Chris Cavallari walks through the steps for shooting 24p on the Panasonic DVX100A and capturing and editing the footage correctly in Final Cut Pro.
Film running through a camera at 24 frames per second has been unmatched since the invention of the motion picture, at least when it comes to image quality and emotional feel. The high latitude and low contrast of the filmic image has been the de facto standard for over a hundred years. Even the speed at which the film runs through the camera contributes to the beauty and subtlety of the film look. This so-called “film look” is something that videographers have endeavored to replicate for many years, with varying degrees of success.
So, when Panasonic introduced the DVX100, a camera capable of 24fps progressive video, Apple was quick to update its Final Cut Pro software to allow for 24p editing with the camera. This made editing 24p source material shot on the DVX100 easier than ever. Of course, editing and outputting the final product could be just as difficult. Even with FCPs great presets for editing 24p, there are a few steps you must take before editing your work of art.
NOTE: For the purposes of this article, I’ll be referring to the DVX100A, the successor to the DVX100. This newer model has a few new features, and handles 24p a little differently than the DVX100. Most of the following tips and instructions will work just fine on Panasonic’s most recent DVX model – the DVX100B – as well.
It’s amazing how many decisions made in pre-production affect how things will go in post-production. It’s also amazing how many filmmakers don’t make at least a sketch of how they’ll shoot their film. Planning how you’re going to treat your footage while shooting will help to determine how you edit it in post.
The first step is to determine whether to shoot in 24p or 24p Advanced. The DVX100A offers both these options, and each one has its advantages and disadvantages. To determine which format to use, you must first decide in which kind of timeline you want to edit the footage. All 24p video footage, no matter what setting you use, is laid down to MiniDV tape at 29.97 frames per second (fps). Therefore, you’ll always capture your footage at 29.97fps. So how, you may ask, is this footage 24fps? The answer lies in the pulldown.
The Panasonic camera actually records images to tape at 29.97 interlaced frames per second, just like normal footage. When recording in normal 24 progressive mode, however, the camera combines some of the fields to create extra frames (n.b., a field is half an interlaced frame). That way, 24 frames per second will be recorded. Those frames are laid down on the tape to create 29.97 frames per second, or about 60 fields per second. This is called a 2:3 pulldown sequence: one frame gets printed to two fields of video, and the next frame gets printed to three fields. This occurs 12 times per second, so that 24 frames of 24p gets printed to 60 fields of video. In this mode, the camera performs a pulldown, which allows for proper display on a standard interlaced TV. The drawback is that if you want to edit in a progressive timeline, the NLE has to split and then recombine the footage to properly align the fields. This will lead to a drop in image quality. However, you can edit this in a standard NTSC 60i timeline with no problems, and no loss of quality.
When shooting 24p Advanced, footage gets recorded to tape a bit differently. Instead of 3 full frames and 2 mixed frames, 24pA records a 2:3:3:2 pulldown sequence. This method gets a little more complicated in how it records to tape, but in the end you get four full frames of video, with a fifth combined frame. This combined frame gets the “pulldown,” getting dropped from the sequence in the editing process. These two modes produce slightly different results, and require different timelines in the Non-Linear Editor (NLE).
Choosing a Timeline
Choosing the correct timeline should be easy if you’ve planned ahead during the pre-production stage. There are two basic timelines you’ll be using; which one depends on whether the footage was shot in 24p standard or 24p Advanced. Both 24p Standard and 24p Advanced are very similar in getting the “film look” most people dream about.
Open a new Sequence in FCP by hitting Command-N, or by choosing Fileà Newà Sequence. A dialog box should appear with a drop down menu containing the different presets. Here’s where your planning comes in. If you’ve chosen to shoot your footage in standard 24p, and you’d like to edit in a 60i timeline (especially if you’re going to use 60i footage as well), choose the “DV NTSC 48 kHz” preset. You’ll be ready to edit in an interlaced timeline. No other work is needed.
If you’ve chosen to shoot in the 24p Advanced mode, choose the sequence preset for “DV NTSC 48 kHz – 23.98” and click “OK.” Now you’ve got a 23.98 fps timeline with 24p footage captured at 29.97fps. Confused yet? Don’t be, because it’s easy to conform the footage to your timeline. Select the 24p clips you’re going to use in your 23.98 timeline, then go to Toolsà Remove Advanced Pulldown. Remember that when the DVX100A records the 24p Advanced footage to tape, it also records a fifth “split frame” that contains two mismatched fields. The DVX conveniently marks these frames and sends the info over the FireWire stream to FCP. The “Remove Advanced Pulldown” tool reads these marked frames and pulls them out of the sequence, giving you nice, full framed 24p video. Feel free to edit away.
The Final Output
Once editing is complete, output options are varied. Again, this depends on the plan drawn up during pre-production. The great thing about progressive video is that it will look great when exported for the web as a Quicktime movie, Windows Media file, Flash video, or any other web based video file. The progressive video compresses evenly because each frame is a full frame, not two interlaced fields. And because most computer monitors these days are progressive scan themselves, there will be absolutely no interlace artifacting.
Popping your timeline out to DVD will also yield great results because of the progressive scan, again especially if the DVD player to be used is progressive scan, and even more so if the TV the DVD is to be played on has progressive capability. The best way to get the best image is to keep all frame rates and scanning line techniques the same. Bear in mind that the two recording modes, 24p standard and 24p Advanced, differ only slightly. The main determining factor of which mode to use will be in what timeline you plan on using.
In the end, the best quality image will be determined in the pre-production stage. Know where your footage has been and where it’s going. A good plan will always keep your project looking sharp. Chris Cavallari has been working in television, video, and film for 11 years as a cameraman, lighting director, video editor, and grip. By day, he is the Lead Television Studio Technician for an Internet Webcast TV Network; by night, he writes and directs films and podcasts for his company Filmosity Productions, produces the podcast, “The Martini Shot: Moviemaking for Beginners,” and runs the New Jersey Podcasters Association. His website is www. filmosity.com.
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