Working with 24p NTSC Video
Several camcorders have the ability to emulate the telecine process by exposing and
shuttering at 23.98 fps and then adding a 2:3:2:3 pull-down when the signal is recorded
to tape at 29.97 fps. The result is NTSC-compatible video that looks similar to a
film-to-video transfer.
Note: Even though the 2:3:2:3 pull-down pattern of a film-to-tape transfer is emulated
by this process, there are many other factors that contribute to a “film look,” such as
exposure, resolution, color, depth of field, and so on.
Most camcorders use a pull-down method referred to as advanced pull-down, which has a
2:3:3:2 pattern instead of the traditional telecine 2:3:2:3 pull-down pattern. The advantage
of this pattern is that it is more efficient for digital devices or applications (such as
Final Cut Pro) to remove and introduce than the traditional 2:3:2:3 pull-down pattern.
In Final Cut Pro, you can remove the redundant fields during or after capture. Once the
redundant fields or frames are removed, you can edit at 23.98 fps. When you
have finished editing, you can output back to 29.97 fps NTSC video by reintroducing
advanced pull-down (2:3:3:2) or traditional 2:3:2:3 pull-down. If you are outputting
to film or progressive-scan video, you don’t need to add pull-down.
Note: 1080i60 footage also uses the same 2:3:2:3 and 2:3:3:2 pull-down patterns to
record 24p footage.