There is a reason for this brief introduction. The same happens with DSLR and video cameras. We tend to buy the newest camera in the market, astonished by the its sensors number of megapixels, the X factor of its lens or even the new and exclusive colour a certain megastore is offering for a limited time (that’s based on a true story, believe me!).
But do we know what these numbers are hiding? Do we know how to use the amazing features of our camera? With this in mind I am going to try to clarify one concept that is very trendy on video recording but many people don’t really understand: Frame rate.
First of all, what is frame rate? Simply put it is the number of still images that make up one second’s worth of video. In the first ever recorded video know as Roundhay garden scene (1888)
French inventor Louis Le Prince recorded 20 frames in a 1,66 seconds video. The frame rate is then 12 fps (frames per second) and there is no real illusion of continuous imagery. This begins at 15-20 fps, the frame rate of many silent films before the 1930’s. Then it was increased to 24 (the actual cinema standard) primarily because this was the minimum rate that produced acceptable audio.
And then the war started. Some directors decided to shoot their movies at a higher frame rate. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit is a good example of it. Recorded at 48 fps, the director praised the massive advent of this format
But whatever the reason, most of the people who watched the film found the experience disappointing, if not unpleasant. Anyway, James Cameron has planned to shoot Avatar’s sequels at 48 fps. Maybe we are used to the effect of the 24 fps motion that softens the movies and make them easier to believe. Some others argue that we have to realize that the standard has changed and we will get used to the more realistic and visually pleasant experience that digital recording allows.
However, what can we use the amazingly high-speed frame rates contemporary cameras allow for? Fundamentally, for slow motion effects. As there are a lot of frames available it is possible to slow down the action and still maintain the illusion of continuity.
Scientific
(and not so much)
experiments, short films,
– First footage from the new Phantom Flex4K
– “Let me know when you see Fire” from Gregory Wilson on Vimeo.
or dramatic and spectacular action movie scenes are some of the uses given to this technical feature.
Some others just wanted to kill their time in a boring hotel room (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-omSfXB912U)
Now that you know and have your camera, remember what is important: you have a story to tell and the camera is just a tool that will help you to tell it the best way possible. And let my neighbour watch 480p videos on his 8K TV… but this is another story!
Author: Víctor Narváez del Amo
