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Denecke TS-C


Arnold F.

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I'm thinking of buying a timecode slate for my kit.  That TS-C is awfully cute but at around 5" x 8" is it too small?  Does size matter when it comes to slates?

A.

I've got a TS2, TS3 and a TSC...and I'd buy another TSC if I needed another slate.  The camera AC's fight over who gets the mini slate.  Everyone likes it.  Not too small and easy to handle.

Colored sticks.  Not sure on the B&W sticks comment, unless it was for humor...as it did make me laugh.

~pwp

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What I like about the TS3 is that it fits in the front box, for those who still work on projects that have them.  I also feel it is more sturdy than the TSC, which comes in handy considering the ill-treatment of our gear by others.  But this in NOT from first-hand ownership, only from previous experience using other people's.

Regarding color vs. b/w... I have one of each, only to distinguish one slate from the other.  My color slate sounds "brighter" when it closes, which gives everyone a warm and fuzzy feeling, so I use that one more.

And yes, that's a joke.

Robert

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We in post hate "colored" stick stripes (aka "sticks of color"). The colors don't relate to anything in real life, they have no purpose in film lab color timing, nor do they mean anything in digital video (aka digital image capture).

We much, much prefer pure B&W slates. We need a black and a white reference to figure out what the hell the picture is supposed to look like. I've asked Charlie Parra at Denecke before if they would strongly recommend to their customers only to get the B&W sticks for this reason.

--Marc

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We in post hate "colored" stick stripes (aka "sticks of color"). The colors don't relate to anything in real life, they have no purpose in film lab color timing, nor do they mean anything in digital video (aka digital image capture)

That really sucks! I always thought that the colored sticks were to match some standard reference scheme... Sorry post people!!!

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We in post hate "colored" stick stripes (aka "sticks of color"). The colors don't relate to anything in real life, they have no purpose in film lab color timing, nor do they mean anything in digital video (aka digital image capture).

We much, much prefer pure B&W slates. We need a black and a white reference to figure out what the hell the picture is supposed to look like. I've asked Charlie Parra at Denecke before if they would strongly recommend to their customers only to get the B&W sticks for this reason.

--Marc

Perhaps Denecke or someone could offer aftermarket stick on B&W stripes to cover the "color bars". Would also be a good idea if the slates came with one set of each that could be slid into a plastic holder.

Eric

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Unfortunately, that's just what has happened.  Do I post a new thread?

A.

Not to Hijack, but...

Just curious when you would use colored sticks vs black and white sticks?

Is there a specific application or is it strictly a personal preference?

/Hijack

The TS-c does look nice.

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Unfortunately, that's just what has happened.  Do I post a new thread?

Here, I'll get you back on track...

As long as the information you need to put on the slate fits, I don't think you can have a slate that is too big or small. The key is that everything is legible. I bought my slate used and it doesn't have the backlight. That's probably the only feature I wish I had in my slate that I don't have. I think having a way to illuminating the slate is probably a bigger issue than the size.

Wayne

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As I understand video assist asked for them to check color.

All it will do is tell the video assist person that "there is color in the shot." But it's not accurate color, and it means nothing.

There are companies that make very accurate color test charts (like http://www.dsclabs.com/), but for something as simple as a slate, I think keeping it B&W makes more sense. I agree with the Senator that the clap is easier to see with the B&W slates as well.

Ambient goes a step further and has some lights that blink when the frames go to "00," but in real life, I've found it's usually a frame early or late. I also think their numbers are harder to read than Denecke's.

We have no problem dealing with the TSC's or the TS-3's in post. The earlier slates are problematic simply because they drift more in jam mode. The camera crews much prefer the TSC and TS3 because of the self-illuminating mode.

--Marc W.

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So Marc, is there any benefit to something like the SlateMate that DSC sells?

Haven't seen it. Judging by the photo, it looks clunky enough that I suspect the camera assistants would whine & complain.

But it is at least a real reference with some intelligence behind it, and not an arbitrary group of colors. I still say B&W works better, and several labs (including Deluxe, Technicolor, and Fotokem) make a handy B&W chart they can use once for each new scene. We don't need it on every single take -- that's far too much trouble for production to deal with.

--Marc W.

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I'm thinking of buying a timecode slate for my kit.  That TS-C is awfully cute but at around 5" x 8" is it too small?  Does size matter when it comes to slates?

A.

digits have the same size.

If they want more info to be displayed on each roll they can use their plain slate

(as I say on another thread) I vote for black/grey/white or b/w with a grey band somewhere.

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