When it was first suggested that 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey might come out in 48fps in theaters instead of the traditional 24fps we're used to, there was a backlash. . High frame rates are celebrated in games, but in movies and TV shows, that's the kind of thing we associate with our parents' TVs when they mess up the settings - but it's a dithering effect, rather than a movie displayed at a high frame rate. What is high frame rate (HFR)?
(Image credit: LG) High Frame Rate, or HFR, refers to a frame rate greater than 25fps for movies and 30fps for all other output. HFR content provides more visual clarity by capturing more data in the filming process, which can then be displayed on some TVs, such as LG OLED displays powered by the Alpha a9 processor, which can display native 120 frames per second content without interpolation of movement.
So how do you combat this stigma? It's going to take time, and honestly, more movies will be released at higher frame rates than what we're currently seeing. The last to prove it was Will Smith's film, directed by Ang Lee, Gemini Man, released in theaters last year.
You probably know it as the action movie where young Will Smith fights Will Smith today. Smith plays the former Henry Brogan and 'Junior', a cloned assassin sent after the original. The Junior version is a CG creation created by effects company Weta Digital, based on Smith's own mo-cap, and comprising semi-procedural skin modeled for realism on a microscopic level.
Shot in 4K, 3D, and 120 frames per second (although most movie screens display it at 60 frames per second), the film garnered positive reviews for the technology behind the film, though reviews were generally negative. . One reviewer described the HFR as "somewhat flimsy, weird and fake actors, objects and even the air".
We spoke with the film's technical supervisor, Ben Gervais, who worked with director Lee on this film, about how higher frame rates can provide enhancements to the viewing experience. "Typically, not just in the action genre but in movies in general, it's a third-person voyeuristic experience, and (Ang) really wanted the cinematic experience to be much more intimate," Gervais said.
"What we've found is that the more detail you give a viewer, the more their eyes like it. The more they forget that it is a normal movie screen, the more they are drawn into the story."
Ben Gervais, Technical Director "So, one of the things we've explored is high frame rate, and what we've found is that the more detail you give a viewer, the more their eyes forget that it's a normal movie screen, the more they are drawn to the story." While this isn't what audiences are used to, it can't detract from the fact that some filmmakers want to defy tradition, while all the other movies they watch are broadcast at 24 frames per second.
"It becomes much more of a first-person type of experience, which in turn gives (Ang) more tools to tell a story, so that the viewer feels invested in what's going on, both in action and drama. , and to really give you that sense of immediacy. That something is happening right now as opposed to just being a passive observer.
Fighting tradition
"Privacy," as Gervais puts it, is certainly one of the benefits of showing a movie at a higher frame rate. But what else is there for the viewer that is worth challenging their traditional notions of how movies are supposed to be? "Besides the intimacy, there's emotion in the action scenes that we get. There's definitely a level of emotion that you can pull off there that you don't. It's not the same in a normal action movie." Gervais says this means that typical filming techniques like slow motion serve a different function when showing film at 60 or 120 frames per second, so there aren't many slow motion shots in Gemini Man. "There are some slow motion shots, but the basic difference is that the reason you use slow motion (on an action movie) is that you want the audience to see something that they couldn't see at 24 frames, because it's too much. blurry. We don't have this problem, because you see everything. People can still see things in real time, and it will have the same effect." "The reason you use slow motion is because you want the audience to see something they couldn't see at 24 frames, because it's too blurry." He doesn't have this problem, because he sees everything. People can still see things in real time, and it will actually have the same effect.” Ben Gervais “Slow motion essentially becomes a different tool for us. It actually becomes a tool to stretch out a moment, and that's what Ang uses in Gemini Man. Instead of showing the audience details that they would have otherwise missed because they see all the details anyway, it's really ( because) Ang likes the moment when Henry and Junior's faces are face to face during they are fighting with the catacombs. He wants this shot to last longer, which is why we're shooting it in slow motion, rather than just so people can see what's going on." We wouldn't necessarily agree that slow motion is only used in movies. traditional action shots due to blur - it's probably as much about prolonging the moment or Looks great in these cases too. But it's worth noting that visual clarity is an advantage of higher frame rates. We asked Gervais what it will take him audiences to accept the idea of presenting films in this way." There's definitely an audience adjustment that needs to happen in terms of getting over the feel, but there's also an adjustment on the filmmaker's side to adjust to a new tool. And somewhere, they meet in the middle, and that's where the sweet spot will be.
- Do you want to know more about high frame rates? See our guide to HFR TVs