To create a "cinematic look," many people shoot their films and videos using the magic 24 frames per second rule and double the shutter speed to generate natural motion blur and thus supposedly the most natural image. I'll briefly summarize why this is unsuitable for my recordings:

 
Motion Blur at 24 FPS

I shoot most of my footage without a tripod or gimbal, using the lightest possible camera, which of course has built-in image stabilization to ensure a pleasantly steady and sharp image. Since I'm not a professional filmmaker and my camera work isn't always 100% smooth and steady, or I have poor footing, for example, on very uneven terrain, all these wobbles are visible in the video, even if they are very small and subtle, and then the video doesn't look good. Therefore, in addition to optical image stabilization, I usually also use digital stabilization. Digital image stabilization reads out and crops the entire sensor so that the recorded image can be further stabilized. This is achieved by smoothly shifting the cropped area on the image sensor, depending on the degree of camera shake, which is determined by a position sensor and gyroscope. Action cameras like the GoPro are stabilized this way, and everyone knows the smooth, stable, and cinematic-quality footage they produce. Additionally, the image can be stabilized further in video editing software. This results in a loss of 10-20% of the image area, as it works in the same way as in-body electronic stabilization. Since my videos are "only" recorded in 4K and are heavily compressed later on YouTube and similar platforms anyway, it's sufficient for me to export the 4K video in FHD with the best sharpness and stability (or in 4K for better quality, especially on YouTube; I'll write an article about that later).

Now I come to the point why 24 frames per second doesn't fit my workflow: Motion blur!!

Yes, exactly what makes video so great can ruin it with electronically stabilized videos, because now I have motion blur in a direction where nothing should be moving at all, or rather, my videos are simply blurry at the point where I shook them, and you can tell that something is wrong.

Why do we actually film at 24 frames per second?

This arose from the compromise of being able to display smooth images without excessively high data rates, which were too large back then. or to accumulate too many rolls of film.

Displaying Images on Modern Devices

Most modern devices operate at 60Hz. If you try to display a video at 24 or 25 fps, a frame will occasionally be dropped, and you'll see judder during slow camera pans, but only if you look closely, which isn't noticeable to everyone.

Why do we have 25 fps in Europe and the Americans use 30 fps?

That has to do with the mains frequency. The European mains runs at 50Hz and the American mains at 60Hz. To avoid flickering in the video, you need to work with a multiple of this frequency. So, at 50Hz, you can use 25, 50, 150, ... fps, and at 60Hz, 30, 60, 120, 180, ... fps. Conclusion on filming at 24 fps: Only film at 24 frames per second with a shutter speed of 48 fps if you can handle the camera perfectly and therefore won't be using digital image stabilization, and if you're filming with flicker-free lighting! My tip: For best results, film at least 25 or 30 frames per second with a shutter speed of at least 100 fps to get a sharp video that's easy to stabilize. To make the images appear smoother, you can apply a motion blur effect at the end. This will increase the rendering time slightly, but you'll achieve a better cinematic look. In this way, you can create sharp, natural, and cinematic shots with simple means. This saves you from having to repeat the shots multiple times and allows you to concentrate on the content and enjoying the moment.

To get a good image, I prefer to set a high data rate with fewer frames, because then the images are more detailed and much easier to edit in post-production.

Caution:

If you film a fountain or waterfall, for example, with too long an exposure time (more than 5 times the exposure time to the frame rate), it will look jagged, choppy, and unnatural. Therefore, it is important to set the exposure time to only 2-4 times the frame rate, and not too high!

Should I change my mind, or discover something new to make even better videos, I will revise this article.