All language subtitles for Using a slate

one of the most iconic pieces of filmmaking gear

is the clapper board

also called a slate

there's actually quite a few rules

relating to the slate

it's fascinating

now in the old days of film

cameras couldn't record audio

audio had to be recorded separately from the camera

and then sync together with the video

in post production

so I needed something that would make a very brief

and distinct noise

that could be easily matched up with the clear visual

that's really all you need for a slate

sometimes I'll use an app

that just has a flashing light that also makes a noise

and if there's no slate or app

you can even just clap your hands

does the same thing

just make sure that you could always see the slate clap

especially in tight shots like this one

one of the benefits of an app

or a physical slate

over something quick and dirty

like a hand clap

is that you can write key information at a glance

the date the director

the scene information

the camera operator

frame rate and so on

as we talked about previously

the slate should be the first frame of the video clip

once the camera is rolling that way

the editor can quickly navigate and find scenes

or identify the production

by just looking at the thumbnail of the slate

and editing

some apps even allow you to

record information about each take

that you could then send back

to the edit

almost like a tool for script supervisors

Adobe's free live logger app does a great job at this

although it wasn't around when we film the assurance

I've always used an app called Movie Slate

it has tons of features

allowing you to input camera data

and all kinds of information for the whole production

and for each take

unfortunately

it's not super stable on my iPad

so I would definitely test any slate apps thoroughly

before using them in production

and then turn off

automatic updates once you found a version that works

once the slate is in position

and the camera and sound are recording

the person slating

which is usually the second AC

but it was the first AC

in our case

the person slating will call out the scene

and shot number

as well as the take

instead of saying the letters to denote the shot number

it's common practice to use the phonetic alphabet

so let's say that we were shooting

the second shot in scene eight

and we had done three takes already

the next shot would be scene 8 b

because it's the second shot in the scene take four

because we'd already done three takes

in this case

the person sledding would say

scene eight

bravo take four

if you have multiple camera shooting at the same time

they each get their own slate

the person slating calls out the scene

shot and take info

and then they say

the name of the camera being slated for

and our current example

that would be

scene eight

bravo take 4 camera a

and then they would clap the slate

then they would move to position

to slate for the next camera

as if it were the main camera

and give it its own slate

noting the new camera name

camera B or whatever

sometimes when shooting

there's just magic happening

and you can't take the time to slate

or else would be missed

this is often the case when dealing with atmospherics

like fire or smoke

or maybe in documentary situations

when something amazing is just happening spontaneously

and maybe if you're also

dealing with the uncontrollable

like babies or animals

in those cases

you do what is called a tail slate

where you slate at the end of the shot

you typically hold the slate upside down

in that case as well

with tail slate

you can capture whatever magic is going on

and still give the editor a point

to sync audio and video

as well as let them know

what scene and shot that was for

and what if you aren't shooting audio just video

this happens all the time

is referred to as an MOS shot

to indicate an MOS shot

to the editor

the slate is not clapped

and the hand of the person operating the slate

is placed in the middle of the slate

like this that way

the editor doesn't spend any unnecessary time

searching around

for the audio that should accompany that clip

sometimes when the person slates

they'll fumble

they might make a mistake somehow

they might get the wrong scene information

or forget to update which take it is

or fumble a bit when they clap the sticks

in that case

we'll just do the entire slate process again

with camera

audio still rolling

but they will also say

second sticks

that way the editor knows which slate to use

you can reslate

people take three yes

second sticks

take 3 what other

rule of thumb

when slated next to an actor's face

use soft sticks

basically soft sticks means to clap softly when slating

9 Delta take one soft sticks

everything else about the slate is still the same

cause you gotta slate the shot

but it's just done a little bit more gently

soft sticks

having a clapperboard clapping your face while you're

getting ready to perform a scene is jarring

and could take actors out of character

and the upcoming training series on editing

will look at how to sync audio and video

and will be reminded why slating is so important

and for my experience as an editor

I can tell you that's kind of annoying

when you work on a project that has random shots

without slate

you don't know why they were shot

or what to do with them

so always slate your shots

and use a slate with scene information

wherever possible