The Clapperboard — How to Use a Film Slate (And Why You Should)

The Movie Clapperboard Explained — what is a clapperboard, how to mark the slate properly, and why it is such an important tool for any film or video production.

The Clapperboard Explained? ►► https://bit.ly/wi-cb
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Clapperboards
00:44 - Clapperboard History
02:02 - Chapter 1: The Purpose of Clapperboards
07:03 - Chapter 2: How to Mark a Clapperboard
12:37 - Chapter 3: Slating on Set
15:57 - Takeaways

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FILM CLAPPERBOARD EXPLAINED

The clapperboard is an essential film tool. In fact, filmmakers have been using them for over a century — no matter what technologies in cinema have come and gone, the clapperboard remains. But why? What is a clapperboard and why do filmmakers use them? In this video, we’re going to break it all down. From the basic and essential functions to how to mark the slate properly to the proper etiquette when using one on set.

WHAT IS A CLAPPERBOARD

The clapperboard, also known as a slate, is a highly functional tool in film and video production. At its core, it has two main roles — it helps keep all the footage organized and it is a way for editors to sync sound and picture during the post-production process. Written on the board is information for each take (or shot) during production. The editorial team then can quickly identify which shot is which when they assemble the film, often weeks or months later.

The second function involves syncing the sound to the picture. In a vast majority of cases, sound and image are recorded separately. The quickest way to synchronize them is to match the visual and the audio of the “sticks” making contact.

HOW TO MARK THE SLATE PROPERLY

Most clapperboards contain the following information for the editorial team — names of the project, director, and DP; the camera roll or card number, the scene number, the take number, the fps and lens info, whether there is sound being recorded or not, if the scene is an interior or exterior, day or night, etc. All of this information is used by the editorial team to keep the footage organized and to cross reference the script supervisor’s notes on additional information for each shot.

When the camera and sound are rolling, the 2nd Assistant Camera holds the slate in front of the camera, making sure the information is visible. They call out the scene and take number to be recorded on the audio, and then they say, “mark.” At this point, they clap the sticks together to provide that sync point. Then the director calls action and the scene is recorded.

Without a tool like the clapperboard, an editorial team assembling a feature film with thousands of shots, and tens of thousands of takes would be absolutely lost. And with this proper etiquette in mind, you can now make your next project that much more organized and professional.


#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking

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