Heinrig Quicksticks Announced – An Eco-friendly Movie Slate

Accessories

by Olaf von VossDecember 21^st, 2021

Whenever a new company enters the market, it needs a first product, right? In Heinrig’s case, this first product is called Quicksticks and is a good old film clapperboard, but with a few twists. Let’s take a quick look at this neat device. Aaand action!

When it comes to filming what do you need? A camera, sure and something for recording sound of course. And lots of lights. Actors of course and props and.. a good ol’fashioned movie slate for syncing sound without worrying about TC generators and other tech!

Do you really need one? Well, to be honest, yes. I think even in this day and age of modern digital cameras and audio recorders interlinked via timecode, a good visual and audio indicator is still a very good thing to have. Not only to synchronize audio and video, but also to indicate different scenes and make sure that valuable information is not lost for post-production.

Heinrig Quicksticks

Heinrig is the company of Philipp Heinrich (obviously it was his name that was transformed into Rig) and our own Georg Gilstein out of Dieburg, Germany. Being fascinated by both filmmaking and the technology behind it, the two have decided to build useful things whenever they feel there is a need for them. Also, and importantly, they want to run their business in an environmentally friendly way.

from their website:
“There are so many great people and companies already producing fascinating film tech, but we still wanted to do something different. Sustainability became dangerously important over the last few years, as human waste destroyed landscapes, animals habitats and more. But this topic hasn’t really reached the film tech industry.
And we want to change that.”

So they came up with their first product, the Quicksticks. At first glance, this clapperboard is just like any other tried and true slate out there, but the Quicksticks come with a few neat features.

Features

First up, the wooden part, the actual sticks are made from locally sourced hardwood (and protected by a natural oil finish), to reduce transport and maintain a low ecological footprint. Next, the translucent acrylic board is made from 100% recycled pre- and post-consumer waste, reducing the co2-emissions by 70%.

When you order a pair of Quicksticks from Heinrig, you can upload a logo or production title (or whatever you like) and Heinrig will take care of laser-engraving the acrylic slate accordingly. Currently, only monochrome is available as an option. The slate is removable from the wooden sticks (no tools required), so you can easily switch between existing slates.

In order to make this work, the Quicksticks come with a unique spring-loaded quick release system that allows you to swap out the plate on-the-fly. Since it’s symmetrical you can also flip it and clap from both sides of the camera.

If you are familiar with the operation of a clapperboard (I’ve certainly been there), the pen for writing down a particular scene is always gone when you need it. Always. To fix that, Heinrig has included a magnetic pen holder so you can be sure your pen is there when you need it. Thumbs up for that!

The sticks contain hidden magnets that can’t fall out to keep the sticks closed while not in use and give you a well defined *clap* without springback.

The Quicksticks is a bit smaller than regular sized clapperboards but according to Heinrig you still have enough space to write a poem on it (a small one at least). As a bonus the smaller size allows for easy one-handed operation.

The correct size of a clapperboard depends on the focal length of the lens, of course. Sometimes a larger slate is better, but sometimes a smaller slate is just right.

The hinge itself is made of brass and can be adjusted in friction with a screwdriver.

Pricing and availability

The Quicksticks are available for pre-order now, pricing is €80 (around $90) plus VAT. Shipping is scheduled for March 2022 and it’s available in the EU, EEA and Switzerland.

Included with each order is a pen holder plus a Schneider marker.

Link: Heinrig

What do you think? Would this fit in your gear bag? Share your thoughts in the comments below!