[Patrick ODonnell]

It looks like I will be shooting a documentary this fall which may have funding from a television station for eventual broadcast. I would also like to transfer the finished product to 35mm to show at festivals, assuming it turns out alright. Does shooting at 24p or 24f affect television broadcast? And how much does shooting at 30p affect transfer to film?

[John Sprung]

24 fps is used on TV both here and around the world with no problem. 3-2 pulldown has long been accepted in the NTSC/ATSC world for getting from 24 frames to 60 fields. In the PAL/SECAM markets, they run everything 4% fast, at 25 fps.

30 fps shooting means you're either DOA as far as film and foreign TV are concerned, or you'd have to pay really big bucks for an Arri Relativity conversion. There are less expensive frame rate conversions out there, but the quality is really poor.

That's why scripted prime time TV is pretty much all shot at 24 fps. Everything we do here at CBS TV Studios is 24. It's by far the safest choice.




-- J.S.

[Patrick ODonnell]

John Sprung, on 24 June 2010 - 04:08 PM, said:

24 fps is used on TV both here and around the world with no problem. 3-2 pulldown has long been accepted in the NTSC/ATSC world for getting from 24 frames to 60 fields. In the PAL/SECAM markets, they run everything 4% fast, at 25 fps.

30 fps shooting means you're either DOA as far as film and foreign TV are concerned, or you'd have to pay really big bucks for an Arri Relativity conversion. There are less expensive frame rate conversions out there, but the quality is really poor.

That's why scripted prime time TV is pretty much all shot at 24 fps. Everything we do here at CBS TV Studios is 24. It's by far the safest choice.




-- J.S.

Thanks very much!