Clapper/Slating Shots - Advanced
- Adam Barrett
- Austin Russell
This is an alternative version to Clapper/Slating Shots Basic This method may have been taught to you in SPRO2003 or SPRO3007. It is ultimately up to you as the filmmaker to decide which method you prefer for your production. This method adopts the American system and is more ideal for larger productions where it’s important to have media card info on the slate. Please speak to the MCASI store or your post-production specialist if you would like advice on which method to choose.
This method is one of the more commonly used styles on industry film sets. It is strongly recommended to have a good understanding of this and the Clapper/Slating Shots Basic methods to ensure you can adapt to any film set’s requirements.
Production: Name of your film project
Roll: This section is to keep track of what media card is in the camera. For a single camera production, this will start as A001. If you move onto a new card or begin a new shooting day, it’s assumed that you will start with a new card. This will then be changed to A002. If you have a multi-camera shoot, the B camera will be written in as B001, following the same rolling number principle if more cards are used or if there are more shoot days.
Scene: This is the largest change in this American system. This section must specify both your scene number and shot. To do this, the American method adpots a alphaneumeric system. Scene number will remain the same as Clapper/Slating Shots Basic. The shot will lie after the scene and will be listed as a letter. This letter will grow each time a shot change takes place. If you start with 1A for example and film the first shot, this will need to be changed to 1B if you change from a wide shot to an MCU, or change lens or any other significant change that makes the next shot visually different from the last. This technically allows for 24 (I & O excluded) shots within each scene. If you do exceed this, you will then need to commence a following letter, for example 1AA.
For obvious reasons the letters I and O are omitted
Take: Take is identical to the Clapper/Slating Shots Basic method. This is a rolling number that goes up each time you need to film the same shot. Some shots will take multiple times to master. It is always advised to have safety takes for each shot you do, this allows the editor to have more options when cutting together the video.
Director: Name of director.
Camera: Name of DoP.
Date: Date of filming. Not to be mistaken for date on script.
Day/Night: Shooting time, according to the script. Not to be mistaken for actual time of day.
Sync/Mos: Sync is referring to when you intend to capture sound for your filming. The clapper board must therefore be “clapped” to create a sync point. Mos is referring to mute on sound. This is when no sound is captured and the clapperboard is used for visual purposes only.
Calling Slate on Set
This is a very important process that must be undertaken in a particular order. This ensures that the required creative departments are recording and ready to capture. The below steps are used on most industry film sets.
1st Assistant Director: Turnover
Sound Recordist: Speed
Director of Photography: Rolling
Clapper Loader: Read Slate
1st Assistant Camera : Mark
Director of Photography: Set
Director: Action
Sound recordist must communicate speed once they have hit record on their recorder.
DoP must communicate rolling once they have hit record on their camera.
*Clapper loader must have the clapper board in the frame of the camera at this stage*
They will read the Scene and Take window on the clapper, for example Scene 2 Bravo. The letter for the slate must be read this using the phonetic alphabet. This allows for the letter to be clearly heard by the editor, when matching the sound and vision together.
Marking consists of the clapper loader “clapping” the sticks together.
Set is only to be said when the DoP is happy with the shot and ready to film.