BLOG QUESTION ADV: THE HISTORY OF FRAME RATES P. 1

1. What were three reasons why 24 frames per second was chosen as the modern standard frame rate for filmmaking?

24 fps was chosen as the modern standard frame rate for filmmaking because of many factors. One of the biggest is the theory of persistence of vision. We knew that films would have to move between 16-26 fps to have the appearance of motion. However, sound also changed that standard. Since sound ran alongside the film strip, playing back a role required a strict and even frame rate. This also made it easier for editors to know how many frames equated to one second, and so forth. 24 fps was chosen instead of something higher (like 30 fps for example) because it was the cheapest, most easily divisible number that would work for sound.