convert 29.97 footage for editing in 24p timeline

Hey Gang, this is probably both probably both a technical and aesthetic question...

We got some amazing helmetcam footage last weekend (29.97 ntsc 3:2) and wanted to bring it into our 24p anamorphic timeline for eventual output on a widescreen 24p dvd.

I guess my question is a 2 parter:

1. What's the best way to bring in the 29.97 footage?
2. What's do people think is the nicest way to incorporate 3:2 footage into widescreen?

Zack Coffman
producer/director
Choppertown: the Sinners [www.choppertown.com]
Brittown: a Brit bike documentary [www.brittown.com]

MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 15" 2.4Ghz
Matte Screen
4 GB Corsair Ram
OWC 1TB Raid
Dell 2405FPW
FCP 6.0.4
OSX 10.5.5

1. Nattress Film Converter filter found in the Standards Converter package. [www.nattress.com]

2. Pillar boxes. Do not blow it up. It won't withstand the enlargement well and you'll lose footage at the top and bottom.

Douglas

Thanks Douglas,

1. On the Standards Converter it says that it only works with clips on FCP5 and later, so I should apply the conversion to a clip and then bring it down into my sequence?

I also heard that you can capture your 29.97 footage as 24p with no pulldown which results in a 20% slowed down clip, which can then be sped up again to match the other clips... any one else tried this?

2. When you say Pillar boxes, doesn't that leave black on the left and right as well as top and bottom?

Zack Coffman
producer/director
Choppertown: the Sinners [www.choppertown.com]
Brittown: a Brit bike documentary [www.brittown.com]

MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 15" 2.4Ghz
Matte Screen
4 GB Corsair Ram
OWC 1TB Raid
Dell 2405FPW
FCP 6.0.4
OSX 10.5.5

Converter used to, in the old days, work with sequences and clips. Now it works with clips only due to changes in FCP.

If you want to take 29.97 as 24p with a slowmo effect, deinterlace it first, and then use cinema tools to "conform" that clip to 23.98fps.

Graeme

thanks graeme,
actually i just went and purchased your standards converter. any tips i should know before i try it?

z

Zack Coffman
producer/director
Choppertown: the Sinners [www.choppertown.com]
Brittown: a Brit bike documentary [www.brittown.com]

MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 15" 2.4Ghz
Matte Screen
4 GB Corsair Ram
OWC 1TB Raid
Dell 2405FPW
FCP 6.0.4
OSX 10.5.5

graeme, after i run the converter will my footage be 24p or 24p A? all of my other native footage is 24 p A so i need it to match. thanks!

Zack Coffman
producer/director
Choppertown: the Sinners [www.choppertown.com]
Brittown: a Brit bike documentary [www.brittown.com]

MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 15" 2.4Ghz
Matte Screen
4 GB Corsair Ram
OWC 1TB Raid
Dell 2405FPW
FCP 6.0.4
OSX 10.5.5

<<<If you want to take 29.97 as 24p with a slowmo effect, deinterlace it first, and then use cinema tools to "conform" that clip to 23.98fps. >>>

Pay attention to that, please. It's very difficult to conform 29.97 to 24.00 without some serious damage. Conforming to 23.976 is a snap and was designed to do this.

What is your project really? It's possible to actually shoot at 24.00 and that kills you later unless you intend to go back to film and never hit television.

Koz

we shot at 24p Advanced to get a nice film look and will output on a 24p dvd as well as deliver digibeta for TV broadcast.

Zack Coffman
producer/director
Choppertown: the Sinners [www.choppertown.com]
Brittown: a Brit bike documentary [www.brittown.com]

MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo 15" 2.4Ghz
Matte Screen
4 GB Corsair Ram
OWC 1TB Raid
Dell 2405FPW
FCP 6.0.4
OSX 10.5.5

<<<24p dvd >>>

No such animal. If you succeed, then the project was really 23.98 (23.976). If it really is 24.00, then you will have a very interesting time going off to a DVD/DigiBeta/Television.

Koz

Why don't you just de-interlace it and use it as is? It (29.97 footage in a 23.98 timeline) will be slo-mo by 20% but that should be cool looking.

As for the frame size, there is a tutorial somewhere (maybe in the FAQ) where it shows a technique using two layers of the same 4:3 footage in a 16:9 timeline whereby the bottom layer is blown up and de-focused while the top layer is keyed over full frame or even shrunk slightly. Pretty nice.

Best email me direct for quick answers.....

If you de-interlace and plonk into a 23.98fps timeline, you'll not get slowmo, but skipped frames - looks bad. That's why you must use CT to conform to 23.98fps first.

24p DVDs are really 23.98fps DVDs, but they get called 24p DVDs. Blame the "NTSC" for this one.

The film converter converts your 29.97fps material direct to 23.98fps material on a 23.98fps timeline for direct intercutting with 24pA material on a 23.98fps timeline.

Any tips - email me direct and check out the movies on the converter page of how it works.

Graeme

Why would frames be dropped if you put 72 frames of 29.97 fps material into a 72 frames hole in a 23.98 fps timeline? How is that different than a slight overcrank? I'm not saying you're wrong, just wondering why.