The Free Production Slate

Everyone needs to be slating during their production, no matter how inexpensive. To the unaware, slating is the practice of recording basic scene information at the beginning or end (the "tail slate" is always shot upside down) of each take. We have all seen clapperboard type slates that slap two wooden sticks together for an audio marker, even if we've never been on a film set.

Those sticks are great for syncing sound, but most of us just need a simple marking system, so we can identify our footage in post. Writing a on a sheet of paper works (and is very microbudget), but is a little TOO ghetto. Dry erase slates are the nicest, and an a nice acrylic one can be found at B&H for 8 bucks. Not bad.

A slightly better and more informative slate (meaning there are more boxes of info to fill out) is the EasySlate, which comes with an interview and production version, a back focus chart, and a version for notes. Throw in markers, an eraser and a nice bag and you have it all. Sadly, the EasySlate will set you back 60 clams, which is way too much for a laminated card with no clapper sticks.

As suspected, someone else has already created a free version of these very same slates that you can print out and laminate yourself, putting you in in dry erase slating heaven. Dubbed the "Cheap Slate", this is a great low-budget answer to a very important need. I just wish I could find the creator's name somewhere on his simple website. He deserves credit for putting time into this.

UPDATE! I went to a FedEx/Kinko's and had them print the production and interview slates on both sides of heavy card stock. I used landscaped versions of the slates, so they'd be bigger. I then trimmed the the card, laminated and trimmed again. I now have a handy double-sided, multipurpose dry erase slate for a total cost of $4.51. I could have saved about a dollar if I printed in black and white, but the color gives it a more pro feel. It was worth the splurge.