Turn on a new TV nowadays. That show or movie you’re watching looks smoother than a freshly paved road. The movement is as fluid as the Korn moshpit at Woodstock 99. Then watch the exact same thing on your phone or tablet. All of a sudden, it starts looking, correct.
The mode that’s on that new TV goes by many names, such as motion smoothing or motion interpolation. That setting basically doubles the frame rate for any video that is 24 or 30 frames per second, taking advantage of the screen’s 60 frames per second. It adds frames that weren’t there in the first place. This kind of change can be kind of subjective. For someone like you who may not know much, you might think it looks pretty, but purists see it as wrecking the original product. Honestly, I can’t blame them for that. It can look a little unnatural at times.
I was once watching Mulan at a relative’s house and noticed something was off. I then realized motion smoothing was on because of how fluid the movements were. I really wanted to turn it off but felt like it was going to be rude to do so. But still, it felt super distracting. It started to look like a cheap Disney Channel show rather than a high-budget animation.
Let’s look at Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as another example. That movie had a distinct style where the frame rate is less than the average 24 frames per second, kind of like flipping through a comic book. 24 is approximately the minimum the human eye needs to process motion. Some people decided to use AI software to make the movie in 60 frames per second. While it looked silkier than Spider-Man’s web, it ends up removing some of the charm from that movie. Imagine seeing an older stop-motion video get its frame rate increased. The more distinct jump between frames is what gives stop-motion its magic. When you increase the frame rate, it ends up looking funky.
Live-action TV shows can also suffer from this issue. Most shows that run in 60 frames per second are usually soap operas. These are the kind of soap operas you watch while you’re home from school or work because you’re sick that day. That kind of soap opera looks pretty cheap and also dated by today’s standards. When you see a current show with that frame rate, all of a sudden you feel like the show is ten years older than it’s supposed to be. I was once watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine at a friend’s house one time and I felt like I was watching an episode of Days of our Lives. It brought down the comedy factor which is something that feels impossible.
Other things like (live) music videos have also been ruined by increasing the frame rate. People have been “remastering” old music videos using AI. While the resolution increase is nice, the increase in frame rate can be pretty sour. Epica has recently started uploading their old music videos in 4K resolution and they look stunning when it comes to video quality. Once you see them in motion, you immediately notice how distractingly smooth they look. All of a sudden, they look like a cheap soap opera your mom probably watched while doing chores with your family.
Sometimes, having a lower frame rate can be distracting. This is the case for video games. Most games run in 60 frames per second which allows players to respond quickly. Some games can even get away with running in lower frame rates if they don’t require such accuracy. However, higher frame rates matter more when playing online games. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a game that can be played online but can suffer from frame rate issues. Due to its online system, sometimes frames will start dropping and renders the game almost unplayable at times.
Other games, like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, run in 30 frames per second natively. This is mostly because the Switch and Wii U couldn’t properly run the game in 60 frames per second. While I was someone who complained about it at first, I then realized it actually looks better that way. Sure, people have modded the game to run in 60 frames per second and it looks stunning. However, I think the game looks good as it is.
Turning on frame interpolation for video games is something you NEVER want to do. Turning it on for video games will add enough lag for you to notice. It’s like maxing out your performance on your gaming PC. While it’s nice to run the game at its max specs, it might not run the way you want it to.
This type of frame rate difference is what sets high quality from cheap budget stuff. You will be able to tell the difference between something that was shot on a film camera and something that was shot on your phone using whatever camera app it came with. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are 3rd party camera apps that will shoot in 24 frames per second rather than the typical 30 or 60 frames per second. I used to use an app called Filmic Pro. Despite its flaws, it was the app on my phone that shot in 24 frames per second. If you look around hard enough, you might find a better app that can shoot in 24 frames per second. I was watching a music video by Chaoseum one day and I didn’t know it was shot on a smartphone until someone told me. If they used the default camera app using default settings, I would’ve been able to tell.
While we obsess over things like resolution, the frame rate is what matters the most. You want to be able to tell the difference between an amateur shot video and something that was shot on a high budget. Sure, the cinematic look doesn’t just happen with gear. However, the quickest way to get it is simply by shooting in 24 frames per second instead of the usual 30 or 60.