60fps Interlaced to 30 fps Progressive

I have a client that I am going to be editing a project for in FCP 4-HD.

He used 3 cameras. 2-Sony's shooting footage at 60fps interlaced and 1- Sony DSR-300 at 30 fps.

My question is that he wants to convert the 60 fps interlaced footage to 30 fps progressive. Is that possible? If so, how do I make that happen?

Is there something in FCP that will do that or do I have to use another software? If so, what do you recommend? I need to know the best way to handle all of this before I can start the editing process.

Thanks for your help guys.

Scott

Well you throw the 60i into a 30P timeline and render. Not sure what it will look like though. This might be a question for Graeme Nattress who posts on this forum often.



Michael Horton
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Michael:

Thnaks for your thoughts. How would I get in contact with Graeme Nattress to get his thoughts on how to best handle this footage?

Thanks, Scott

60i or 60 interlaced fields per second and 30p, or 30 progressive frames per second are really just different ways of looking at 29.97fps NTSC video. They both have the same frame rate, but in 60i, each field that makes up the image is from a different point in time, 1/60th a second apart, but in 30p, both the fields that make up a frame are from the same instant in time.

This gives 30p and 60i a different feel, but in terms of editing and video tape they're both standard NTSC and work the same.

If you want to give your 60i footage the same "feel" as the 30p you need to de-interlace. There are verious methods and recipes for doing so, using the inbuilt tools in FCP, free tools, or commercial tools like my Film Effects for instance. They all have strengths and weaknesses, and often different visual looks as there is not one "right" way to de-interlace.

If you read the instructions for my Film Effects www.nattress.com it fully explains about fields and frames and frame rates, and also these articles that I wrote for Ken Stone will enlighten you further:

[www.kenstone.net]
[www.kenstone.net]

Graeme



[www.nattress.com] - Plugins for FCP-X

Graeme:

thanks for the great information. So when I capture that 60i footage in FCP, do I set the Capture Presets at 60 FPS or leave it at 29.97?

So once I have captured the 60i and 30p footage, I assume that I edit it in the time line set at 29.97, correct?

And when do you actually "de-interlace" the 60i footage? After it is captured or after it has been placed on the time line? What do you recommend.

I appreciate all your help as I am totally new to using 60i footage. Another learning experience.

I do know the client wants to do some things with the images to give it more of a film look and it will also be letterboxed.

Thanks again, Scott

But 60i is 29.97 standard 29.97fps NTSC - it's just another name for it. You capture totally as normal NTSC. Same for 30p, it's still standard 29.97fps NTSC, just has a different visual feel.

Yes, you de-interlace, if you want, your 60i when it's on the timeline. As for which to use, I'll obviously recommend my Film Effects tools, but there are others too. I'd download demos from everyone and see what you like.

If you're keen on the Film Look, try out Film Effects - it's great for that kind of thing. Normally you'd use it to convert everything to 24p, but because some of your stuff is 30p which doesn't look good converted, you'll instead select 30p on the 60i shots. Look at all the funky things you can do with gamma curves in Film Effects - they can make flat boring video look awesome. Indeed I just shot some stuff for a project, and especially as we use ultra-contras filters, everything just looks flat and boring. As soon as I applied the gamma curves it just came to life!!! Deep and rich and smooth - just like a good bar of chocolate.

Graeme



[www.nattress.com] - Plugins for FCP-X

Graeme:

Thnaks for all the info. I read your articles and they were very informative. I also went to your website and I will most likely buy your Film Effects Tools.

So without seeming like a total dumb ass, I just want to be clear on one thing before I start all this. I capture all the footage (both the 60i & 30p) as normal 29.97 NTSC footage. Right?

Then I go ahead and edit as I normally would. I will put the "60i" footage on one video track and the "30p" footage on another video track. Then when I am finished, is that when I de-interlace the track with the "60i" footage? I still feel like I am missing something here and just want to be sure of the correct process or procedure.

Please advise. Your Film Effects Tools are really cool and I cannot wait to use them.

Thanks again for all your help and patience in helping me get this right.

Scott

Yes, capture both as normal NTSC 29.97fps.

You don't have to put the different footage on different tracks, although it might be easier to do this to spot which is which later on. Just apply a de-interlace filter, or one of mine to the clip (on mine set to 30p).

You can get further help with Film Effects here, or email me personally at graeme@nattress.com and I'll help as best as I can.

Graeme



[www.nattress.com] - Plugins for FCP-X