One of the drawbacks to using video instead of film is that with video you don't have control over the speed at which images are captured. With film, you can undercrank or overcrank to get great slow- and fast-motion segments. Using video, you're stuck at 25 frames per second (PAL) or 30 frames per second (NTSC), unless you spend big bucks for a special high-speed video camera.
I have long been interested in how to get improved slow-motion segments inexpensively, since I enjoy working with miniatures and they usually require some slow-motion modification to help hide the scale. Up until now, I've been faced with using the built-in speed adjustments in Final Cut Pro or an expensive plug-in such as Twixtor.
I'm really glad that I stumbled across an article that deals specifically with getting better slow-motion in 24p, but should be workable on any video camera, since it relies on the standard 60i mode used by standard NTSC cameras. Just take a little care in using a high shutter speed when acquiring the source footage, then split the footage into individual fields in post. The article covers After Effects specifically, but is easily adapter to any NLE with a deinterlacing ability.
Digging deeper, I found a second Web site that goes into detail on how to do the same sort of thing in Final Cut Pro, along with a good bit of detail on the how and why of slow motion video in general. But what would you expect from a Web site called "SSSSLLLLOOOWWWW MMMMOOOOTTTIIIOOOONN VVVVIIIIIDDDEEEOOOO?"
rarevision - Slow Motion in 24p Filmmaking
Slow Motion Video - How To
