Make a time code slate of your own.
Time code is important in video production because it provides a reference point for sound to sync with video during post-production editing. It is used to number each frame of recorded video. Time code becomes an issue when using external devices such as digital audio tape recorders, which in most cases provide for better sound capture than recording directly to the camera. Professionals use a digital time code slate to display the time code in real time, but with modern technology and a little ingenuity, you can transform a standard slate board, or clapper, into a time code slate.
Instructions
1. Connect your audio cables to the DAT recorder.
2. Connect the audio cables from the DAT recorder to the audio feed on your camera.
3. Turn on the video camera, locating its internal time code. The internal time code will appear on the camera's display window or view finder.
4. Place your slate near the camera; you will need it close by after shooting each take.
5. Mark the starting time code on the slate board as you begin recording.
6. Repeat the process of marking the slate with the appropriate time code (from the internal camera) every time you begin shooting a new take.
7. Replace the in-camera audio, when editing, with the external audio you have recorded.
8. Match your time code with the slate board, when video editing, to accurately sync the audio.
Tags: time code, code slate, slate board, time code slate, audio cables, internal time