Clapperboard (or slate) is used in movie primarily for two purposes:
- To assist in synchronizing picture and sound (with the help of a clap). It makes the editor's life easy.
- Cataloging of the recordings i.e. designate and mark particular scenes and takes recorded during a production.
I understand it is a crucial and an essential tool which is still used in the film-making process. It has evolved from traditional wooden slate to the modern digital version.
Why hasn't anything better replaced the slate? By better I mean a tool or a technique (an automated one perhaps) which works by itself without an assistance of a human? Something which can fullfil the same purpose of the slate (Cataloging and synchronization while editing).
Or are we just using it for its legacy?