The all-new TIZA DSLR Slate® 20/20 is a mini revolution for the indie film maker. We took a good close look at all the Clapperboard Apps on the iPad and came to the conclusion we needed to make something altogether more simple and modern for ourselves. We wanted to create a great-looking, native HD iPad App which would challenge the traditions of slating a movie production, make the process more intuitive and more relevant to faster DSLR style productions but maintaining the cool look of a traditional clapperboard/film slate.
The TIZA DSLR Slate® 20/20 is a 21st Century semi-pro option for talented, pragmatic movie makers who need to keep a tight log of their shoot but also want an clapperboard App thats affordable, looks great and takes better advantage of the what an iPad can do.
Questions we asked ourselves during development our Movie Slate:
What do we REALLY need to see on the slate?
Why would I need to show the Director and Cameraman if the director or cameraman is likely to be me?
Who ACTUALLY uses TimeCode anyway?
How can we make this useful, simple, user-friendly without being too basic?
Give me a break!
Out with the old and in with the new - this is the 21st century for godness sake. If some slates are the Rolls Royce of clapper board Apps then The TIZA DSLR Slate® is the Smart Car! A perfect example of why we think the traditional slate is outdated would be the MOS text on a traditional clapperboard… sure, most of us know it means Motor Only Shot or for some, a bastardized German phrase alledgedly popularised by Fritz Lang in the 1940s, Mit Out Sound ! - What the hell!??
We replaced MOS with two simple mic-ON mic-OFF icons but also added two new icons to quickly and clearly show if the sound source is direct into camera or into a remote mic or both - giving the editor a clear production guide and allow them to work faster.
Check out the video on our support site to see how the TIZA DSLR Slate® works and what functions will help your production.
Heres what we chose to include on the TIZA Clapperboard, which turned into this list of cool feature functions:
• Traditional clapper stick operation with an additional 1 second digital signal and visual key.
• Color chevrons to show instantly if the camera or editing monitor are producing accurate color
• Editable Project title plus scrollable Scene and Take logs.
• An animated spinning film reel to provide a visual key that the camera is recording and that the slate is activated.
• An editable L.E.D. style panel to toggle between the name of the scene, the current time or a stopwatch style timer.
• Locked Date and Time display
• Panels to show which Memory Card youre using and type of Camera
• Editable Production company
• Lens type and frame rate indicators
• A Take Log feature to mark good and usable takes - then email the captured settings to your edit work station.
• Padlock icon to lock the display to avoid accidentally changing settings mid use.
• Reset or Clear trashcan icon.
• On/off icons to indicate Interior or Exterior - Day or Night - With or Without Sound - In-Cam or External mic source.
• Lock ON or OFF indicator
In short, the TIZA DSLR Slate® displays a degree of information which will be quick to edit, easy to understand and help, rather than hinder your production - sure we know there are always going to be things you want or need but we wanted to build an App we, as young DSLR shooters, would be happy to use and beed seen using.
What the industry (might) say:
Take a look at what Hollywood might have said about The TIZA DSLR Slate®
Orson Welles: "I just love this thing, its bright, colorful and very light…. What is it?"
Alfred Hitchcock: "What a splendid device, how does it glow like that? Is it some kind of projector?"
Cecil B. DeMille: "This makes no sense to me whatsoever… get this trickery out of my sight NOW!"