Here is the "Estrada Special Clapboard": a 7 dollar, rugged, crisp sound making, 11"x 13" work horse.A decent one can range from 60 to 180 bucks, while one with timecode generating abilities are beyond a grand. Go ahead and check online. Anything you might find for less than that is more than likely flimsy or so small it could be hard to read (I'm talking about that cheap 8 dollar one that say 'Hollywood' on it).
I assembled this bad boy, with the help of my father and two of his power tools, in an afternoon.
We used scrap pieces of wood that we measured and sanded down (no one wants splinters). The dry erase board is the key here. That was generously donated to the cause by my uncle, an awesome dude and school teacher. It came in the dimensions we needed. I used some tough cloth tape to create the grids and a permanent marker to label the section headings. I purchased the hardware, including hinge, at a hardware store for a little under 7 dollars. It's a good tool to have to sync sound, but it gives a quick visual reference when you start to edit.
I can't build a capture card, a camera or anything like that. But if there is something simple, but essential, I'd try my luck at building one.
5 comments:
i bet you could throw a black/white/grey color card on the side or bottom too and you'd be patting yourself on the back later when you do your color grading.
Yeah. I had thought about that: the board that backs the dry erase board (back of the slate) is actually slotted. I could easily wedge some type of gray/white/black card on the back.
Do you build to order?
I can... I've got some pieces still hanging around if you're interested. Let me know!
Nice! On a big budget gig where Producers are watching dailies, it wouldn't fly, but I certainly like it, ha ha!
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