What the heck is the name of this thing? You know, the rectangle with the black and white diagonal striped top that they clap down the top part at the beginning of a scene that they are shooting. I see they have a digital display now, that I am assuming shows title and scene. What’s the name of this thing?
Also, what is it for? My brother says they use the sound of the smacking down to coordinate the scene’s sound effects. Anyone to confirm/deny?
“It’s like I always said…there’s nothing an agnostic can’t do if he really doesn’t know whether he believes in anything or not” --Monty Python, “The Meaning of Life”
Uh, you can ignore my second request for the name; I don’t need to know twice. Sheesh. My awesome moderatorial powers would be very handy right now, if only this was my own forum.
Damn! And I even searched the archive. I must have been using bad seach terms (what, you mean everybody doesn’t call it a zebra-striped clapper thing?). Thanks, Bricker!
If you go to my site: http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/filmunderground.htm
and click on “TUTORIAL”, you can get a quick overview of the filmmaking process. (You can also see a picture of me holding a “slate”, as they’re usually called).
Basically, sound is not recorded on film. It’s recorded on a tape deck. When you’re synching the shot, you put the image of the sticks (that’s another name for them; technically just the striped part) when they close next to the sound of them closing (the tape has been resolved onto “fullcoat” or mag-film at this point).
One fairly important part of the slate no one has mentioned is that is has stuff written on it…important stuff, like which take of which shot of which scene, etc.
Sometimes a shot will not have time to have the Slate at the start of the shot, in which case they add it to the end, and have the slate upside down to indicate to the Editor that it refers to the previous shot, not the upcoming.
Also, the reason it has black and white stripes is because they blur easily when they are swung down, so then the frame that is suddenly sharply in focus is the clap-sound frame.
Thanks, Gaudere. Just goes to show you I’m not above a cheap plug for my site.
If the shot is going to be “marked” after it’s over, the camera and tape are kept running for the “tail slate”, which as GuanoLad said is upside-down. The director doesn’t yell “Cut!” until the slate is in. BTW: I have seen slates with coloured stripes on the sticks. The idea is apparently to avoid having to shoot the colour card at the beginning of the roll. But why not just use the colour card? You’re only exposing a little film.
Slates usually have spaces for the title, roll number, scene number, take number, director’s name, cameraman’s name, date, and MOS, DAY or “NITE”. The black chalk slates usually have white cloth tape with the information written with a black Sharpie on them. When I had a black slate I kept little tabs of tape on the back with “1”, “2”, “A”, “B”, etc. written on them so I could pull off what I needed and stick it to the front. The white slates are made for “Rite-On/Wipe-Off” markers. I have a make-up puff taped to my marker so I have the wiper right there. “Real” productions will often have the vital information (dir.'s name, D.P.'s name, title) done in little press-on letters. Cool, but a bit of an indulgement IMO.
To save film, the soundman will often record the shot info without the camera running. Then when the shot is ready he brings the recorder to speed, the camera comes to speed, and the director says, “Mark it!”. The slate person (who is already in position) claps the slate and exits the scene. Much more efficient than having someone read the information while the camera is running. At $100 for 11 minute of Fuji 16mm, I don’t like to waste it!
