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7.09.2009

The Fuzziness of 24P

I've said it before and I'll say it again--I'm sure: I really dislike the look of 24P.

Granted, most of the time I don't even notice, but fans and camera motion give it away. Like this shot from the opening of The Incredible Hulk:


24P Blur

This beautiful camera shot is completely ruined by the fuzzy/blurry image that 24 frames creates. I don't care how "high rez" the image is, if it's blurry then the resolution doesn't matter. In fact, it looks much better squashed down to fit in this post than blown up on an HD screen because of the way the blurriness detracts from the image resolution.

The lesson?

I don't remember who said it first, but he was absolutely right: If the image is out of focus then it isn't HD.

And motion blur is very similar to an out of focus shot.

So don't buy into the hype of 24P or HD if you can't get a good image from it.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor

2 comments :

Ryan said...

I don't think the allure of 24p has ever been crisp images... it's been the slight blur, the dreamlike feel that you don't get in reality. It's what we've been trained to accept as professional and how the art of film 'should look.' Besides, if you want crisp 24p, just change the shutter speed/angle.

-Ryan

Luke Holzmann said...

And that is probably why I've never been much impressed with the "allure" of 24P. I realize many people really, really like it. But for me, I like clarity and crispness in what I see unless the blur is for emotional effect. The "film look" (complete with jitter) mostly just annoys me, more than ever now that I've see movies projected digitally.

I realize that this is mostly aesthetic preference--and that I'm likely very much in minority of those who can tell a difference at all--and you make excellent points. There are ways to get crisp 24P, but I find that in a lot of moving shots or quick motion everything falls apart... er... "becomes dreamlike" <smile>.

~Luke