One of my companies produces video for the web to promote its network of sites and attract new visitors who would not ordinarily discover us through our ads or word of mouth. 

I recall when the company gave video production a go for the first time almost 3 years ago...few even knew about YouTube.  The company only had one high-quality camera (because that is all its budget could afford).  Everyone was forced to learn how to get video from digital video tapes captured to a hard drive on a computer, how to edit the video, how to add titles and advertisements in the video, how to export the video, how to compress the video, how to convert the video to flash, how to setup and maintain a video server, how to upload the video to the server and publish it to the web by adding a database entry.  Sounds like a lot of work right? 

Well, anybody can do it in their sleep after a few attempts, but I digress…

The company now has two high-quality cameras and a separate source for audio recording (in the form of a solid state recorder), allowing for the creation of more entertaining videos.  Unfortunately, using multiple recording devices like this can make editing and producing videos more complicated. 

When a digital video tape is used to store the recording, as in my case, the camera captures both video and audio to that tape.  The footage on the tape is then captured to the hard drive of a computer from the tape in the form of a computer file that includes both the audio and video tracks; they are paired together.  If additional cameras are used to film the same scene, the audio and video from Camera 1 must be syncronized with Camera 2’s audio and video to produce the action sequence.  And if you add an additional audio recording device, like a solid state recorder, then this audio must be synced with the other audio and video recordings.  Without some common reference in the audio tracks and video clips to synchronize the audio with the video, producing a professional video is hopeless.

It didn’t even dawn on me to create a common reference during filming because I rarely perform the role of editor and producer...I consider myself an amateur filmaker at best! 

After this experience, I did some research on the Internet and learned that the name of the device used by experienced film producers during production to create this common reference is called a Slate and Clap Stick. A Slate and Clap Stick can eliminate the need to find a natural reference in the audio and video during post-production.

Here is a photograph and some background info on the Slate and Clap Stick from this website:

Even if the camera and the audio recorder are running at exactly the same speed a reference will still be needed to indicate when the audio and image are to be started. An even larger issue is that of which audio track goes with which clip of image. This issue is solved with a “slate.” In the old days of cinema a thin board of slate was marked on with chalk to indicate the scene, and shot being taken.  This slate was held up in front of the camera each time the camera started rolling. Film shots could then easily be cut into manageable sections according to the slate images at the beginning of each clip.  When sound was added to the mix the scene and shot would have to be called out loud by an assistance director (AD), so the audio recorder had a similar sort of audio slate that would match the actual slate.  This allowed a specific image clip to be paired with a specific audio clip in post production. The clapper, or clap sticks where added to the top of the slate to give a frame accurate reference to synchronizing the image and the audio in post production.  That is, on set the AD would call the audio “sound!” and would wait for the recordist to say “rolling,” which meant the tape recorder was recording. Then hearing the sound reply the AD would call “camera!” to which the camera man would say “speed” when the cameras tachometer would indicate that the camera had reached operational speed. After hearing the camera reply the AD would then make sure that the slate with all the proper information was held for the camera to see and read out load the information on the slate for the audio recordist. After the scene is called out the clapper sticks are clapped together firmly to make a sharp sound.  The sticks are then held together so as not to confuse the editor when aligning the visual image in post production. When this was all done the director should then finally call “action!”

And this is still how it is done today. But a dry erase board is more commonly used and some very fancy slates actually have a digital read out indicating the time code on the camera and feed a similar signal to the tape recorder.  However, if all you have is a dry erase slate/clapper you will need to call all the scenes and clap the sticks to indicate the reference frame.  One other trick is at the end of a take before the camera and the audio recorder are stopped the slate should be held again in front of the camera but upside down to indicate the end of the shot.  A clap reference can also be made hear for extreme precision.

Obviously the amateur filmaker I am didn’t realize the importance of using this device in production so I was forced to rely on my creativity after the fact. 

I eventually discovered that when the Cameras were both pointed at the same car from behind, I could use the vehicle’s lit brake lights (when its drive depressed the brake pedal) as a visual reference to line up Camera 1 and Camera 2’s audio and video, but it was not going to be as easy to line up the audio recorded to the solid state device with the audio and video from the Cameras. 

While listening to the audio track on the computer I heard a distinct, sharp noise when someone slammed a car door.  I immediately switched over to listen to the audio recorded by the Cameras to detemine whether they were on and recording at the same time the solid state recorder was recording.  If the Cameras recorded the same sound of the car door slamming, then I could line up the the solid state device’s audio with that from the Cameras and this would effectively line up the solid state recorder’s audio with the video recorded by the Cameras (since I had previously aligned the audio and video from the two Cameras).  Sure enough the Cameras were on and recording when the door was slammed so I saved myself a decent amount of headache. 

Who would have imagined that a device which creates a common reference point in all of the separate audio and video recordings used during a scene would be so useful.  If you plan on taking up video production, make sure to get yourself one of those film tools!