haha Martin, good one!

Similar to the first of the posted images in the preceding page.


Two pieces of laminated chipboard, well sealed against the damp, one piece of white polypropolene for whiteboard marker, two strips of aluminium flatbar, one 5/16" bolt, two nuts (locknut), one Honda Z50 motorcycle clutch cable return spring.

Thumb holds the slate open, lets it go for it to slam shut.


As for the reasoning, a take with a head and tail slate is easier to re-sync if the audio clip slips in the NLE so long as you have not already cut the head and tail off permanently.

The slate "clap" may not be necessary but the scene-shot-take info and a shotlist remains desirable to minimise the workload at the editing end. - Anyone observe how the volunteers take a step backwards when called upon to edit someone else's footage.

Haste on the front-end of a project really amounts to time and task shifting to the back-end when an editor has to sort through a heap of unidentified footage which has all the organisational discipline of a third world landfill.

The editor might as well be back in the stone-age syncing up double system film.

Timecode clapboards
Slates & boards

Custom engraved slate / clapper
 

We are one of the very few companies that offers custom engraved slates, naturally we have standard slates available also. Our slates are made here in the USA and not cheap imports that fall apart 2 weeks later. Our slates also have a 1 year warranty.

Find them here: http://www.gomediamonkey.com/proddet...eng-model&c=28

Cheers,
Marius