Why Are Movies 24 FPS — Frame Rate Explained (2024)

FAQs

Why Are Movies 24 FPS — Frame Rate Explained? ›

The move to the 24fps standard.

In the silent film era, filmmakers shot movies between 16 and 20fps, which was why the motion appeared fast and jerky. Today, filmmakers typically shoot video at a minimum of 24fps because this is believed to be the lowest frame rate required to make motion appear natural to the human eye.

Why? The simple answer is tradition. We've come to associate the 24 FPS look and its characteristic motion blur with the feel of cinema. While higher FPS could mean smoother visuals, it doesn't look as cinematic as the motion blur and dream-like quality of 24 FPS.

Narrative Films and Series: 24fps is typically preferred for its cinematic look and feel, making it ideal for storytelling and dramatic content. Sports and Action: 60fps is the go-to for capturing fast action with clarity and precision, enhancing the viewer's ability to follow the movement.

If your show is going to be broadcast, you know sent out over the airwaves by a transmitter and received by an antenna, then the television station will want the project in 23.976 because it just works out better for timing. Now edit, and export using the same frame rate you shot with, and things will go much smoother.

Because it makes the movies more resource intensive and harder to produce. Also, everyone saying 24 fps looks better and 60 fps looks weird, you only say that because you aren't used to 60 fps. Yeah, when you get too close to reality, you lose that "otherwordly" effect. It's like watching a soap opera versus a movie.

But our eyes can only perceive the visual clues in the environment around us at a certain rate due to how quickly they move. Although experts find it difficult to agree on a precise number, the general consensus is that the human eye FPS for most individuals is between 30 and 60 frames per second.

First and foremost, it's the aesthetic. The slightly choppy motion of 24fps gives a filmic quality to the video, setting it apart from the smooth motion of video shot at higher frame rates. This can be used to great effect to create a certain mood or atmosphere.

From 1927 to 1930, as various studios updated equipment, the rate of 24 FPS became standard for 35 mm sound film. At 24 FPS, the film travels through the projector at a rate of 456 millimetres (18.0 in) per second.

All I have to do is divide 24 by 60 and that gives me 0.40 which translates to 40% of the original clips speed. So all I have to put in the dialog box is forty percent speed. So now the 60FPS video will play in perfect slow motion in your 24FPS timeline.

What fps do most movies use? ›

Motion pictures, TV broadcasts, streaming video content, and even smartphones use the standard frame rate of 24fps. This speed accounts for a phenomenon called motion blur, an optical effect that makes moving objects look out of focus due to quick movement.

For instance, a video having a 24 FPS frame rate will appear cinematic, while a 60 FPS frame rate video is more realistic. When it comes to video game graphics, a higher frame rate makes visuals more realistic. For slow-motion and time-lapse effects, you'll need a high frame rate.

Why does 24fps feel “cinematic”? Historically, 24fps became the standard frame rate for movies and television because it used the lowest amount of film while achieving natural motion to the human eye.

“They realized at 24fps, a 180-degree shutter angle gives you the best motion blur that looks realistic,” Hara says. Shutter angle is also the reason that, when filming at a higher frame rate, creators will need to account for more lighting to achieve the same exposure as shooting at a lower frame rate.

For a long time, 24fps or even 23.98 has been the standard frame rate. It was chosen as the lowest frame rate possible for the brain to emulate fluid motion. The main choice of 24fps was a budgetary and technology limitation issue that allowed for film companies to save money on film by shooting 24 frames vs 30 frames.

This is/was done to make color TV compatible with black & white TV in NTSC countries, without having to scrap the entire TV infrastructure that had been built until the advent of color TV in NTSC. The "24P" 23.98 HD standard follows this path.

First and foremost, it's the aesthetic. The slightly choppy motion of 24fps gives a filmic quality to the video, setting it apart from the smooth motion of video shot at higher frame rates. This can be used to great effect to create a certain mood or atmosphere.

Netflix's content catalog is composed of video captured and encoded in one of various frame rates ranging from 23.97 to 60 frames per second (fps).