Timebase set to 24 - any issues?

[swan n]

I recently recorded at 24fps with 1/48th shutter with time base set to 24. Any potential issues with this? What is the difference in setting time base to 23.98 vs 24?

 

[David Battistella]

24 FPS is the framerate of film.

It is also the deliverable for a DCP master.

23.98 fps is a north american NTSC standard
24 fps is The standard for film
25 is the Standard for Europe

The most basic consideration is sound and intermixing 23.98 with 24 as one will need to be rendered.

I just finished a project in 24FPS and a pretty much capture that rate all the time unless it's a north american client at which point I switch to 23.98.

David

 

[Peter Majtan]

As David have mentioned - the key issue is syncing with sound / time code. If You are recording the master sound into the camera (via the XLR from good sound device), You will be fine as the audio will already be synced. But if your audio guy is recording the audio completely separately - you will experience an audio drift on longer takes in the postproduction facility. This is crucial if you intend to eventually broadcast your project in NTSC countries (such as the USA), regardless of whether you are going theatrical or not...

 

[Peter Majtan]

David Mullen, ASC and avid RED user has this to say:

"I've transferred many 23.98P movies to 35mm -- it's still a 1:1 frame transfer to film, it's just that it gets projected at 24 fps instead of 23.98 fps, so the audio has to take that into account, which it usually does if the audio was edited to an NTSC downconversion.

The only HD feature I shot at 24P was my first one, "Jackpot", and after the sync problems they had in the mix session, I learned not to shoot at 24P anymore...

Pretty much everyone who is shooting 24P HD is using 23.98P because almost all sound post is done using offline edits using NTSC downconversions."