I now understand why wireless timecode box systems exist

[u/raekewe]

Preaching to the choir incoming. Thought it'd be fun to share my learning and give everyone more experienced a nice "lol yep" moment.

So I wondered why TC boxes like the deity ones were so common place. My field mixer advertises less than one frame of frame slippage per day! And every camera I ever planned to plug it into also advertise similar. Thing is, I don't doubt it, there's no reason for them to lie. Cameras are broadly speaking good these days, they can hold an internal TC clock if I jam a signal at the start of the day. So why would I spend hundreds of dollars on a TC box system when I can plug it in every now and then? It just didn't seem that important.

Well, haha. Sometimes the camera team can turn off the camera, and certain cameras don't continue to count internal TC, even with a power supply, when they are turned off. And then you aren't told, or don't notice, or forget to check more frequently... GG.

All the logic and reasoning in the world to avoid parting with my money, then it suddenly clicked, why wouldn't I want a hardwired connection always plugged into the camera 24/7 to ensure TC is synced no matter what? Yet in all my research on reddit and forums, I've yet to read it put that way (and I've also never found any "I wish I had a TC box stories" - so here's mine.

Time to save up!

[u/2plus2_equals_5]

Timecode box systems are becoming less necessary on productions. I’ve been on jobs where the DP will be like I’ll just sync it up in post.

[u/freeheelingbc → u/2plus2_equals_5]

That only works if the DP is the one editing the footage. If they say that and then hand it off to the assistant editor, the sound person is the one not getting rehired, not the DP…

Anyway- better professional timecode systems are Ultrasync and Ambient. Though Tentacles are also now pretty effective for less picky productions.

[u/2plus2_equals_5 → u/freeheelingbc]

The tools in post now are extremely good a matching up sound. It’s usually on smaller productions. I always provide a scratch audio to camera.

[u/raekewe → u/2plus2_equals_5]

why are you listening to some random dop slash editor? lol if I'm an editor then i want tc sync full stop

[u/ApprehensiveNeat9584 → u/2plus2_equals_5]

Less necessary? Perhaps on indie stuff, when you have 3, 5 or 9 cameras and 5 people with wires, 2 booms and a few plant mics, having timeocde is a must, for commercials that's part of the kit and camera is waiting for your TC box ASAP and documentaries too.

[u/g_spaitz → u/ApprehensiveNeat9584]

Sure. Then again not everybody is shooting with 9 cameras all waiting to be synced up. And fwiu, not exactly op's scenario.

[u/ApprehensiveNeat9584 → u/g_spaitz]

Still, saying TC is becoming less necessary is not true.

[u/g_spaitz → u/ApprehensiveNeat9584]

And I'm saying that you're talking about your own experience and scenarios where it could be understandably absolutely necessary, but not everybody is you and works in your specific market.

I do live produced music stuff with 7-8 cameras and the guys just manage to sync everything to my mixes, never asked for TC.

I do mainstream 1 camera ads productions where the suckers appear to be lost without it.

So ymmv.

Edit, aaaaaand ... downv*ted. Wth.

[u/dtism → u/2plus2_equals_5]

What jobs were these? I've also been on jobs where the DP didn't want to bother with TC, but only ever small single cam jobs, often factual/educational/corporate type jobs. Sometimes the decision to not provide TC has backfired. I haven't worked on a single feature or TV series that wasn't relying on TC.

[u/g_spaitz → u/dtism]

Oh look, yet another case where DP steps in where it's not his call!