Slate (broadcasting)

In broadcasting, a slate is a title card listing important metadata of a television program, included before the first frame of the program. The broadcasting equivalent of a film leader, the slate is usually accompanied with color bars and tone, a countdown, and a 2-pop.[1][2] In videotape workflows, slates help ensure that the tape received is the right one to broadcast (or to project, in the case of digital cinema) or to ingest into a digital playout system. It also provides helpful context for consideration in the re-editing of the material into a larger package.[3] A convention from the videotape era of television broadcasting, the need for slates in a tapeless workflow has largely been usurped by the Material Exchange Format.[4] However, the slate is still a regular and often-required fixture of television stations and other media companies as of 2023.[5]

Example of a slate

Common information

Common information to include in a slate includes, but is not limited to:[1][2][3]

  • Title of the program
  • Name of the production company and contact info
  • Production code number
  • Date of edited master
  • Type of master (e.g. broadcast master, duplication master, projection master)
  • Timecode of start of first frame (typically 01:00:00.00, with the slate and associated leader material occurring before this)
  • Frame rate
  • Audio channel configuration
  • Presence of textless elements (typically labelled as textless at/@ tail)

References
  1. Hurbis-Cherrier, Mick (2007). Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Film and DV Production. Taylor & Francis. p. 465. ISBN 9781136067907. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01 – via Google Books.
  2. Teague, Jason Cranford; David Teague (2006). Final Cut Express Solutions. Wiley. p. 252. ISBN 9780782151909. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01 – via Google Books.
  3. Artis, Anthony Q. (2011). Shut Up and Shoot: Freelance Video Guide. Taylor & Francis. p. 198. ISBN 9780240814872. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01 – via Google Books.
  4. Williams, Edmund A.; Graham A. Jones; David H. Layer; Thomas G. Osenkowsky (2007). National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Handbook. Focal. p. 1227. ISBN 9780240807515. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01 – via Google Books.
  5. "Technical Operating Specification: Part 1: Program Submission" (PDF). PBS Technology & Operations. Public Broadcasting System. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2022.
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