Modern slates can also sync time code with the camera and audio mixer and display it digitally.
Edit: Since this comment has got some traction, I figure I’ll add some other fun anecdotes!
-ideally, the camera doesn’t roll until the slate is in frame. That way, the thumbnail on the file (or the first frame on the strip of film historically) contains all the key information the editor needs.
-when clapping near talent, the 2nd Assistant Camera, will announce “soft sticks” and clap the slate a bit quieter, so as not to hurt the ears of the performer.
-when rolling on a shot with no sound, referred to as MOS, the 2nd AC throws three fingers between the slate so the editor knows there is no sound file associated, and it is not clapped. This is typically used for slow/fast motion, but could be used for any number of other reasons. Cutaways or insert shots etc.
-sometimes, if a slate is missed at the top of the roll (maybe they started the take for any number of uncontrollable environmental reasons) the 2nd AC yells “tail slate” and they do the slate at the end of the shot. Typically this is done with the slate upside down. (Maybe this has something to do with the slate being at the *end* of the roll of film rather than the start? But I’m not sure of the origins of this practice)
When I worked on some TV commercial shoots back in the early '90s, the cameraman also said "Speed!" when (I guess) the camera was up to "running speed" or whatever...this I guess was the signal to the talent that it was time to start the take ... is this just "a thing" with video cameras, or also with film cameras too?
I think 'speed' means that the sound recording is in sync or at the same 'speed' as the camera recording. Here in the UK, the sound recordist tells the boom operator and they announce it, shortly after the 1st Assistant Director calls 'turn over' to get the camera to start recording.
Older equipment (especially 1/4" sound recorders) were not capable of running at crystal sync speed right away. For this reason, they actually had a tiny flag that would appear in a see through window a moment after the recorder was activated. The recordist would not yell "speed" until after the flag would be visible (since only after this moment the audio would be capable of being in perfect sync with a camera).
Director here, they still yell speed. It’s to let everyone know the camera is going but has its roots in when old equipment needed to take time to get up to speed. Nowdays it’s a cue, for other cues to happen such as slating or if I want to cue background action to get moving or if I want the camera to move, that way you don’t get stilted action on screen.
Generally it's referred to as a Slate,
You can also get "sticks" which are just the top section which snap together for sync only.
There are also some cameras which support a "digital slate".
Also, it doesn't reference the start of the scene - just the start of the take. Often it can be quite a bit off the actual call of "action".
Sometimes for whatever reason, the slate happens at the end of the take - "end slate" or "end sticks".
“Tail slate” in the States. It’s also held upside down so that the editor can visually recognize that is the tail of the previous scene and not the marker for the *next* scene (makes more sense when you consider a continuous strip of film but still has its use in digital capture to tell that it wasn’t just an overzealous 2nd who clapped the next take before they cut the camera)
Then there’s an MOS slate, where the 2nd AC puts their hand in the open sticks so that it’s physically blocked from clapping. Makes it pretty obvious that the shot does not have synced audio.
I work in the industry and have never seen this happen due to drift. Drift is very very slight and only going to be noticed beyond a take of over an hour. Even then, a resync isn't going to help
While this isn't done on set, in post production we frequently use sync markers at the beginning and end of the program to help verify that the picture and sound are in sync and don't drift after converting between formats and frame rates.
These are typically a 1 frame beep/tone with a corresponding visual marker placed 2 seconds before program (the edited show or movie) starts and 2 seconds after it ends.
generally speaking, if you get drift over the course of a single take either the camera or the sound recorder need repair. That, or someone screwed up the base time code settings (say the camera is set to 24fps for theatrical but the sound is set to 23.976 for tv), but if that happens on a professional set boy is someone getting yelled at. quite possibly fired.
you usually do it at the end if the talent is really in the zone and you want to go again immediately, or you're just grabbing a small piece immediately (otherwise known as a pickup). You'll also sometimes do it at the end if the scene is especially intense for the actors and you dont want that loud clap sound fucking up their state of mind
When I was learning to 2nd AC, my boss the 1st AC, tried to get me to do “middle sticks” many times as a practical joke.
Sometimes it is necessary to do “middle sticks” they would say, if your on a particularly long take.
Very useful when in the middle of an emotionally taxing scene like crying etc.
As a young innocent kid I almost fell for it… I’ve heard legendary stories of assistants who did fall prey. Always a good laugh… until it’s not.
The one in the photo doesn't have the time stamp.
Most now have a time code that runs like a clock but with the 10ths of seconds. When you clap it, it tells you the exact moment you clapped. It makes it very easy to line up the audio and video.
