Shooting 24fps HD in US

[RPSharman]

Hello,

Posting here for colleague Chris Munro.

Has anyone done any studio films in the US, shot on HD, at true 24fps?

Thanks,

Robert

[Ze Frias]

Not a studio film, but last year I worked on a show where we were shooting HD, and cameras (Sony F55s iirc) were in fact rolling at 24fps. We double confirmed with post that this was in fact the right frame rate, and got the okay that it was. It was unconventional, but it seems that the workflow worked fine since everyone was on the same page.

[John Blankenship]

I worked on an independent a year and a half ago that shot at actual 24. IIRC, someone in post talked them into it. I'm guessing it was a small facility that hadn't done much feature post -- but I could be wrong.

As far as I know, things went fine. As long as everyone is set for the proper rate there shouldn't be any issues.

[RPSharman]

It all works, we know. In the UK they never used 23.98fps - 25fps TV, 24fps film, 24fps HD features. No need for non-integer frame rates. But with features coming from the US, 23.98 is becoming more common, unnecessarily.

Chris is trying to talk to his current project about a 24fps frame rate versus 23.98fps, and they want to know what other "American" studio pictures have shot 24.

[CraigF]

DCPs are 24fps, I think it's the better workflow
I think they are finely learing 24p is not 24fps

[chriskellett]

I know it is not a movie but I do a series that shoots @ Silverstone in the UK every year and for the past 5 seasons we shoot 23.98 for everything when we are there. The project posts in the US and after doing a series of tests during the first year it was decided that this was the way they wanted to go.  It is a multi camera, multi format type of production and it all works fine. Flat screens and LED lights have made a lot of the old issue mute for most part, at least for us.

 

Robert, Tell Chris I send hello from Philadelphia, I did a bunch of 2nd unit stuff with him on The Last Airbender, I learned a ton from him. 

[MT Groove]

As long as everyone is on the same page, there's not much advantage nor disadvantage. Conversion between 23.976 to 24.00 and vice versa is very easily done. In the NTSC world, it's best to be at 23.976 all the way for delivery purposes. Only when it goes to DCP will it needs to be converted to true 24.00 and that is accomplished in a single pass along with the conversion to JPEG2000.

Sammy Huen

[Marc Wielage]

A little late here, but I worked on at least one major studio feature, Grownups 2 (Adam Sandler) where the entire production was 24fps digital from day one. It was a total disaster in post on the first day, but by the second everybody was on the same page and figured it all out. I'm not a fan of doing this, but "in theory" it doesn't matter as long as camera department, sound department, slate, and post all understand it's 24.00 and not 23.976. 

 

Just about every other major feature I've ever seen (including all the $150M+ Marvel movies) have shot at 23.976fps with 23.976 timecode.