In an effort to make his Iraq War satire look more like GoPro footage of your nephew’s backyard birthday party, Ang Lee has shot his new film Billy Lynn’s Halftime Walk at a whopping 120 frames per second. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lee will preview footage from the movie for the first time in its intended 4K, 3D, 120-fps format during his April 16 keynote speech at the NAB Show’s Future of Cinema Conference in Las Vegas.
The film, based on the 2012 book of same name, recounts the story of one Billy Lynn and the rest of his company as they survive a heated firefight in Iraq. A video of them goes viral, and they become so famous that the Bush administration brings them home for a two-week goodwill tour. Ultimately, the soldiers end up participating in a Thanksgiving halftime performance by Destiny’s Child at a Cowboys-Bears game.
Although the majority of films are shot at 24 fps, Peter Jackson shot The Hobbit in 48 fps, which a lot of people found jarring and akin to a cheesy, staged performance during non-spectacle scenes. It’s likely that 120 fps could compound that problem, but with set pieces that take place in the middle of a firefight and an NFL game, it’s sort of understandable why Lee would choose this film to experiment with the format. The cast includes Vin Diesel, Chris Tucker, Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund, and Steve Martin. Sony plans to release the movie in November, which gives everyone enough time to either study up on how frame rate affects the viewing experience or relearn all the lyrics to “Bug A Boo.”