What is a director clapboard?

Called a clapperboard or a slate board, among other things, it’s used to make syncing audio and film easier and to identify takes and scenes. The relevant information includes the scene and take numbers, the camera angle, the date, the production title and the name of the director.

What does clapboard roll mean?

Date: Write the date the footage is shot. Roll: This number identifies the film roll or digital media card onto which the shot is recorded. Scene: This number identifies which scene is being filmed. A scene generally includes multiple shots, which are indicated by adding letters to the scene number.

How do you label a clapboard?

On some clapboards you will see labels such as:

1. Day – You circle this for a day time shot.
2. Nite – You circle this for a night time shot.
3. Int – You circle this for a interior shot.
4. Ext – You circle this for a exterior shot.
5. Mos – You circle this for a “motor only shot”.

Why do directors use clapboards?

The clapperboard or clapboard — but always “slate” on set — is used by the Second Assistant Camera (2AC, also known as Clapper/Loader). The main purpose is to tell the post-production team when the camera has started (and stopped) recording.

How is the clapperboard used in film production?

This article is about the equipment used during filming. For the television program, see Clapperboard (TV series). A clapperboard is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark the various scenes and takes as they are filmed and audio-recorded.

Is the clapperboard filmed at the end of a take?

Sometimes a “tail slate” or end slate is filmed at the end of a take, during which the clapperboard is held upside-down.

What are the other names for the clapper board?

Other names include clapper, clapboard, cue card, clacker, slate, slate board, slapperboard, sync slate, time slate, sticks, board, smart slate, dumb slate and sound marker. When sound and picture are out of synchronization, there is a lip flap occurring.

Is the clapperboard the same as the slate?

Clapboard, clapperboard, film clapper, movie slate. They all mean the same thing if you’re searching for images of the universal symbol for “film production.” But on an actual film production, it is only ever called the slate — at least in the United States.