Convert 23.98 project to 24 for DCP creation in 2024

[lehestro]

I know this topic has probably been addressed before, but all the posts I found about it are nearly half a decade old or older, and I didn't know if anything had changed in that time.

I need to create a DCP for a short film, so I need a 24fps export. My project was shot and edited in 23.976. In today's premiere, is there any downside to simply changing my sequence from 23.976 to 24fps? It seems like Premiere handles all the conversion math for me, and long gone are the days when I would have to resample my audio or anything. Am I missing something, or is this a safe practice?

Also, is it better to change my sequence to 23.98 or simply confrom to 24fps on export? 

[R Neil Haugen · Accepted solution]

As this is a film, not broadcast, if there's a half second or second more or less run-time doesn't matter. Ergo whether it's drop-frame/non-drop-frame or has other 'cadence' issues isn't ... or shouldn't be ... an issue.

So I think what I'd do is copy the clips on the entire sequence, and paste into a new 24fps sequence. And check for proper playback and all, but it should work.

I'd checked recently about doing a far more complex thing on the Adobe Premiere Pro Editors group on Facebook ... about using 24fps, either 23..976 or full 24 fps, and 29.97 media ... all progressive ... on a job proposal that would be bound for public broadcast ... in the US, requiring a 29.97 interlaced export file, with exact timing to the full second also required.

And was told that this often works ok now. By people who regularly do broadcast, and they said make a 29.97 upper-first sequence, copy the material from the current working sequence, paste ... and see if that works. At the worst, I might need to take some to Ae for proper cadence changes.

It seemed to work in testing. Though the proposed job seems stalled and so hasn't been finished and sent off for approval. But again, in my testing, this seemed to work.

[lehestro]

Hey, thank you for such a detailed reply. This is what i did and it seemed to work. I thought today's NLEs tended to make things easier on us, but Ive learned i cant be too sure when dealing with things done to spec for exhibition or mastering (theatrical, broadcast, dvd etc). But this gave me a path forward which seems to be working out ok. 

[R Neil Haugen]

Things work great! .... right up until, BOOM ... naturally.

So a wise, experienced person always asks, and then tests ... thoroughly ... before doing deadlined pro workflows. Because you simply have to make deadlines ...