Frame rates

What NTSC frame rates are most popular for stock footage?

29.97 - that is the NTSC standard.

30 fps is typically used in stock animations
29.97 fps is the NTSC standard (sometimes called 30p by modern cameras)
25 fps is the PAL standard
24 fps is used for film and web

I generally shoot everything at 24p - easy for web use, easy for editors to use at 23.98 or 29.97 with little effort.

Broadcast engineers like it as well. One of my best friends who works at NBC Universal says "I can do ANYTHING with 23.98 (24p). I can convert to 99% of useable formats with ease using either hardware or software transcoding".

That is not necessarily the case with 29.97, even though it is the television standard.

I also happend to prefer the look of 24p over 29.97 - and BTW... 29.97 is NOT the same as 30p :)

what camera are you using Trackup?

Never said 30p was the same as 29.97, I only said that some modern cameras use the term 30p even though they actually shoot at 29.97.

And actually, having worked with a bunch of people who do TV commercials in the U.S., they prefer 29.97. When I did some contract work for Discovery Networks they specifically requested that I render at 29.97 instead of 30 fps which is what I normally do with animation.

So I guess it depends on who you're working with. I always figured it was a lot better to remove some data to get 24p rather than "interpret" and "blend" frames up from 24 to 30. Although, I realize they do it all the time when converting movies for playback on TV. But I think they have majorly expensive equipment to get that correct.

Yup... Teranex, UFC or Alchemist Platinum are generally the tools in play. I have a very helpful Conversion Matrix in Excel that shows the Source/Destination and method of conversion most commonly used, and the results.

I'll create a PDF and post it for anyone who is interested.

I use a Sony EX-1

Thanks guys for all your posts. Great information. I really appreciate your input. I have been alternating between 24 and 30 and would like to stick with the most sellable on P5.

I heard that many studios wanted CG in 60fps so they could have many frames, and or time remap more easily.

Ive never heard that 24 was a prefered standard for TV, except with indie film makers. I know film festival projectors ONLY use 24p....24p is a standard that was decided upon based on 16bit sound. Going from 29.97 to 24 is pretty easy for me, maybe I need to go to NBC and take someones job. :D