A
clapperboard is a device used in
filmmaking and
video production to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark particular
scenes and
takes recorded during a production. The sharp "clap" noise that the clapperboard makes can be identified easily on the audio track, and the shutting of the clapstick can be identified easily on the separate visual track. The two tracks can then be precisely synchronised by matching the sound and movement. Other names for the clapperboard include
clapper,
clapboard,
slate,
slate board,
slapperboard,
sync slate,
time slate,
sticks,
board, and
sound marker.