Multi-Cam Sync with Timecode – Using Clapperboards and Tentacle Sync for Perfect Alignment

When filming lessons, science demonstrations, organ performances, or sailing videos, we often run two, three, or even four cameras at once. Multi-camera shooting gives flexibility — wide shots, close-ups, overhead angles, reaction views — but it creates one big challenge:

Everything must sync perfectly in the edit.

A one-second mismatch between angles is obvious.
A half-second mismatch is annoying.
A few frames out can make speech feel uncomfortable and scientific demos look wrong.

At Philip M Russell Ltd, our multi-cam workflow relies on three complementary tools:
timecode, a proper clapperboard, and Tentacle Sync units.
Together, they make synchronisation fast, accurate, and reliable.

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Why Sync Matters

When you’re teaching or demonstrating, every detail counts:

• A chemical colour change needs precise alignment across views

• Practical explanations must match gestures and objects

• Multi-angle organ recordings rely on tight audio sync

• Sailing manoeuvres require frame-accurate timing for clarity

Good sync isn’t cosmetic — it’s essential for educational clarity.

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Option 1: Timecode – The Professional Backbone

Timecode is the gold standard.
Each camera and audio recorder “ticks” at the same rate, sharing a master clock.
This means:

• All cameras start the day aligned

• Each clip contains embedded timing information

• Editing software lines everything up automatically

If your cameras support timecode input — like the Canon R5C — it’s the most accurate method available.

Pros:
✔ Frame-accurate
✔ Works through long takes
✔ Perfect for multi-hour recordings
✔ No need for audio matching

Cons:
✖ Not all cameras can receive or generate timecode
✖ Needs additional hardware (unless built-in)

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Option 2: The Traditional Clapperboard – Still Essential

Even in 2025, a simple clapperboard remains one of the most useful sync tools.

Why?
Because it gives:

• a bright visual mark

• a sharp audio spike

• an obvious sync point

This is vital when:

• shooting outdoors

• audio sources vary between cameras

• using cameras without timecode

• filming on a boat or moving platform

A clapperboard ensures you always have a definitive sync reference.

Tip:
Always clap in sight of the cameras — don’t do the clap audio off-screen!

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Option 3: Tentacle Sync – The Practical Middle Ground

Tentacle Sync units are small boxes that feed reliable timecode into almost any camera or audio recorder.
They are perfect when:

• only one camera has built-in timecode

• action cams (GoPro, Insta360) need matching

• you want to timecode microphones, mixers, or recorders

• filming in locations where re-syncing by hand is too slow

Tentacles keep everything locked all day long with surprising accuracy.
Import into DaVinci Resolve, and everything snaps together automatically.

Pros:
✔ Works with almost any camera
✔ Very accurate
✔ Tiny and unobtrusive
✔ Ideal for multi-angle educational videos

Cons:
✖ Requires charging and calibration
✖ Slight learning curve for setup

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Our Multi-Cam Sync Workflow

At Philip M Russell Ltd, we use a hybrid approach:

1. Tentacle Sync units

• Feed timecode to the R5C

• Feed timecode into action cams and secondary bodies

• Feed timecode into the main audio recorder

2. Clapperboard at the start of every clip

Even with timecode, it provides:

• a backup reference

• alignment for cameras that occasionally drift

• a check that everything is recording

3. DaVinci Resolve Auto-Sync

Using embedded timecode, Resolve aligns all clips instantly.
If a clip lacks timecode, the clapperboard provides the fallback.

This gives us a workflow that is fast, reliable, and suitable for everything from 6-hour teaching recordings to quick outdoor shoots.

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The Takeaway

Multi-cam filming becomes dramatically easier — and the final product far more professional — when you use a structured sync system.

Timecode gives precision.
Clapperboards give clarity.
Tentacle Sync gives flexibility.

Together they make multi-angle filming smoother, faster, and more accurate, whether you’re in the lab, in the studio, or on the river. It doesn't look like you're making a film unless someone has a clapperboard and shouts take 99.