The FPS (frames per second) plays a vital role in the entertainment industry from the creation of video content up to its consumption.
FPS is one of the key things you should be knowledgeable enough about if you’re planning on creating short films, vlogs, and whatnot.
Today, we’ll be discussing everything you should know about FPS: from its actual definition; to what frame rates movies and TV shows play in. Also, if you’re an aspiring content creator, we’ll give you an idea of what FPS your smartphone can shoot in. Let’s begin.
What is FPS?
Frames per second, or FPS for short, is the rate at which images/frames are displayed or captured. It commonly applies to videos like movies and TV shows, as well as video games.
While movies and TV shows may look like one continuous video, they are actually made up of thousands of images stitched together and played quickly to create a moving video.
Remember those flip books that create a small animation as each page fastly switches? That’s essentially how frame rates work as different speeds could either show a smoother or choppier video.
For example, a video shot at 60fps means that it displays 60 individual frames every 1 second. A higher fps means that there are more frames to display in a single second, creating a smoother and more fluid video.
FPS of TV shows and movies
It may look like it, but having high FPS isn’t always good. In fact, most movies and TV shows we see today are only shot at 24fps. It has the right blend of capturing videos with good detail while also displaying realistic motion.
Shooting films and shows at 24fps helps create motion blur, which can make moving subjects look a bit out of focus or blurry. This gives an illusion that the subject is moving with a sense of speed.
Still, there are categories that take advantage of high frame rates. One of them is sports games, which are shot at higher frame rates to make the experience more seamless.
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What FPS can smartphones shoot at?
Each phone has different video recording modes. Some midrange Android phones can shoot as low as 30fps at 720p resolution. That can go up to 1,000fps for some extreme slow-mo recording.
Some higher-end devices can do the cinematic 24fps recording at 4K. You can check your manufacturer’s website or your device’s camera settings to see what FPS you can shoot in.
Do movies/TV shows look better on high FPS TVs?
Based on experience, yes. While most films are shot at 24fps, we’ve noticed media players, TVs, or monitors that can do 60Hz or higher can show videos noticeably smoother. It’s definitely more pleasing to the eyes.
These are the things you should know about FPS in movies and TV shows. If you have further questions, we’ll try to answer them in the comments below.