in this video i'm going to explain everything you need to know about frame rate for cinematic video
in this ultimate guide i'm going to clear up any misconceptions and help you avoid mistakes
that takes away from the cinematic quality of your films let me start by saying that
all frame rates can be cinematic instead of asking what frame rate you should use the more important
thing to understand is when to use a frame rate in context of your shots if you think you know
everything about frame rates stick around because there's a good chance you'll learn something new
if you want your videos to look more cinematic you have to consider every shot and every edit
as unique i put together five questions you can ask yourself as the ultimate guideline to help
you choose the best frame rate question one what is your region the only time you will choose a
frame rate based on your region is when you're shooting anything that works with electricity
like lights or a screen this has got to do with the fact that different regions use a different
energy frequency better known as the alternating current with the pal region running at 50 hertz
and ntsc region at 60 hertz what this means is if you choose a frame rate that clashes with this
frequency you're bound to see some form of flicker when you're using any form of lighting the best
practice is to stick to your region that being said the moment you move away from electricity
things change for me to shoot 60 frames per second in south africa as a benefit over shooting in 50
frames because i'm getting an extra 10 frames per second which means i can make my video 10 slower
without seeing any lag but again i'm not simply going to choose a frame rate because it gives me
more slow motion let me clearly say this more slow motion doesn't mean more cinematic you have to be
intentional which leads me to my next question will you slow it down to me the only approach to
shooting slow motion is to ask yourself will you absolutely slow it down in the edit not
slowing down a shot taken in a higher frame rate immediately takes away from the cinematic quality
there's a misconception that shooting everything in a high frame rate is safer because then you can
choose which shots you want to slow down right wrong there's a massive difference between a
shot taken at 25 frames per second and one at 100 frames per second not slow down when you compare
the two you can clearly see the difference with 25 frames per second looking more natural and 100
frames looking choppy and digital the only time this is acceptable is if you want to do speed
ramping but yeah the majority of the shots are still being slowed down another mistake is not
conforming or interpreting your footage in post if there's one thing i want you to learn today
this is it you have to set the frame rate of your clip to match the frame rate of your timeline here
in south africa by default i edit only on a 25 frames per second timeline so when i import the
clip shot at a different frame rate it's crucial to interpret or conform it because if you don't
you'll get a horrible lag when you export take a look at this drone shot at 30 frames per second
export it at 25 without conforming it to my timeline it will look laggy but the conformed
one although slower will be smooth and that's why it's crucial to make your decision when you shoot
once conformed to your timeline the clip will automatically be slowed down and stretch in length
on your timeline it doesn't matter what frame rate you shoot at you have to conform the frame rate
to the one in your timeline for cinematic video there's only two frame rates you should use for
your timeline either 24 or 25 frames per second which depends on your region if you're living in
the power region there's absolutely no reason why you should shoot on 24 frames per second because
it's in no way more cinematic than 25 these frame rates are known as the natural frame rates or
normal speed which leads me to my next question are you shooting sound or dialogue in this case
only shoot 24 or 25p because like i mentioned if you don't conform your 30p footage to your 25p
timeline it will be choppy and slowing it down will ruin the speed of talking causing syncing
problems with the audio natural frame rates also work best with real-time audio and sound effects
this is one of the best ways to pull your viewer into a more immersive experience where slow motion
can cause a disconnect and require special sound design to create the same effect question number
four how fast is the movement who or what am i shooting this is by far the most important part
of the video because this is how you decide on which frame rate you're going to choose
based on a shot here i use a few guidelines let's start with 24 25 frames per second we've already
established that this is the best frame rate for shots that require audio but it's also the best
way to portray the real speed of your subject and gives the viewer an accurate feeling of things as
they are making you feel more present in that moment a good example of this is the mountain
biker coming down the hill the only way to truly show the intensity and speed is to shoot in real
time which really makes you appreciate the skill of the rider so ask yourself this do i want the
