William Hohauser

The higher the frame rate the more realistic the projected image looks. There have been many studies going years back regarding frame rate and perception. This is why Douglas Trumbell used 72fps projected film in his ShowScan amusement rides. He would have used a faster frame rate but the projected film couldn't stand the stress so 72 was the compromise. If you could see an image at 500 fps it would look almost 3 dimensional without glasses. 30+ years ago I happened to see a specialized analog color video camera and monitor set up that was running at over 200 frames per second. Even the still life that it was aimed at looked almost as real as if you were looking at the props directly. Why Mr. Jackson decided to go with 48fps is something he'll have explain in the next month as more and more people complain (I have already met a few people who have seen advanced screenings and none were happy with the experience) although higher frame rates would be beneficial for 3D filmmaking.