Glossary

Frames per second (fps)

The number of images a video shows each second, usually 25, 30, 50 or 60; also called the frame rate.

A video is a sequence of still images. At 25 frames per second (the European standard inherited from television) or 30 (the American one), movement looks natural. At 50 or 60 it becomes very smooth, as in sport or video games.

Filming at 50 or 60 lets you slow a moment down in the edit without stutter. In Switzerland, as in the rest of Europe, mains power runs at 50 Hz: shooting at 25 or 50 avoids some lights flickering on camera.

A coach films a jump at 50 frames per second to play it in slow motion, while the rest of the video stays at 25.