Timecode
A frame-accurate time reference recorded with footage, used to synchronise multiple cameras and audio recorders.
Formula / rule
HH:MM:SS:FF
Measured in
hh:mm:ss:ff
In depth
When every device on a shoot is locked to the same timecode source, footage from several cameras and separate sound recorders aligns automatically in the edit, saving hours of manual syncing. Without it, editors fall back on clapperboards or on waveform matching from a scratch audio track.
Examples in practice
Three cameras jam-synced to one timecode source align on the timeline the moment they are imported.