Dialogue Editing

High Defi nition 31
High Defi nition
High defi nition (HD) is everywhere. It’s increasingly seen in production as
an alternative to fi lm negative, and it appears in postproduction, where highresolution
digital fi les allow for multigeneration visual effects at a price
and quality superior to that of traditional optical effects. HD is rapidly being
accepted as a consumer television format. Plus, digital cinema is quickly
making inroads in the movie distribution market. Unlike video or fi lm
formats, HD isn’t something you can easily label, however. Basically it’s any
format that offers higher resolution than SD NTSC or PAL video, and that’s
not very diffi cult to do. But there’s no such thing as “just HD.” Instead, there
are scores of formats, frame rates, and resolutions.
Many issues must be taken into account when launching into an HD production.
There are just so many variables. Frame rates of 23.976, 24, 29.97, 30, 59.94,
and 60 fps are allowed by the Advanced Television Standards Committee.
And that’s just for NTSC. Add in resolutions and scan technique, and you
end up with more than 20 combinations. Table 2-1 lists a few legal HD frame
rates for NTSC production. 15
Since manufacturers have adopted different standards, similar cameras may
reference at different rates. Differences between digital recorders only compound
the problems. The higher the number of variables, the greater the
amount of organizational work that inevitably falls on assistant editors in all
departments of a fi lm project. But before breaking into a panic, remember
that the same rule that applies to NTSC production applies to HD: At any
given stage in the process, the picture and sound must have the same reference. If, at
each stage of production and postproduction, sound and picture maintain
the same reference, you can intelligently wade through the morass of HD
fi lmmaking.
Table 2-1 NTSC High-defi nition Frame Rates
Resolution Type of Scanning Frame Rates (fps)
1920 × 1080 Progressive 23.976, 24, 29.97, 30
Interlaced 29.97, 30
1280 × 720 Progressive 23.976, 24, 29.97, 30, 59.94, 60
15 Chris Meyer. “Designing for HD: An Essential Checklist” (www.fi lmmaking.com).