Building Multi-use Footage Archive: NTSC or PAL?
 

Hi guys.
Would really appreciate your opinions on this matter.

Trying to help some volunteer Russian studio build a footage library.

The debate is what format they should shoot in to make a large, longterm archive of stock footage and interviews that will be multiuse. Some of it will end up on Russian PAL televsion (50i PAL) and some will go to 23.976 NTSC film, some for US television 60i NTSC, etc.

Basically, is it easier to convert 24p NTSC to PAL or 25p PAL to NTSC? They will have to do one or the other at some point so which is more painful?

I would think to shoot everything 23.976 NTSC to use with American commonly available NTSC footage and their own NTSC footage during post production and then just at the final flattened master file of each project do a conversion over to whatever format your client needs, wether EU TV , USA TV, film, etc.


Anyone care to weigh in?
Cheers!
-Chris