Best Way To Shoot Slo-Mo with Sony VX2100

Is there a way to set a camera like this to shoot 60 frames per second? Because I know that is the best way to achieve slo-motion. If not, what's the best way to shoot slo-motion 30 frames per second?

 

So far as I know, the VX2100 shoots 59.97 fields per second by default (also known as 60i). All you need to get 60p is to make a frame from every field, and slow the frame rate.

The way to do this in After Effects is to plop the footage into a 59.97 fps composition, set the interpretation rules for the clip to deinterlace so that you get a different field for each frame. Make another composition at either 29.97 or 23.976 fps, bring in the 59.97 fps composition, and time stretch the composition by either 200% or 250%. This should give you your slow motion clip.

You can try to simply use default "speedup/slowdown" plug-ins, but they usually give bad results. AE CS3 now has a motion estimation plug-in to make things more complicated too.

-Spiff

 

Thanks ... How about for 30 fps footage?

 

Essentially, you need your 30fps stuff to play back at 24fps. Each "30p" frame needs to become one "24p" frame. 30fps just isn't enough to get really good slow mo effect. Ideally, you need 60.

Try dropping the 30p clip on a 24p timeline, but this alone will not get you the slow mo effect. In Premiere you would then use the "interpret footage" option to force the clip to think it is 24fps. It will then play back at 24fps on the timeline. If you are using AE, use Time Stretch as Spiff said.

 

Gotcha. I was watching the Laker game and I could tell they were using a camera with a high-frame rate for the slo-motion replays. It remind me of mythbusters when they do slo-motion too and those cameras have to be going at a high frame-rate, I thought.

Are there conventional cameras that shoot higher than 60 fps?

 

Not many digital cameras will, no. The RED ONE can achieve rates up to 120fps.

Most super high speed cinematography (i.e.: vfx, miniatures, etc) is done with traditional film cameras.

 

And they make a LOT of noise. At least that's what I hear.

 

I use the HVX for slo-mo a lot. I shoot in Film mode at 60p and import the footage into Final Cut and then use the Panasonic Frame Rate Conversion software to convert it to either 24p or 30p, thus giving a half-speed slow mo (or better, at 24p) The software is a free download from Panasonic if you have an HVX -- search around a bit and you'll find it.