Syncing

[SFX]

A question for those who have synced double-system footage and audio with BOTH smart and dumb slates; do you find it faster or easier to sync when a smart slate (displaying timecode from the audio recorder) was used, or when an old fashioned clapper was used? Thank you!

 

[JP Films]

I'm working on something that had two cams and seperate audio that used an old clapper. I found it easy just cause the cams and audio were set to free run. but if i had my choice i would have to go with a smart slate. Just my two cents.

 

[SFX]

JP:

Thanks for your response. Can you elaborate? That the camera and audio recorder were each producing non-matching free-run timecode helped you? I would have thought that the timecode would have been irrelevant in this case.

How would a smart slate have made the syncing process faster?

SFX

I'm working on something that had two cams and seperate audio that used an old clapper. I found it easy just cause the cams and audio were set to free run. but if i had my choice i would have to go with a smart slate. Just my two cents.

 

[JP Films]

What i was told was that both cams were set to 00.00.00... and then set to free run at the same time, the timecode always matches from the two cameras regardless of when they're set to record. then the audio(dat) was some how fed the timecode from one of the cameras.
the smart slate i find better cause you can visually see what's going on but i don't rely on it cause it can drift and there's also human error. and i end up using the clap in that case.

 

[smithy]

JP if you were shooting with only one camera and a DAT recorder as a backup source, do you always shoot in freerun mode for timecode or would you set it up only to activate when you hit record on the camera?