1 The Director of Photography – an overview

Testing 155
Figure 17.3 The backlight
clapperboard
I know a loader who has designed a report sheet blank on his laptop
computer. During the day he fills in the sheet as he goes along and
prints it out at the end of the day.This is very impressive, but does lack
the familiarity aspect of the laboratory’s own report sheet. Perhaps if
this appeals to you a good idea may be to send a blank copy to the laboratory
contact for approval. They will probably be quite happy with this
and it will overcome the familiarity problem, as well as starting a good
working relationship with the laboratory.
If you use computers for any purpose when filming, always back
your work up regularly and keep the backup in a separate place from
the computer. Computers are replaceable and should be insured, but
the greatest value is often the information they contain and this can be
irreplaceable. If you are going to have your computer with you on a
regular basis, it might be a good idea to ask the production office to
add it to the company’s insurance list.
The all-important 18 per cent grey cards can be obtained from the
laboratory, Kodak or several independent suppliers. I get mine directly
from Kodak, put my message on them as I have described and bring my
own to the set. My regular loaders now order them for me and present
them to me on the first day of shooting already labelled. Whatever
cards you order, check with the DP first to find out their preference.
The current trend for clapperboards is to use what have become
known as ‘backlight boards’; the layout of a typical backlight board is
shown in Figure 17.3.These have the clap sticks still made out of wood,
but the board is made from white, translucent Perspex or Plexiglas.
The idea is that they should be just as effective when lit from the front
as from the back, which indeed they are. Temporary marks on the
board, such as slate numbers, are made with a dry marker pen and can
therefore be easily rubbed off. I very much favour them, as anything
that makes the board easier for the cutting room to read must be a
good thing.
Production:
Director:
Roll No. Slate
DoP:
Take
Date Int.
Mute
Sync
Day
Night
Ext