Practical, plain-English guides for camera assistants, sound recordists, DITs, presenters and anyone running a set: how to slate, how timecode works, frame rates, reports, syncing in the edit, and using a teleprompter.
How to slate a take properly: where to hold the clapperboard, what to say, when to clap, soft sticks, tail slates and common mistakes, explained for camera assistants.
What every field on a film clapperboard means: production, director, DOP, scene, shot, take, roll, camera, date, day or night, interior or exterior, frame rate and timecode.
Frame rates for film and video explained: 23.976 vs 24, 25 fps in the UK and Europe, 29.97 and 30 for US broadcast, high frame rates for slow motion, and keeping timecode matched.
Drop-frame timecode explained simply: why 29.97 fps needs it, which frame numbers are skipped, how to spot it (semicolons), and when to use non-drop frame instead.
What camera reports, sound reports and shot logs are, what to write on them, how they help the editor and DIT, and how ALE and CSV exports replace paper.
Three ways to sync separately recorded sound to picture: matching timecode, lining up the clapperboard, and waveform syncing. What each needs on set and how to fix drift.
The second AC or clapper loader explained: slating, camera reports, marks, cards and batteries, moving the camera, and how to be a great 2nd AC on your first shoot.
A plain-English glossary of film set calls and jargon: roll sound, speed, mark, action, cut, check the gate, martini, abby singer, MOS, pickup, wild track, room tone and more.
How a teleprompter (autocue) works: the beam-splitter glass, mirrored text, scrolling speed and who controls it, plus how a teleprompter app on iPhone or iPad does the same job.
Using a teleprompter for YouTube videos: writing a script that sounds natural, setting up a phone or iPad prompter near the lens, scrolling speed, eye contact and recording tips.
Autocue and teleprompter reading practice for presenters, newsreaders and video makers: warm-ups, marking your script, pace, breathing, eye line and exercises to sound natural.
A plain-English guide to Linear Timecode, jam sync, and why film sets rely on it.
What a digital slate does that a whiteboard clapper cannot, and when each makes sense.
Step by step: jamming timecode between a sound recorder, cameras and a slate.
Want the full picture of the app itself? Read the True-Slate feature guide.
A digital clapperboard and film slate app for iPad and iPhone, with LTC jam sync in and out, an automatic shot log, and exports. £9.99 once, no subscription.
Download on the App Store