The best frame rates for video Commonly used video frame rates Selecting the best movie frame rate for your project can be tough since there are a lot of factors to consider. Ultimately, it's dependent on what the desired effect you're going after. If you want to showcase slow motion video, you need to shoot at a higher frames per second.

best frame rates for video What's the best frame rate for video? The most popular frame rates for video is 24 FPS, 30 FPS, and 60 FPS. However, this changes depending on the desired effect you're looking to achieve.

The best frame rates for video: >16 FPS : This movie frame rate will look choppy, but ideal for recreating the look of the silent era movies

: This movie frame rate will look choppy, but ideal for recreating the look of the silent era movies 24 FPS : Footage will not look as smooth as higher frame rates, but this is the most cinematic look

: Footage will not look as smooth as higher frame rates, but this is the most cinematic look 30 FPS : Often used by live TV broadcasts and excellent for live sports

: Often used by live TV broadcasts and excellent for live sports 60 FPS : Ideal for people walking, candles being blown out, etc.

: Ideal for people walking, candles being blown out, etc. 120 FPS : Ideal for slowing down things that move fast (people running, animals running, etc.)

: Ideal for slowing down things that move fast (people running, animals running, etc.) 240 FPS : Ideal for slowing down action (balloons exploding, water splashes, etc.)

: Ideal for slowing down action (balloons exploding, water splashes, etc.) 480 FPS : Perfect for fast moving objects (skateboard tricks, skiing, surfing, etc.)

: Perfect for fast moving objects (skateboard tricks, skiing, surfing, etc.) 960+ FPS: Hyper-slowed down motion. Think about the explosion sequences from The Hurt Locker

movie frame rate: SLOW MOTION VIDEO How do I get slow motion video? Slow motion video is any display of moving images that appears slower than real time. It is most commonly created by capturing frames at a higher rate than the intended display speed. As an example, take a look at this scene from Get Out which achieved a slow motion effect by shooting at 200 fps. This is a great example of how slow motion can create iconic moments.

How to Master a Storyboard like Jordan Peele • Subscribe on YouTube

So what movie frame rate was this shot on? Well, the cinematographer, Toby Oliver, went on to explain how he achieved this sequence for the film.

"...we shot him with different frame rates, up to 200 frames a second, and we had fans blowing him all the time. He had those loose clothes which were flapping around, and he was lit with a direct key light that was supposed to be coming from that screen above him. We did it on a stage that we’d blacked out but we moved the camera around him on a dolly to get that sense of him falling..." — Toby Oliver

When you're shooting a slow-motion sequence, it's important to properly plan with your shot list or storyboard. Here's a storyboard from Get Out with the frame rates clearly visible:

video FRAME RATE: SLOW MOTION CAMERAS Cameras that get you slow motion Many modern cameras have the ability to capture video at higher movie frame rates, which in turn will allow you to obtain slow motion video.

slow motion cameras the best high speed cameras What are the "fastest" cameras currently available for shooting slow-motion video? 1000 FPS: Phantom Flex4K, Sony RX10 III

Phantom Flex4K, Sony RX10 III 960 FPS: Sony FS700, Sony FS5:

Sony FS700, Sony FS5: 300 FPS: RED Weapon 8K

RED Weapon 8K 240 FPS: Panasonic Lumix FZ1000, GoPro HERO5

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000, GoPro HERO5 200 FPS: ARRI Alexa Mini, ARRI Amira

ARRI Alexa Mini, ARRI Amira 120 FPS: Sony a7SII

Your smartphone might allow you to switch over to a slow motion mode, but that isn’t how it works when you’re creating professional slow motion video. Here is 240 fps footage from the Panasonic GH5s:

Panasonic GH5s slow motion video

Of course, you can slow down footage captured at 24fps or 30fps, and then time remap your footage in your editing platform, but it will come out with a choppy, unprofessional look that most people will notice. To slow down a video, you must first capture regular footage at an increased frame rate. Then you place your footage into your Non-Linear-Editor (Premiere, Final Cut, Avid) and “time remap” the footage to the desired rate. The video below shows you step-by-step instructions for Adobe Premiere Pro:

How to slow down a video with Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Some professional cinema cameras have the ability to capture video at extremely high frame rates (like the Phantom), but a micro-four-thirds mirrorless camera like the GH5 captures video up to 240 fps.

VIDEO FRAME RATE: FAST MOTION VIDEO Steps to fast motion video Fast motion video takes you to a world of instant gratification. Invisible trends appear in mere seconds, entire forests grow and die, and the sun rises and sets before our eyes. To speed up video, you will still prefer to capture regular footage at an increased movie frame rate. You might think that you would need fewer frames to allow a fast motion video, but the general rule is that you never want fewer frames than your medium requires. The video below shows you step-by-step instructions on speeding up your footage with Adobe Premiere:

How to speed up your video with Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Most filmmakers don’t get video purely to be sped-up but prefer to “speed ramp” or “time ramp” their footage from slow motion to fast motion. The more information you have to work with, the better, even when blazing through your shots. Similar to creating slow-motion video, you would then place your footage into your NLE and “time remap” the footage to the desired rate.

VIDEO FRAME RATE: SPEED RAMPS Go from slo-mo to high speed Frame rate ramping or “speed ramping” refers to a method where footage is played at a specific speed at one point in the clip, but then “ramps” to another speed while the the viewer observes the speed transformation. Here is a great example of speed ramping in 300:

Speed ramps used in 300

This can be normal to fast, fast to slow, slow to normal…whatever.

video frame rate: Timelapse Show time with time-lapses A great way to understand frame rates is to look at a time-lapse video. This is one of the best time-lapse videos you will find, and it took tens of thousands of photos to put together this three and a half minute video.

Time lapse example by Luke Shepard

A time-lapse video is not a recording sped up, but rather a massive collection of still photos that are taken over a large amount of time, which are then strung together to create a hyper-motion video. Let’s say you want to capture a time-lapse of a 120-minute event (like a sunrise) so that the final play duration can be 20 seconds. If you want the video to perform like a recording at 24fps, then you need to capture a single frame every 15 seconds for a total of…480 photos.

VIDEO FRAME RATE: Hyperlapse Super hyper time-lapses Now, if a time-lapse is when you speed up a scene, a hyperlapse is when you speed up a scene, but you add heavy camera movement. For example, you might move the camera on a dolly (or slider) if you're doing a time-lapse, but hyperlapses show you the action over considerable distances and are often much more complex setups. But the end effect can be really cool. Here's a video of how Matt Komo plans a shoot showcasing many elements that we discussed earlier. Slow-motion, speed ramps, timelapses, and finally, hyperlapses:

Matt Komo experiments with time • Subscribe on YouTube

To plan out your hyperlapses, much like Matt, it's important to create a shot list (or storyboard) showcases the details of your scene. That way you'll have a clear gameplan of actually shooting it. Here's what Matt's storyboard looks like: