How To Pick Your Frame Rate For Your Film
When picking a frame rate for your film, you might be surprised to discover that there's a rainbow of choices to choose from. So let's go over the different types of frame rates and why you might choose them for your film.
A frame rate is the number of images or frames that make up a second a video, because video is actually made up of still images played back to back to create the illusion of movement. It's kind of like a magic trick.
Second, let's clarify that when it comes to frame rates, you're not only choosing what to shoot in, but also what to edit in. Ultimately your film will be edited in a sequence set to a specific frame rate. So keep that in mind when choosing what to shoot in. Most of the time you'll want to match that frame rate, but we'll go over a few exceptions later on. So now let's go over the rainbow frame rates you have to choose from.
24 frames per second or 23.976 is the standard frame rate for films. It gives your footage a cinematic look and that's because it has smooth motion with a good amount of motion blur. Most of the time, this is the frame rate movies are shot in. And because of that, viewers have become very accustomed to it. Thus, why everyone freaked out when the Hobbit decided to shoot in 48 frames per second. Note however, that different countries have slightly different variations. So if you're in the UK, for example, it might be 25 frames per second for you.
Next is 30 frames per second or 29.97. And this is commonly used for broadcast TV. So if you're filming a TV show episode or something, you want to look more like reality TV, then this might be the frame rate for you. In 30 frames per second motion looks a bit crisper because you've got a few extra frames.
Next up is 60, 120, 180 and up. Now I'm grouping all of these together because typically these are used to create a slow motion effect. You can think of it this way, the more frames you're shooting, the slower and crisper the motion will get. And there's some extra benefits to this besides just getting a cool shot shooting. Slow-mo can actually help your footage look more stable. So if you're going handheld, but don't want a lot of camera shake, this is a good way to make your footage look more steady.
You can also shoot 60 frames per second and have it play back at normal speed. And this is actually closer to what your eye perceives in everyday life. However, just note that doing this is going to get you less motion blur, which might not look so cinematic. Now when shooting high frame rates, you just want to make sure that it's motivated and enhances your story instead of just looking really cool.
And this really goes for any frame rate choice. For example, you might want to make an action scene feel more intense by having less motion blur like in saving private Ryan. Or you might want to slow down some action to create more drama like in the matrix.
So don't be afraid to experiment with multiple frame rates in one film. Changing your frame rate to highlight different story or character beats can be an effective tool for storytelling. Whatever frame rate you pick, just make sure it's the best choice for the story you're telling.
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