XL2, PAL or NTSC?

[jnolla]

I'm reading a lot this days regarding cinematography and video. I'm currently finishing a book: "Digital Movie Making by Scott Billups". In his book he suggested in shooting everything in PAL format.

What advantages will I gain shooting in PAL? Would it be difficult to shoot 25p on the PAL system, and then transfer to NTSC for U.S. viewing?

Should I just skip that process and just get the NTSC XL2, and shoot in 24p?

Many Thanks!

[Barry_Green]

Should I just skip that process and just get the NTSC XL2, and shoot in 24p?
If you live in an NTSC country, the answer is most definitely yes.

[jnolla]

Barry thaks for your replies to all my posts!

Is it a better color space 4:2, and having more lines of resolution make it better for post?

Thanks

[Barry_Green]

PAL has 4:2:0, NTSC is 4:1:1. Neither is necessarily better than the other, they allow for the same amount of chroma sampling, just in a different pattern. Graeme Nattress produces post-production filters for FCP and he *hates* 4:2:0.

But no, PAL doesn't have better color sampling in DV, it just has a different pattern.

[jnolla]

Thanks Barry!

It is truly hard to keep up with so many different sources, an opinions. I love reading and researching is there some good books you would recommend?

I don't like bothering people to much, but it is hard to get a reliable source. At the end, I'm believing to think, it's just a matter of choice.

The other reason I asked was because of this article I came across sometime this week. Steven Soderbergh explains his work on "Full Frontal" which was shoot in DV PAL, and why he shoot in this format.

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2002/04/fullfrontal/fullfrontal1.html

Thanks!

[Barry_Green]

Keep in mind that "Full Frontal" was made before there was such a thing as a DVX100, and in the days prior to the DVX, the PAL XL1 in frame mode was about the only option. After the DVX came out, Soderbergh ditched the XL1 and started using DVX's.

[jnolla]

Thanks for the input. I'll stick to NTSC.

[Topper]

If you live in America, then theres not much reason to get a PAL version unless your movie is going to be released on film and projected on big screens.

As well as the 25fps being closer to film,
Soderbergh used PAL because the extra 100 lines of resolution makes a difference, especially since they shot 4:3 and had to crop it. Since it was going to be projected, it needed to have all the resolution it could.

I'm not sure, but I think other films made on DV that knew they would get a cinema release do the same thing, like Pieces of April (pd150)