23.98 fps." ...and by that, do the Powers That Be actually mean, "you need to be working at a film frame rate", or do they mean, "you need to be working with progressive scan video"? I ask this because it's a WHOLE lot easier to work in 30p than it is to work in 23.98... and they're both progressive scan. Unless there are specific reasons for shooting at 23.98, such as: • You're going to do a film-out • You want an easier route to do conversions to the PAL frame rate • You want to fit a bit more video on those Blu-Ray DVD's you going to make, because you're using a lower frame rate • The boss demands shooting at 23.98 just 'cause it's cool right now ...you'll probably be better off going 30p. That's the end of my First Things First spiel. ------------------------------------------- Now: did you know that 23.98 isn't REALLY 23.98, but is actually 23.976? Did you know that if you import 23.98 video into AE, its actual frame rate is 23.976? Did you know that if you render an AE comp at 23.98, you're going to have frame rate headaches later when you go to use it? And did you know that, since you're working in a different frame rate, you have to change the frame rate that AE displays in the comp window? Here's what AE Help says about it: • To cycle through Timecode Base, Frames, and Feet + Frames, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS)the current-time display at the bottom of the Composition, Layer, or Footage panel, or at the top of the Timeline panel. • To change time display units, choose File > Project Settings, and choose from the options in the Display Style section. Dave LaRonde Sr. Promotion Producer KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: 23.98 fps time remapping issues by Dave LaRonde on Apr 14, 2008 at 4:02:40 pm [Mack Williams] "Should I really be doing it at 23.976 fps? Is that where my problem is?" That is ABSOLUTELY where your problem is, and you can take that to the bank. Make your comps 23.976, and life will be good. You see, the people who make cameras and editing software have this VERY nasty habit of referring to the NTSC film frame rate as 23.98 when it's actually 23.976. Apparently they think people might freak out if they have to deal with a third decimal place in a frame rate. So they round it off when they refer to it, so as not to scare us or something. But it's still 23.976, as decided by the National Television Standards Committee (NTSC). This is a source of constant annoyance and confusion when working with applications that Actually Get It Right, like AE. To prove it to yourself, do the following. Drag out your calculator: • If you multiply 30 (the pre-color NTSC frame rate) by 0.8, you get 24. Does this frame rate look familiar? • If you multiply 29.97 (the current NTSC frame rate) by 0.8, you get 23.976. Actually, I get 23.9759999999999991. There's no doubt that 29.97 is a God-Awfully Incovenient frame rate, with compromises aplenty, but at least AE follows the technical standard. And I won't even get into the fact that the ACTUAL NTSC frame rate is 30/1.001, with all its attendant woes. Suffice it to say that "compromises aplenty" isn't idle chatter. Dave LaRonde Sr. Promotion Producer KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index