Day One
- Lesson4 of 6
- Time30 min
Set calls, the radio and the slate
Outcome
Use the radio correctly and respond to the calls of a take, including the British running slate.
Mapped to 2 ScreenSkills checklist lines
- ScreenSkills floor runner / set PA skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Pass on cues to artists and contributors as directed"
- ScreenSkills camera trainee skills checklist · Core responsibilities: "Mark actor positions and focus marks, and operate the clapperboard"
ScreenSkills checklists are guides, not accreditation. This course is not endorsed by ScreenSkills.
Watch
3 films · about 7 minutes
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More like this: 2nd AC, clapper loader and loading film path · Scheduling and the AD department path · Your first day on set path
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The calls of a take (typical UK order)
- 'Lock it up' or 'Quiet, please': stop moving and talking. Runners hold people back at the edges of set.
- 'Turnover': camera and sound start recording. Sound answers 'speed' or 'sound rolling'; camera answers 'rolling' or 'speed'.
- The clapper loader calls the slate and take, for example 'Slate 46, take 2', and claps the board ('mark it').
- The operator may call 'set' when they have the frame. The director calls 'action'.
- 'Cut' ends the take. Stay still and quiet until you hear 'cut'. Then 'going again' or 'back to one' (first positions), or 'moving on'.
- Words vary from crew to crew. Listen to what your AD team uses, and copy it.
The radio
- Press, wait a beat, then speak, so your first word isn't cut off. Keep it short.
- Say who you want, then who you are: 'Sam for Jo'. They answer 'go for Jo'.
- 'Copy' (or 'copied') means you have heard and understood. 'Standing by' means you are ready and waiting.
- Channel 1 is usually the AD channel: keep it clear for the floor. Move to another channel to chat ('going to channel 2').
- Never transmit during a take. Use an earpiece, keep the volume down.
The British slate
- Most UK productions use a running slate: every new set-up gets the next slate number, whatever the scene. Takes count up within each slate.
- Many US productions slate by scene number and letter (46A, 46B). Know both; use what your production uses.
- A tail slate (end board) is clapped at the end of a take, board held upside down, when the front slate was missed.
Check
3 questions drawn from 8 · pass mark 80% · safety-critical questions must be right · 3 attempts in 24 hours · new questions each time
Watch the films to open the check.
Do
Log the slates · 10 minutes
This production uses a running slate. The last slate of yesterday was 45. Write the slate and take for each event.
How it's marked
- 46/1, 46/2, 47/1, 47/2 (tail slate), 48/1
- Notes the tail slate (end board) on event 4
Met or Not yet, with a comment from a trained reviewer. Until accounts open, open the model answer after you submit and mark your own work against it.
Model answer (open after you submit)
Event 1: slate 46, take 1. Event 2: slate 46, take 2. Event 3: slate 47, take 1. Event 4: slate 47, take 2, tail slate (end board, upside down, clapped at the end). Event 5: slate 48, take 1.
Reflect
Record
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Moving on doesn't complete a lesson. A lesson is complete when the films are watched, the check is passed and the task is marked Met.