24/30P for web series?

[Michael B. McGee]

I'm sure this has to have been discussed before, but a search found me no answer. i've been asked to shoot a web series and i'm trying to figure out whether to shoot in 24P or 30P. i'd like to shoot it on 24P, but doesn't the web treat 30P better?


....what are network TV shows shot at for that matter?

[David Jimerson]

The web does not "treat" 30p better. I'm not sure how that got started.

I suppose places like YouTube, at one time, encoded everything to 30p when you uploaded, but if that was true, it no longer is. I don't know of anywhere that you can't upload straight 24p and it won't stay that way. You even have the benefit of a lower bandwidth if your video is 24p, which allows for a higher bitrate.

If you want 24p, shoot 24p.

Pretty much every (North American) narrative TV show is either 24p HD or 24 fps film. Some sitcoms may not be.

[Arnie Schlissel]

Originally Posted by David Jimerson

If you want 24p, shoot 24p.

Couldn't agree more. 24P is only 80% of the frames of 30P. At the same bitrate the picture will be much cleaner looking than 30P.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

If it's only for the web, and no 'effects' are intended with 30 fps, then 24 fps is good enough for the simple reason that it takes lesser bandwidth, space and is easier on slower internet speeds.

[David Jimerson]

Well, you should pick your frame rate because it's what you want your footage to look like. If you really do want it to look like 30p, then shoot 30p. But if you want the look that 24p gives you, shoot that.