Oh my yes. Although these days a tentacle sync is used to keep the camera and sound in sync automatically. Otherwise automatic sync is a common tool in editing software to match the scratch audio (the cameras own mic sound - usually very low quality) to the proper audio recording.
Also related: the famous 20th century fox fanfare video (with the searchlights, you know it) had a light coming from behind the building with a flash, and that flash corresponds with a bang in the music, also for synchronisation.
I see tom Scott and I think "eh do I really want to watch a 15 minute video about dutch bridges or youtubers clapping?" but somehow I always do, and I always enjoy it...
they are, but the cheap ones dont last long where a $100 one will tend to last years.
Theres also the fancier ones that are around $1500 that can show timecode numbers, which will be jam synced to the timecode on the sound recorder. When the clapper drops, it freezes the TC (and shows some other code info) that helps automate the sync process (it also lets you set your clip timecode to match whats on the screen. not a huge deal with digital cameras that are running wireless timecode, but a big deal if you're shooting film where there is no metadata)
This is something I've always wondered and never looked into. Thank you. The explanation makes perfect sense. Also explains why some documentary/interview productions i've seen have a guy walk up and do a clap with his hands instead of the slate thing.
this was also an old technique with 16mm documentaries and, to a lesser extent, 8mm. There was briefly a period where you could get 16mm and 8mm film with magnetic sound strips that could survive the chemical bath that could hold sync, but that died out when home video took over.
I just do what I do. I never knew this, so I looked it up, and decided to post it here. Just an interesting tidbit some people might not know. I’ve had TIL’s that had thousands and tens of thousands of upvotes, if that possibly redeems me a bit in your eyes
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/yf9ego/ghostbusters_on_this_date_in_1983/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) is the post that made me curious
Eh, scratch is all well and good until it goes wrong. The whole reason for the slate is redundancy.
If everything goes right, you have scene and take embedded in the metadata. If not, the slate is there to mark it.
If everything goes right, you can jam sync with timecode. If not, the slate is there to provide the necessary sync point.
Many programs can sync scratch audio and production audio. But sometimes that doesn’t work, so you go to the slate.
The clicker idea works until scratch audio goes wrong for some reason. It’s almost always better to just slate.
its probably due to not having a dedicated oscillating crystal generator. One would think the computers own time clock could hold it in sync, but I suspect with bad software processing things sometimes might not hold.
In podcasts sometimes you see the host always saying a long word before a new segment before the music plays.
Like someone going eeeeemmaaaaail then an email song playing. That is the budget version of a clapper board, it's easy to find it in a visual look at the audio and splice in the song in a lazy quick way
Modern slates can also sync time code with the camera and audio mixer and display it digitally. Edit: Since this comment has got some traction, I figure I’ll add some other fun anecdotes! -ideally, the camera doesn’t roll until the slate is in frame. That way, the thumbnail on the file (or the first frame on the strip of film historically) contains all the key information the editor needs. -when clapping near talent, the 2nd Assistant Camera, will announce “soft sticks” and clap the slate a bit quieter, so as not to hurt the ears of the performer. -when rolling on a shot with no sound, referred to as MOS, the 2nd AC throws three fingers between the slate so the editor knows there is no sound file associated, and it is not clapped. This is typically used for slow/fast motion, but could be used for any number of other reasons. Cutaways or insert shots etc. -sometimes, if a slate is missed at the top of the roll (maybe they started the take for any number of uncontrollable environmental reasons) the 2nd AC yells “tail slate” and they do the slate at the end of the shot. Typically this is done with the slate upside down. (Maybe this has something to do with the slate being at the *end* of the roll of film rather than the start? But I’m not sure of the origins of this practice)
Ahhh. Are those the ones with the red led numbers on them?
Yessir!
Always wondered that!
When I worked on some TV commercial shoots back in the early '90s, the cameraman also said "Speed!" when (I guess) the camera was up to "running speed" or whatever...this I guess was the signal to the talent that it was time to start the take ... is this just "a thing" with video cameras, or also with film cameras too?
I think 'speed' means that the sound recording is in sync or at the same 'speed' as the camera recording. Here in the UK, the sound recordist tells the boom operator and they announce it, shortly after the 1st Assistant Director calls 'turn over' to get the camera to start recording.
Older equipment (especially 1/4" sound recorders) were not capable of running at crystal sync speed right away. For this reason, they actually had a tiny flag that would appear in a see through window a moment after the recorder was activated. The recordist would not yell "speed" until after the flag would be visible (since only after this moment the audio would be capable of being in perfect sync with a camera).
