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Motion, Video & Creative Techniques

Overcranking

Running a camera faster than the intended playback rate, the traditional term for capturing slow motion.

Measured in fps

In depth

The word survives from hand-cranked cameras, where turning faster than the projection speed slowed the action on screen; undercranking, turning slower, speeds it up. The vocabulary persists in cinematography even though no crank has been involved for a century.

Examples in practice

A stunt is overcranked at 60 fps so it can be played at 24 fps with weight and drama.