Slating

S

srproductions

Well-known member
Hey guys! I have a short coming up, and I'm trying to decide how to label/slate the shots. Should I name the shots ei: Scene 1 - Take 4? Never done a fully planned production before, so...
 
Are you going to be editting as well? If so, just use a format that works for you and your workflow.

For my projects I usually use Scene/Shot (Eg; Shot 5 of Scene 12 would be 12/5) + Take#. Combining that with a decently marked-up script and storyboards makes things a lot easier in post. :-)

Cheers
Pat
 
It goes like this:

Scene 1 apple take 1

The scene 1 is the number of the scene , obviously.

the apple is your first coverage point....your second coverage point would be baker, third, charlie, etc. They all form part of scene 1, but are separate shots.

Then, slate the take numbers.

This is the way it is done in big studio pics and the way I learned on a $25 million feauture.

Sometimes you will have so much coverage in a scene that you will exceed one letter...start over with the alphabet (eg, Scene 6 Charlie Hotel take 1)

Remember not to use letters that can appear to be ambiguous on a slate (o, i, l,)

Hope this helps, Adam
 
I was thinking something like Scene 4 - Shot 6 - Take 2, but then I'm limited on the set. If I need an extra shot or say an insert shot, would that still work?
 
SR - why do it the wrong way? Do it like I said, not because I said it but because that's the way it's done. And if you're serious about being in this industry, you may as well learn it the right way the first time.
 
srproductions said:
I was thinking something like Scene 4 - Shot 6 - Take 2, but then I'm limited on the set. If I need an extra shot or say an insert shot, would that still work?
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The last short I worked on used this format. Can be a bit confusing. When they added shots they had to come up with a shot number they had not used before, and even then added a,b,c etc to the end of the shot number. I can only imagine how confusing it would be to the editor even with a shot list. I would stick to the standard master shot as scene1, coverage as scene 1a, 1b etc. My slate (as most I believe) only has spots for scene and take. Not scene, shot, and take. Maybe an editor will chime in with their preference.
 
Like I said, do it however you want. If and when you use a professional crew they will look at you like you're retarded. I learned this the hard way as Hollywood more or less has one way of doing things and it's an industry where tradition rules.
 
So, should I say Scene 1 - Take 2, allowing more flexibility? For inserts, say Scene 1 - Take A?

taormina said:
Like I said, do it however you want. If and when you use a professional crew they will look at you like you're retarded. I learned this the hard way as Hollywood more or less has one way of doing things and it's an industry where tradition rules.
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I don't really understand the concept of what you're saying. I mean, you say have the shots name ei: apple, baker... I just don't get it. Care to explain?
 
http://www.midnightstorm.com/movie_clapper.htm
NOTE: I AM NOT ADVERTISING FOR THEM, JUST SHOWING AN EXAMPLE OF THE TOPIC.

My clapper is packed for a shoot tomorrow so found one online. The photo in the link is marked for scene 12a / Take 3 / Roll 1 ... 12 is the master scene number but the "a" represents coverage shots. Maybe a closeup, MCU, 2-pop over the shoulder etc. which is done after the master shot to give variation in the scene (Though I'm Jarmusch has been know to do almost all master shots, I believe Stranger Than Paradise is the one in particular I am thinking of). The next variation of this shot in this scene would be 12b. The Take is the number of times the actor, cameraman, soundman screwed up or for some reason they decided to get another take. The Roll is of course roll of film (or in our case the tape number).

Obviously you can do it any way you want/feel comfortable doing. The thing about doing it the way everyone else does, is there is less adjusting. Less adjusting means a quicker set. A quicker set means less money and time spent.

srproductions said:
I don't really understand the concept of what you're saying. I mean, you say have the shots name ei: apple, baker... I just don't get it. Care to explain?
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A=Apple, B=Baker, C=Carhop (Whatever you want to designate. You can say Scene 12a, Take 2... or Scene 12 Apple, Take 2.. etc.
 
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srproductions said:
So what would the master shots be named?
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just plain 12. The links shows 12a which is a coverage shot. The master is typically the first shot, typically wide, typically having all the elements of the scene in that shot, such as if you were to go to a play. It is the shot that is generally labeled with the number only. The coverage shots have the number of the scene plus a letter designating it as another sub shot.
 
yeah. things like this, it's better to only learn once. do it the way taormina says, because I swear, going from a production with one director to a production with a different director who has a different way of slating, then ANOTHER director with yet a THIRD way, and it becomes impossible to keep up with all the different approaches and something gets screwed up

learn it the right way, stick with it, and convert those along the way
 
I'm just confirming that the slate method mentioned is the same as what is taught in film schools.

On one set the guy doing the slating started saying words in other languages because he became bored and when we got to J he said "Juan" and the crew had a short discussion on whether on not we should shoot the shot again because the editor may have troubles. Don't worry, we didn't shoot it again.
 
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