Note: The summaries and opinions expressed in this section are not intended to provide complete or accurate answers to the processes and complexities associated with the video to film conversion, and are not to be reproduced or reprinted in whole or in part without express written permission of VTP, Copyright 2000 - 2004 by Videotape Products, Inc.

What is 24 frame video?
The term "24 Frame Video" as it is used today mainly refers to new series of progressive scan capable camcorders from Sony and Panasonic that can record digital video at the traditional 24 frames per second rate of standard theatrical motion picture film.  Know that between the different products, different ways to achieve the 24 frame record and playback rate are utilized, such as the implementation of "pull down", or in the case of the Sony CineAlta system, speed changes in the VTR portion of the camcorder, and as such, some significant complexities exist in digital Post Production to accommodate these differences, and to prepare material for world-wide DVD release, broadcast, or transfer to film.  Slow PAL (625/23.98) is also considered "24 frame video" where 3rd party modifications to Digital Betacam VTRs allowed 23.98 or 24 frame recording and playback.  Sony many years ago had introduced an official 23.98/24 frame "modification" to their DVR-2100 D-1 OS (off-speed VTRs so they could do either 525/625 at 23.98 recording and playback, which they did uncompressed, and in 8-bit YUV.   Other than these older solutions, standard definition video standards do not support 23.98/24 frame exchange.  To exchange 23.98 material, pull down is required (and used) such as in standard definition telecine or selective down converted HD output (with pulldown).

Many creative and technical people are excited at the prospect of exchanging film cameras with "24 Frame Video"  cameras, exposing or scanning with common shutter values of traditional film cameras and (in some cases, or theoretically eventually) achieving acceptably similar looks and resolutions (however the actual stored resolution of "24 Frame Video" formats depends upon their sample and bit rates and can be affected by a number of other factors including the use of bandwidth reduction by pre-filtering, sub-sampling, and the effects of different types of data compression).

Currently, Kodak's Super 35mm and 16mm Vision I & II film stocks exceed the spatial and color component resolution of the best digital video camcorders, although not necessarily obviously so, depending upon a number of factors such as the projected or viewed final image size.

There are other things to consider between electronic digital imaging and film imaging, such that the need for finding common shutter values between film and "24 Frame Video", as the process of tracking camera shuttering (and movement) relates to the special effects industry.  While photographing complex effects, the opportunity to output a color progressive scan image to a display monitor and computer of exactly what the camera aperture and shuttering sees provides an easier way to test the precise timing of digital compositing between human character movements, camera movements, and computer generated images in real time (if you weren't aware of this, know that existing color interlaced video tap cameras for film cameras only approximate what is shuttered through the aperture, and specially rigged black and white or color progressive video tap cameras triggered by TTL shutter pulse are much closer to capturing what is shuttered, but "filming" in color progressive scan video avoids these issues).

Updated 08/31/04