OK, I've got a Matrox project so it's Upper Field First.

If I create an AE comp to show an intervewee's name (Chinstrap) what's it's field order?

I can't see any way of setting it - I can choose PAL DV as the comp settings, but I'm guessing that that'll make it LFF, cos that's usually the default.

Equally, When I look at the film on a DVD, (although it looks perfect on teh Preview monitor) the subject jiggers like the fields are wrong, and then as soon as the AE comp finishes, the subject stops jiggering.

Weird eh?

It doesn't matter what field order your AE comp is provided it is the correct order for the final codec you are outputting it in - if you are going back to the Matrox field order won't change. If you are going to PAL DV it will be LFF in the output module.

It is very important to interpret your source material correctly. After you import a movie file into AE simply right click on the file and choose interpret footage - things like source aspect, pulldown and field order are all set here. If you're on a Mac I think you Option - click for the context menu. In any case I think it the command is on the file menu.

Thanks for the reply - in that instance, there wasn't any footage - just a solid block of colour from Photoshop...

but still it flickered when the chinstrap was there, and stopped flickering when it went away!

weird.