Digital Slate for Logging Footage

I'm an organized person. I'm drawn to any tool, method, practice, app, etc. that will help me stay more organized and help a project run more efficiently. One of the most important things a production team needs to do during a shoot is log all footage during the day. This is usually accomplished by marking each scene and each take with a slate and by keeping a written log of what was captured throughout the day.​

Sometimes, I don't have the luxury of employing the use of a large crew for a particular shoot. It's just the nature of the business. Some projects are more run-and-gun than others. However, even with minimal crew members and limited time, I would still like to keep my shot log organized.​

​Enter iSlate for the iPhone. It functions in just the same way as a physical slate. It allows me to write in the name of the project, the date, scene number, take number... even frame rate. When I mark each take, iSlate automatically creates an individual line item in my shot log. I can go in to the shot log, make notes about a particular take, and save it. When I wrap for the day, I can email the entire shot log to myself or my editor. It's a very useful tool, whether I'm working with a larger crew, or as a one-man-band.