Clapperboard
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A clapperboard (often incorrectly Regieklappe correctly synchronized flap ) (Engl. Clapperboard ) is a tool in the production of a film , to picture and sound in the editing room to synchronize and to label a film clearly each setting.
purpose
In film productions, picture and sound are usually recorded with separate devices. Therefore, when editing, you need a clear reference point, i.e. a sync mark, in order to couple (create) the sound in the right place with the picture. This reference point is set in picture and sound with the help of the synchro-flap. It is located where the bars of the flap are closed in the picture and the sound of the beat can be heard.
A synchro-flap is only required when the image and sound are recorded separately (scenic shooting). Since today image and sound are usually recorded together on a storage medium in documentary and journalistic recordings in TV reporting, synchro-keys are usually not needed here.
The label on the flap is also used to identify the individual recordings in all work processes. This label is read out by a production employee (often 2nd camera assistant / material assistant or intern from the camera or sound department) before the flap is opened so that the data contained on the flap can also be identified on the sound carrier.
If it is not possible to hit the flap at the beginning of the recording (e.g. because the setting begins in the dark or the object to be filmed is too close to the camera), it can also be done at the end of the recording; one then speaks of a closing flap. In order to visually distinguish this from an initial key, it is common practice to turn the final key upside down.
labeling
During the shoot are unchanged on the clapperboard Film Title (Production Title) , name of Director (Director) and cameraman (Camera) .
The other information is constantly changed - according to the setting to be rotated: Setting (Take) for which scene (Scene), how often (No.) and on which film roll (Roll) was recorded. If there is PU (Pick-Up) in front of the setting number , a setting was only partially repeated. The setting number is assigned by the script / continuity .
In addition, it is indicated whether the recording is during the day (Day) , at night (Night) or at twilight (Dawn) . Furthermore, a distinction is made between outdoor (ext.) And indoor (int.) . St ( st umm) or MOS ( M otion O nly S hot, incorrectly also M it O hne S ound) means that it is a silent film recording , Date indicates the date.
The respective information is written on the flap with a whiteboard marker or with chalk and can easily be wiped away with a soft cloth or by hand.
Plexiglass flaps
Problems with underexposed flaps can be avoided by using modern flaps made of white or semi- transparent Plexiglas . They are labeled with wipeable felt markers. Plexiglass flaps are particularly suitable for taking pictures with strong backlight. While not enough light falls on a normal flap to be recorded with the set aperture, a plexiglass flap lets light shine through from behind and allows the flap to be filmed without having to change the lighting or the aperture. Furthermore, plexiglass flaps prove to be more durable and long-lasting than wooden flaps in practice, as they do not splinter or break easily.
Timecode flaps
These electronic flaps have a display on which the time code is shown by means of LED digits. They are considerably more expensive because they require an additional device that delivers the exact time code from the sound recording device to the flap and camera. They are used in particular when singing in sync with a pre-produced music number or when recording a scene with several cameras.
In order to use these flaps to synchronize sound and picture exactly (a film second has 24 + 1 frames as standard), most timecode flaps show a count from 0 to 23 instead of hundredths of a second.
Similar tools
If the picture and sound are not recorded with separate devices or the sound is not recorded at all, no optical-acoustic folding signal is required. In this case, scene data is recorded on a simple slate that is recorded by the camera. Slates are also used in photo shoots to separate and differentiate between shooting sequences. In the case of photographic documentation, linear scales , including a north arrow, can be attached to the slate to show the dimensions and position of the object.
At times when current reporting or documentaries were still working with film and separate audio tapes, synchromesh marks were also needed here in image and sound. The use of a clapperboard was often impractical because it was too cumbersome to use or there was no employee available to open the flap. Here the required synchronization points have been marked in a different way. There were, for example, small devices the size of the palm of a hand which, at the push of a button, generated an acoustic signal and a small lamp or LED generated an optical signal. These signals were recorded with a microphone and camera. Sometimes people made do with clapping their hands in front of the camera and microphone or knocking on the microphone held in the picture at the beginning of a take.
There are also flap apps for various mobile operating systems (e.g. iOS or Android) . These not only serve as a replacement for a conventional flap, but, depending on the app, can also be used to collect information accompanying the recording. Many apps offer the keeping of a take list including marking of the “good” and “bad” takes (this is usually written down in parallel with a conventional flap) and other organizational functions. These apps only offer a limited replacement, as the acoustical-optical synchronization point otherwise provided by the (wooden) strips is only replaced by an animation by the apps. This can vary depending on the app (e.g. the entire display turns red and a “beep” sounds or the bars are animated in the display, as if you were hitting a real flap and a “click” sounds). This animation is always shown on the display of the device, which a) has its own, mostly unchangeable frame rate that does not have to match the frame rate used for the camera recording, and b) is only partially synchronized to the camera and sound recorder clock can be. This means that the visual animation and the played sound effect usually do not appear 100% synchronized. If you create the take in post-production on the basis of these two signals, it can happen that the actual take is not synchronized. A flap app is therefore often only used as a replacement or primarily for writing down the take information in practice and is only used for orientation for synchronization.
There are conventional flaps that have a holding device for a tablet or smartphone and react to the flap being hit. So in practice you can combine the "intelligent" with the "conventional" and get a clean synchronization point.
Web links
- How to Slate on YouTube , introduction to working with the clapperboard