Conforming 60fps footage to 25/24fps using Apple Compressor
Cheap over-cranked HD footage using DSLR cameras. (NB.this technique can be used with any camera that shoots progressive footage at high frame rates)
Ingredients:
- Canon 7D 60D or 550D, GoProHD, Kodak Zi8 (for the real cheap-arses (yes, I have one))
- Apple Final Cut Studio 3
As well as shooting 1080P, Canon’s 7D and 550D can shoot 720P HD footage at 50fps and 60fps.
You can use Apple’s Compressor to conform this footage to 25 or 24fps to allow playback of the footage as HD Slo-mo.
Tip: in Australia (and probably the rest of the world) there is little traditional footage “Broadcast” at 25fps, nominally PAL specification. Most material finished on HD is consumed on computers either from Blu-ray or (more importantly for the future) file formats or Youtube or Vimeo, so broadcast specs such as 25 or 29.98fps are irrelevant, therefore I would shoot at 60fps and conform to 24fps to get the greatest ratio of speed change.
Duplicate the Apple Compressor setting Apple Prores 422 (HQ) (Setting not particularly important, but this is a good basis for editing in FCP and maintaining maximum quality)
A new setting will appear under the Custom setting folder.
Double click on the new setting to open the inspector.
Go into the second tab in the inspector Encoder and click on video settings, and change the frame rate from current to 24fps.
Also in the second tab set Audio to disabled.
Go into the third tab on the inspector Frame Controls and set Frame controls on (if the tab is greyed out click on the little gear icon to enable it)
Ignore the main body of the inspector and check the radio button “so source frames play at 24.00 fps”
Submit your batch and you will end up with stuff like this:
Shot on a Canon 550D
Focus at the Forum from Mark Stewart-Pearson on Vimeo.
Shot on a Kodak Zi8
Kid on the Trampoline 2 from Mark Stewart-Pearson on Vimeo.
MSP
