Clapperboard

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A filmmaking instrument consisting of a hinged panel that makes a clapping sound to signal the commencement of a shot while providing key details like scene number and production title
2. This tool, which embodies a flat board that snaps shut, serves to denote the start of a recording and includes essential information like the director's name and shot number
3. A device used in film production that features a movable board which slaps together to initiate filming, while indicating important details such as the scene and take numbers

Etymology: A clapperboard is, at heart, a plain compound: a "clapper" (something that claps, from the verb "clap") fixed to a "board". The clapper is the hinged top arm that snaps down onto the base, producing the sharp sound that lets editors line up the picture with the audio. The word's parts are both old English, so nothing about its making is exotic; what makes it memorable is the job it does. The sound and the visible slap mark the exact frame where sound and image begin together, which is why the same gesture has survived unchanged through the shift from film to digital recording.

Synonyms: slate, film slate, production board