Sync Question
- Thread starter Sirthoms
- Start date
A few steps up the ladder from the work I do, SMPTE time code is used for alignment, the cost goes up quite a bit. But I would think that there are far more people in the indie world synching with slate rather than SMPTE.
Everybody makes such a big deal out of sync. It was done manually by lining up the visual slate (on real film) and with the sound of the audio slate (on analog audio tape or DAT) up until the early '90's for bogs sake!
As was mentioned, a slate is essential, as is keeping excruciatingly detailed logs.
The slate should be always be accurate with date, scene, take, etc. When slating announce the entire take - "Scene 27 B, take five!" - then SMACK!!! with the slate.
In your video and audio logs note the start and end time of each take. For audio it should be noted which mic(s) were used and on which track(s) and any processing that was done. (I don't know if the visual folks make note of camera and lighting settings, although it seems essential to me.)
When you get into post after you have loaded up all of the video and audio (the camera audio stays locked to the picture) line up the separate audio takes with the "SMACK" of the slate, then you can zoom in and fine align down to 100th of a second (or less); slide the separate audio around until the wave forms line up. It's a boring job (having done it many times), but will save you lots of time later. BTW, do not erase ANY of the audio tracks; audio post folks love to have every option available to them. I once had an editor erase/delete three (boom, two lavs) of the four audio tracks (he left the ambient mic/track) because they "didn't all sound the same". Some people should never be allowed near audio.
Once the first rough edit is completed create folders for all of the unused audio. Put all of the unused audio takes for each scene in a separate folder. This stuff is a treasure trove for dialog editors.
When it comes to sync on the set the camera needs to send time code information, the audio recorder needs to receive time code (some slates receive/transmit TC as well). It's a great time saver, especially for TV folks who work on short deadlines. However, as I mentioned, manual sync is just a throw back to the way it was always done, plus you have the advantage of a guide track.
As was mentioned, a slate is essential, as is keeping excruciatingly detailed logs.
The slate should be always be accurate with date, scene, take, etc. When slating announce the entire take - "Scene 27 B, take five!" - then SMACK!!! with the slate.
In your video and audio logs note the start and end time of each take. For audio it should be noted which mic(s) were used and on which track(s) and any processing that was done. (I don't know if the visual folks make note of camera and lighting settings, although it seems essential to me.)
When you get into post after you have loaded up all of the video and audio (the camera audio stays locked to the picture) line up the separate audio takes with the "SMACK" of the slate, then you can zoom in and fine align down to 100th of a second (or less); slide the separate audio around until the wave forms line up. It's a boring job (having done it many times), but will save you lots of time later. BTW, do not erase ANY of the audio tracks; audio post folks love to have every option available to them. I once had an editor erase/delete three (boom, two lavs) of the four audio tracks (he left the ambient mic/track) because they "didn't all sound the same". Some people should never be allowed near audio.
Once the first rough edit is completed create folders for all of the unused audio. Put all of the unused audio takes for each scene in a separate folder. This stuff is a treasure trove for dialog editors.
When it comes to sync on the set the camera needs to send time code information, the audio recorder needs to receive time code (some slates receive/transmit TC as well). It's a great time saver, especially for TV folks who work on short deadlines. However, as I mentioned, manual sync is just a throw back to the way it was always done, plus you have the advantage of a guide track.