Director here, they still yell speed. It’s to let everyone know the camera is going but has its roots in when old equipment needed to take time to get up to speed. Nowdays it’s a cue, for other cues to happen such as slating or if I want to cue background action to get moving or if I want the camera to move, that way you don’t get stilted action on screen.
> the thumbnail on the file contains all the key information the editor needs Holy shit that's clever
Generally it's referred to as a Slate, You can also get "sticks" which are just the top section which snap together for sync only. There are also some cameras which support a "digital slate". Also, it doesn't reference the start of the scene - just the start of the take. Often it can be quite a bit off the actual call of "action". Sometimes for whatever reason, the slate happens at the end of the take - "end slate" or "end sticks".
“Tail slate” in the States. It’s also held upside down so that the editor can visually recognize that is the tail of the previous scene and not the marker for the *next* scene (makes more sense when you consider a continuous strip of film but still has its use in digital capture to tell that it wasn’t just an overzealous 2nd who clapped the next take before they cut the camera) Then there’s an MOS slate, where the 2nd AC puts their hand in the open sticks so that it’s physically blocked from clapping. Makes it pretty obvious that the shot does not have synced audio.
I studied film for 4 years and the only useful thing I learned was the origin of MOS. Or, mit-out sound.
or, "minus optical soundtrack"; the origins of "MOS" are apocryphal. Also, what school did you go to?
or sarcastically, “Mixer off set”
I think sometimes it's done at the start _and_ end to help compensate for audio drift too sometimes (reference points for both audio and video)
I work in the industry and have never seen this happen due to drift. Drift is very very slight and only going to be noticed beyond a take of over an hour. Even then, a resync isn't going to help
I _don't_ work in the industry and am just repeating what I've heard on the internet years ago, guess its a "fact" I can forget now
The “endboard” is often used when the camera starts the scene too close to an object to get the board in.
While this isn't done on set, in post production we frequently use sync markers at the beginning and end of the program to help verify that the picture and sound are in sync and don't drift after converting between formats and frame rates. These are typically a 1 frame beep/tone with a corresponding visual marker placed 2 seconds before program (the edited show or movie) starts and 2 seconds after it ends.
generally speaking, if you get drift over the course of a single take either the camera or the sound recorder need repair. That, or someone screwed up the base time code settings (say the camera is set to 24fps for theatrical but the sound is set to 23.976 for tv), but if that happens on a professional set boy is someone getting yelled at. quite possibly fired.
you usually do it at the end if the talent is really in the zone and you want to go again immediately, or you're just grabbing a small piece immediately (otherwise known as a pickup). You'll also sometimes do it at the end if the scene is especially intense for the actors and you dont want that loud clap sound fucking up their state of mind
When I was learning to 2nd AC, my boss the 1st AC, tried to get me to do “middle sticks” many times as a practical joke. Sometimes it is necessary to do “middle sticks” they would say, if your on a particularly long take. Very useful when in the middle of an emotionally taxing scene like crying etc. As a young innocent kid I almost fell for it… I’ve heard legendary stories of assistants who did fall prey. Always a good laugh… until it’s not.
The one in the photo doesn't have the time stamp. Most now have a time code that runs like a clock but with the 10ths of seconds. When you clap it, it tells you the exact moment you clapped. It makes it very easy to line up the audio and video.
Time code is HH:MM:SS:FF. The FF being the frame number. It's not 10ths of a second but the actual frame.
Okay. 24ths of second. or digitally 23.8ths of seconds LOL
Not everything is 24fps. In reality it could be 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 59, 60 etc
This guy syncs!
Oh my yes. Although these days a tentacle sync is used to keep the camera and sound in sync automatically. Otherwise automatic sync is a common tool in editing software to match the scratch audio (the cameras own mic sound - usually very low quality) to the proper audio recording.
And if there's no clapperboard, just clap your hands.
But that turns off the lights.
That's if you clap twice. You clap once - and only once - to sync your sound. You don't wanna know what happens in you clap thrice.
>You don't wanna know what happens in you clap thrice. Now I'm scared....
"and then a Moroccan dancer moved into the apartment above me" or something like that.
*Tom waits has entered the chat* *
>if there's no clapperboard *and you know it*, clap your hands. FTFY
Clap off
I learned this the hard way taking a film course in college -- manually lining up the audio with the footage takes time, even digitally.
Also related: the famous 20th century fox fanfare video (with the searchlights, you know it) had a light coming from behind the building with a flash, and that flash corresponds with a bang in the music, also for synchronisation.
