Docu-soap instead of blockbuster: 48fps

Movies are usually recorded and played back at 24 frames per second - but the almost 100 year old standard format "24p" seems to wobble. In order to prevent the unpleasant side effects (eg the strong jerking during medium-fast camera pans) of the 24fps projection, work has been done for a long time on doubling the frame rate to 48 frames per second and more.


A distinction must be made between two cases:

  • Movies recorded at 24 full frames per second and the television turns them into a 60 Hz sequence. This is done by so-called interframe calculation, which uses mathematical algorithms to calculate an interpolated image between every two original images. This procedure can be switched off for all televisions.
  • Films that are recorded directly at double the frame rate (48 frames per second) and then played back; This includes, for example, Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit". James Cameron, a pioneer not only in 3D cinema technology, is working on an even higher frame rate of 60 frames per second: Avatar 2 should come in this hyper-realistic guise.

In both cases a strange effect, the so-called soap opera effect, occurs: Even the most expensive blockbuster seems (at least to me) like a cheap soap opera à la "Good Times, Bad Times". I can't get used to the strange rhythm: It seems as if the pictures are looking for some kind of connection. The seemingly gained realism turns into a disaster for the enjoyment of the film.

All this is of course in the eye of the beholder - some people won't even notice the effect or even prefer it. it remains to be seen whether the new technology will prevail in the cinemas and in front of the sofa at home. i'm curious to see how the majority of film fans will accept the new developments (also in terms of 3D) and what the future will bring.

Back