Why Video Crews Look Stupid in One-Camera Shoots

Why Video Crews Look Stupid: A Deep Dive into the Clapperboard Confusion

Why Video Crews Look Stupid (But Only Sometimes, We Promise)

We love video crews.

But let’s be honest—every industry has its moments of “Did anyone think this through?”And nothing screams “Look at us pretending we know stuff” louder than slating a take with a clapperboard…on a one-camera shoot…with audio recorded directly into the camera.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this week’s episode of:

Why Video Crews Look Stupid.

The Clapperboard: Origins of a Clap That Meant Something

Let’s start with what the clapperboard is actually for.

Originally, the clapperboard (or slate) was a genius invention for syncing picture and sound—back when cameras and sound recorders were separate beasts with different agendas and terrible communication skills.

It worked like this:

You record audio with a field recorder (off-camera)
You shoot picture with a camera (that has no clue what’s being said)
You clap the board at the start of the take

In post, the editor aligns the spike in the audio waveform with the moment the clapper closes on camera

Voilà!

Audio and video are perfectly synced.

You didn’t need timecode. You didn’t need matching metadata. You just needed a sharp “clack” and good eyesight.

Fast Forward to Modern Times… and Questionable Choices

Today, cameras have internal audio.

Many productions use lavaliers or shotgun mics plugged directly into the camera’s XLR inputs.

There’s no double-system recording. No need to sync anything in post.

Yet somehow…

you’ll still see a crew member walk up confidently, hold up a slate, call out “Scene 1, Take 1”—and clap it.

On a one-camera shoot. Where the only audio is baked into the video file.

Congratulations. You’ve just added an unnecessary hand clap to your edit and slowed down your day for no reason.

This is why clients look at crews and think, “Do these people know what they’re doing, or is this cosplay?”

So… Why Do They Still Do It?

Inexperience.
Muscle memory.
Desperate need to look “official.”

Newer or under-trained crews often do what they’ve seen in movies without understanding why it’s done.

They saw the slate in BTS footage of “Oppenheimer,” and now they think every two-person interview in Gastonia needs the same treatment.

But using a clapperboard in the wrong context isn’t just pointless—it’s a red flag.

It says, “We’re here to perform production. Not actually do it well.”

When You Should Use a Clapperboard

Now, to be fair, slates still have value when used correctly:

Multi-camera shoots
Audio recorded separately from the camera
Projects with many takes and scenes to label in post
When the editor wants to cry less

But if you’re shooting:

A single interview
With two lav mics
Plugged into the camera
And you’re not using separate audio…

Put. The. Slate. Down.

You’re not syncing. You’re miming.

And the only thing getting clapped is your credibility.

Final Frame

Video crews are full of smart, talented people who eat lunch standing up and wear tool belts like Batman. But sometimes, in the rush to “look professional,” they fall into the trap of appearing legit instead of being legit.

So the next time you see someone clap a slate in front of a camera that already has synced sound, just nod respectfully…and silently count this as another moment in the ongoing saga of:

Why Video Crews Look Stupid.