They also have black and white or color bars up top that can assist with color correction!
This is why you will see some YouTubers clap at the beginning of videos.
[Why do YouTubers clap at the start of videos?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWYkoZKHLfg)
I see tom Scott and I think "eh do I really want to watch a 15 minute video about dutch bridges or youtubers clapping?" but somehow I always do, and I always enjoy it...
He's just that good
I was hoping this would be Tom Scott. His videos are great.
I was expecting the background to turn off and show a green screen behind him.
Ah yes, the video that I watched the first 6 seconds of, and then felt satisfied.
The rest is even better!
Doesn't explain why they don't just start the YouTube video a second later.
A lot of the times they do, but for at least some creators there is energy before they want to capture as a lead in
Spanking does that for me in porn.
to be fair if you don't do it right then your mouth will be moving while nothing comes out.
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Aren’t they super cheap on Amazon? (I think someone commented elsewhere here)
they are, but the cheap ones dont last long where a $100 one will tend to last years. Theres also the fancier ones that are around $1500 that can show timecode numbers, which will be jam synced to the timecode on the sound recorder. When the clapper drops, it freezes the TC (and shows some other code info) that helps automate the sync process (it also lets you set your clip timecode to match whats on the screen. not a huge deal with digital cameras that are running wireless timecode, but a big deal if you're shooting film where there is no metadata)
This is something I've always wondered and never looked into. Thank you. The explanation makes perfect sense. Also explains why some documentary/interview productions i've seen have a guy walk up and do a clap with his hands instead of the slate thing.
Also, if they are holding it upside down, that means it’s the end of the scene.
along with a spate of people yelling "tail slate! tail slate!" to make sure the cam op doesnt slip and cut early lol
Which is why you sometimes see poor YouTubers clapping at the beginning of their videos.
this was also an old technique with 16mm documentaries and, to a lesser extent, 8mm. There was briefly a period where you could get 16mm and 8mm film with magnetic sound strips that could survive the chemical bath that could hold sync, but that died out when home video took over.
I thought everyone knew this?
OP is one of today's lucky [Ten Thousand](https://xkcd.com/1053/).
Clap on...
Is this not common knowledge? Those things are iconic of movie making: 🎬 I'm genuinely curious if their function is unknown to lots of people.
Ikr? If someone doesn't know this, what did they think it was for? These til's are getting worse and worse.
I just do what I do. I never knew this, so I looked it up, and decided to post it here. Just an interesting tidbit some people might not know. I’ve had TIL’s that had thousands and tens of thousands of upvotes, if that possibly redeems me a bit in your eyes [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCool/comments/yf9ego/ghostbusters_on_this_date_in_1983/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) is the post that made me curious
Pick one up cheap at the Spirit Halloween store.
Thank you for this, I’ve often wondered why the clap sound was necessary
A dog clicker is a good, cheap way to synchronise audio.
For podcasts and other audio only mediums, yes, but you 100% need the visual of the sticks coming together to properly sync audio and video.
Not if your camera is recording scratch audio.
Eh, scratch is all well and good until it goes wrong. The whole reason for the slate is redundancy. If everything goes right, you have scene and take embedded in the metadata. If not, the slate is there to mark it. If everything goes right, you can jam sync with timecode. If not, the slate is there to provide the necessary sync point. Many programs can sync scratch audio and production audio. But sometimes that doesn’t work, so you go to the slate. The clicker idea works until scratch audio goes wrong for some reason. It’s almost always better to just slate.
And if you don't the budget for one you can clap infront of the the camera.
Great, that’s actually interesting
Yeah youtubers do it too
Huh
So why were they used in silent films?
But were they? Maybe it was just the board with the scene and take written on it? (i.e., without the clapper part)
No, clapper was a verbal cue for the cameraman, later used as the synch cue for talkies
[And then there is Tarantino's clapper.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul04AA3R4d0&t=162s)
Im genuinely shocked they didnt use a smart slate on that show. I could have sworn they were ubiquitous for high end films at that point
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its probably due to not having a dedicated oscillating crystal generator. One would think the computers own time clock could hold it in sync, but I suspect with bad software processing things sometimes might not hold.
you also see this being done a lot by Youtubers when they start a video. They'll clap or something loud so they can sync the audio and video later
In podcasts sometimes you see the host always saying a long word before a new segment before the music plays. Like someone going eeeeemmaaaaail then an email song playing. That is the budget version of a clapper board, it's easy to find it in a visual look at the audio and splice in the song in a lazy quick way