Scene Lettering Names

M

mikezip007

Active member
While 2nd ACing, we know that you don't say "Scene one A...." You say, "Scene one apple...."

What are the traditional film names for each letter?

A - apple
B -
C -
.
.
.
 
Many people use many things. Some go vulgar and some comical. I don't like ACs that do that as I find it distracting on set.

I prefer standard military phonetic names:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet

I don't do the letters India, Oscar, Quebec, Sierra and Uniform as they are easily confused for other letters or numbers.

I also printed out a 3x5 chart of the phonetic letters to use and put it on the back of my slate to help green ACs figure it out...

-J (stands for Jay, but I guess it's pronounced Juliet!)
 
The way I have always seen pro-ac's do on high budget productions was not to read any letters and titles.

Roll 3 Scene 23B Take 6 would be read as:

"3-23B-6 Mark" under three seconds and they quickly move off.
 
Or...you just say "Mark" slap it, and get out of there. Make the sound guy do all the leg work and ID the take.
 
This is what I go by:

A- Apple
B-Baker
C- Charlie
D- Delta
E- Echo
F- Foxtrot
G- Golf
H- Hotel
I- Igloo
etc

It is the same as the NATO link listed above for military and pilots. Although, I know realize that I say Baker versus Bravo.

I don't mind people using their own words so long as it's consistent. What I dislike is when A is 'Anteater' and the next time A is up, it is 'Alligator'. I don't know... just frustrates me.
 
No one should burn film reading the slate...because, if you're doing it right, you aren't rolling while the AC is reading the slate.

It should go:

AD: Roll sound.
Sound guy: Sound speed.
AC, or sound guy, preferably the sound guy: 32 Baker Take 1
AD: Roll Camera
1st AC: Camera Speeds, mark it.
2nd AC: Marker. (Then he slaps it and gets out.)

Simple, quick, and you still get the sound reference without having to skimp on it. Am I the only one who does this?
 
> Am I the only one who does this?

That is Standard Operating Procedure (West Coast AFAIK)


-J
 
Ryan T above has it 100% correct. That's the way all the union shoots I've worked on in LA and NYC do it. No need to waste time, film or tape with the camera assist calling out the scene & take number on the set while clapping; let the sound guy do it, and once the script sup/director hear it in their earphones, they know sound is rolling.

Note that there's generally no takes with an "I" or "O" because of confusion with the numerals "1" and "0." There are other rules for scene/take naming, usually dictated by good script supervisors (coordinating with the editor). Letters prior to scene numbers generally happen because of reshoots or alternate takes ("A-93-Apple Take 1"), but there is a logic and a system behind it.

--Marc W.
 
DJDecay said:
Key phrase is _union_ :-). - An IATSE signatory is something most Indy productions cannot afford to have, then someone has to watch and listen to the hours of slate and speeding HD cameras.
Click to expand...

It really doesn't take a union AC to make this happen though, just a smart one. :)
 
These are just the basics, but any mix could happen with anyone else on the crew. The situation is also different during a multi-cam setup and musical/broadway/music video performance shoot. Same for broadcast.

There are dry runs, camera rehearsals, standby procedures, and recording (on-the-air) procedures.

1st AD: Ready sound. Ready camera (cam A, cam B, etc.). Ready talent. Ready FX, off-screen cues,... Everything okay, roll sound.
Sound Mixer: Checks for sound issues. Sound Speed.
1st AD: Ready camera, Ready/cue talent
1st AC: Camera set
1st AD: Roll camera
1st AC: Camera speed, Mark it
2nd AC/PA: Read scene, type of shot w/ character, take
1st AD: Cues talent and FX, or Standby
Director or 1st AD: Action FX and/or talents, or just simple ACTION!
 
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