ClappyBoardWhat's written on a clapperboard? Every field on a slate, explained
The short answer
A clapperboard shows which shot is being filmed. A typical board has the production name, camera roll, scene, take, director, cinematographer, date, frame rate, interior or exterior, day or night, and whether sound is being recorded (SYNC) or not (MOS). Scene and take are the essential ones; the rest help the editor find and sort the footage later.
What a clapperboard is for
A slate does two jobs at the start of every take. The sticks give a sync mark: the frame where they meet lines up with the crack on the sound recording (see how to sync audio and video with a clapperboard). And the board is a label, filmed right at the start of the clip, saying exactly which shot this is.
Slates vary. A classic board has a dozen boxes; a minimal one might only have scene and take. Here's a typical layout.
Every field on a slate, one by one
| Field | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Production (Prod.) | The name of the film or job. A working title is fine. | Night Bus |
| Roll | Which camera roll the shot is on. On film, the roll of film; on digital, usually the memory card, named by camera letter and card number. Some slates have a separate box for the sound roll. | A001 |
| Scene | The scene number from the script, plus a letter for the camera setup (more below). | 12A |
| Take | Which attempt this is at the current setup. | 3 |
| Director | The director's name. | R. Okafor |
| Camera or DP | Usually the cinematographer (director of photography). On some boards, the camera letter when more than one camera is shooting. | S. Lind, or B |
| Date | The day it was shot. Handy when one scene is filmed across several days. | 23 SEP |
| FPS | Frames per second the camera is recording at. Flags shots filmed faster for slow motion, so nobody is surprised in the edit. | 24, or 120 for slow motion |
| INT / EXT | Interior or exterior, matching the scene heading in the script. | INT |
| DAY / NIGHT | The time of day in the story, not when you're shooting. A night scene shot in the afternoon behind blacked-out windows is still NIGHT. | NIGHT |
| SYNC / MOS | Whether sound is being recorded. MOS means no sound, so the editor won't look for a sound file. | SYNC |
Some boards add lens, filter or sound recordist boxes. Electronic timecode slates also show a running clock. None of these are required. If a box doesn't help your editor, leave it blank.
How scene numbers work: 12, 12A, 12B
The number comes from the script: scene 12 is scene 12. The letter tells you which camera setup within that scene. A setup is a new position, angle, lens or framing.
- The first setup is usually just the number: 12. That's often the wide shot, or master.
- Each new setup gets the next letter: 12A for the first close-up, 12B for the reverse, and so on.
- Many crews skip letters that look like numbers, especially I and O, so nobody mistakes 12I for 121.
- Some productions add short tags, like PU for a pickup (a partial retake) or X for an insert shot. Agree on them before the shoot.
Some crews, especially in the UK and Europe, use a different system: a running slate number that goes up with every new setup across the whole shoot, like slate 147, take 2, with the script scene written separately. Both work. Just pick one and stick to it.
How take numbers work
- Takes start at 1 for each new setup. Moving from 12A to 12B starts again at take 1.
- The take goes up every time the camera rolls on that setup, even if it's cut after two seconds. That way, no two clips ever share a number.
- Never reuse a take number. A skipped number just looks like a gap; a repeated one causes real confusion.
What's said out loud versus what's written
The board carries everything, but only the scene and take get said out loud, right before the clap. That spoken line ends up on the sound recording, so the editor can identify the sound file even without looking at the picture. For the full on-set routine, see how to slate a shot.
The take log
Alongside the slate, crews usually keep a written log: one line per take with the scene, take, roll and notes. Directors often have their favourite takes circled on it, which is where the phrase “circled takes” comes from. The log and the slate should always agree. If they don't, the slate on screen usually wins.
Questions
What does MOS mean on a clapperboard?
MOS means the shot is recorded without sound. The board is shown with the sticks closed and no clap, so the editor knows not to look for a sound file. Nobody fully agrees on where the letters came from; everyone agrees on what they mean.
What does the letter in a scene number like 12A mean?
It's the camera setup. Scene 12 is the first setup of that scene, 12A the next, 12B the one after. Each new angle or framing gets the next letter.
Does the take number reset for each scene?
It resets for each setup. Every time the scene letter changes, from 12A to 12B for example, the take goes back to 1.
What does roll mean on a digital shoot?
Usually the memory card or clip folder the shot is recorded to, often named by camera letter and number, like A001. It helps the editor find the original files.
Do I have to fill in every box?
No. Scene and take are the ones that matter on every take. Roll, date and the rest are useful, but a board with correct scene and take numbers beats a full board with a wrong one.