Opening Day at Belmont (1905)

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Too bad that we still don't correct for the different frames-per-second of the old films, because everything looks unnaturally fast. But I guess if we slowed it down things would look choppy since there aren't as many frames as are in modern film and video.

That may actually have been a choice. Those old films were hand-cranked, and the filmmaker could adjust the speed according to the subject matter being filmed (for example, the Keystone Cops movies were supposed to look that ridiculously fast). I could see a filmmaker wanting to convey the thrill of the races by speeding up the film. Old film would range in frames per second but there was no set standard. Standardization only came about with the addition of sound. Modern 35mm film is 24 per second and video is 30.

Which might also be why they look fast- old films run through modern projectors are automatically sent through at 24 frames per second, which speeds up old films depending on the speed at which the film was originally shot.

They can "slow down" the film today by a process where they repeat some frames, but it's really $$$$ to do. It does look a little jerky, but it's not bad. But again, expensive, so seldom done.

And digital video can be adjusted today to shoot at 24 frames per second, so digital filmmakers can make it look more like film and less like video.

Pardon me while I push my nerd glasses back up my nose.