viewer to see things as they are i also choose 25 frames per second when i'm shooting a wider scene
where there aren't any big movements and slow motion will make it feel too static 24 25 frames
per second is definitely the frame rate i use the most and hollywood seems to agree if you
really concentrate on it you'll notice how little slow motion is used in a full feature length film
but we'll get to that now the most important factor here is your shutter speed because that
ultimately determines how the shot feels the 180 degree shutter rule states that your shutter speed
should always be doubled in that of your frame rate if you want to maintain the natural motion
blur which your eyes are accustomed to seeing in real life to me this motion blur is what makes
the shot feel cinematic you can break the shutter rule if you do so with creative intent for example
to create an effect with blur or tension with choppiness in order to shoot at a low shutter
speed but still keep your f-stop low for depth of field you need to use a neutral density filter
an nd is like putting on sunglasses for your lens and brings down the exposure that comes with the
low shutter speed i use a variable nd since it allows me to adjust the exposure quickly
on the folder so it's easy to get the right exposure once your shutter speed is dialed in
according to your frame rate it's crucial to invest in a high quality nd filter as some
cheaper alternatives will degrade your footage and cause all kinds of color casts and artifacts
i recently got the nissy true color vnd and i have to say it's by far the best filter i've used with
no colour casting or cross polarization putting on an nd filter shouldn't change your image because
it can create a lot more work in post production and sometimes simply ruin your colours the first
example was shot at 25 frames per second at 50 shutter speed notice the natural blur that
comes with the body movement when you go over 50 the movements look choppy and unnatural when you
put the two next to each other you can clearly see the winner that kept you the shutter rule
25 frames per second at 50 shutter speed breaking the shutter rule can also make certain objects
look unrealistic like moving water or a dress blowing in high winds even in slow motion moving
on to slow motion higher frame rates can easily come across as more cinematic because it just
looks so damn cool problem here is when you overuse it when your entire video is in slow
motion it can quickly become stale and lose the overall cinematic feeling you get with some shots
i've learned that slow motion has way more power when you are intentional about the shot so this
means that you have to use it at the right time when you save your slow motion shot for a special
moment it has way more impact because you create contrast as you transition from natural speed
clearly seen in this example all the shots are in 25 frames per second and then i suddenly cut
to a slow-mo shot and immediately it has a more powerful effect in my film about the sea turtles
i have the sequence where talita is getting ready for a dive and the moment she jumps into the water
i switch over to 50 frames per second because she's entering an underwater world this
is exactly what slow motion does it takes you into another world an almost surreal experience
showing things in a surreal way since most people only have access to 60 and 120 frames per second
i'm only going to focus on them as i rarely shoot anything over this frame rate let's start with 60.
i use 60p wherever i want to portray an important moment or where i'm only cutting to music like
when i'm shooting fashion or faster moving objects this is the frame rate i use the most
when shooting slow motion because it's not too slow and not too fast for a lot of human movements
50 or 60p can immediately make certain movements feel more cinematic like a head turning or hair
flipping the moment you go up to 120 frames per second it has to be motivated i use this
for movements that feel too fast in real time here i'm referring to elements like water smoke
snow sand lighting a fire or any kind of movement that forces my frame too quickly
that means i'm more inclined to shoot a close-up at 120 or 60 because at normal speed it will pass
my frame too quickly unless i'm going for a very fast based edit which leads me to my next question
what is the base of your film last but not least the pace of your film should also determine the
frame rate you choose if you want an all slow-mo video you better have a script or the right music
to complement if you're going for fast cuts having slow-mo shots are sometimes too slow to show an
entire movement and that can be super frustrating to watch and even more frustrating to edit so
what frame rate should you shoot in all of them personally i still use 25 frames per second for
about 80 to 90 of my projects with the occasional slow mode to create a moment but sticking to the
shutter rule is crucial here so i highly recommend you invest in an nd filter if you like this video
please be so kind to leave a like and if you have any questions drop it in the comments below
and i'll do my best to answer thanks so much for watching and i'll see you on the next one