Concerns in Marketplace Over Authenticating Movie Prop Slates & Clapperboards: Update 3 (Terminator 3 Case Study)

This is another update to the recent articles which articulated some concerns over the authenticity of slates and clapperboards circulating in the marketplace. Previous articles used clapperboards from Quantum of Solace as a case study. This feature takes a look at clapperboards attributed to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (“T3”).

In the prior articles, in comparing clapperboards in the marketplace with photos of those used in the last James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, there were a number of consistent discrepancies when compared with those genuine examples as seen in the official book on the making of the film, “Bond on Set”.

Outstanding questions include the sources of these assets, the quantities/availability of boards from certain films, and the problem in distinguishing between unused post production replicas, surplus slates, crew gifts, and authentic set-used copies.  A number of clapperboards sold into the collector marketplace as used on set originate from a dealer in the UK named Kelvin Wise.

All related articles can be found via the link below:

Friend and fellow collector in Germany, Mario Kirner, has put together a photo comparison of two clapperboards attributed to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

One is a clapperboard believed to be a crew gift and the other is one sold by Kelvin Wise to another collector in Germany, who loaned the piece to Mario for a hands on comparison and to produce photos for this article.

Crew Gift (?) T3 Clapperboard

As noted, the clapperboard owned by Mario appears to be a crew gift example, in that “2002” is etched into the date field, and it is autographed by principals from the production.

This piece first appeared on the collector “museum” showcase website, YourProps.com (click images for full resolution):

It was later listed for sale by The Prop Store of London, which is the dealer from which Mario acquired it (click images for full resolution):

Kevin Ivey (Ivey Slates) T3 Clapperboard

The slates/clapperboards used in the production, Terminator 3, were produced by industry professional Kevin Ivey of Ivey Slates (www.IveySlates.com).  He is also credited as “second assistant camera: “Blue” camera, second unit” on the film per IMDb.

There are two examples of T3 clapperboards on his website (note that they are displayed vertically in wood bases, so the very bottom of each slate is dropped into a slot).

IveySlates.com 1st Unit (click images for full resolution):

IverySlates.com 2nd Unit (click images for full resolution):

Mr. Ivey does sell original, custom, and gift slates via his website (see Contact Us/Orders):

Kelvin Wise T3 Clapperboards

Below are photos of three clapperboards which collectors attribute to Kelvin Wise (click images for full resolution):

As noted in the original Quantum of Solace case study, the collector/marketplace examples make use of the “#” symbol.  Interestingly, in both the first and second examples above list “#436” as the scene number, which is all the more remarkable given that one is 1st unit and one is 2nd unit.  Also remarkable is that the second and third examples list the same roll number of “5”, even though, again, one is 2nd unit and one is 1st unit.

Genuine Clapperboard Examples: On Set & Behind The Scenes

Mario Kirner found the following “on set” image from the film, showing three clapperboards in use (click image for full resolution):

Note that there are remarkable inconsistencies in comparing the writing on these genuine examples when compared with the examples above circulating in the marketplace.

Side-By-Side Comparison: Gift Slate vs Kelvin Wise Collector/Marketplace Slate

As explained in the opening of this article, Mario Kirner borrowed the slate owned by Jan Eric Hauber to compare his own presumed crew gift slate with the one Jan Eric purchased directly from Kelvin Wise.

As a baseline, below is a comparison between the clapperboard showcased on IveySlates.com (the maker of the production slates) and Mario’s slate which, for the purposes of this analysis, we believe is likely a gift slate (click image for full resolution comparison):

Note that the slates appear to match up exactly in all details, with the two exceptions being 1) the horizontal line on the Ivey example does not extend to the end of the right hand side and 2) the crew gift example has the year “2002” etched into the slate.  As noted earlier, the Ivey slate is displayed in a wooden base, so the very bottom of the slate is hidden via the slot.

The following photos were produced by Mario for the purpose of this article.  Click any image for higher resolution photos.

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the two clapperboards (Kelvin Wise LEFT, crew gift RIGHT):

Note that the clapper tops do not match at all, though I know from talking with one collector that the clapper tops on the slates he purchased from Kelvin Wise were identified as reproductions, not originals.

Below is the same image marked and numbered for analysis and observations:

1. The size, color, font type, and placement of of the “A” in the top left hand corner on the slates differs in the two examples
2. With the Kelvin Wise example, the horizontal line bisecting the board does not extend to the outer edges, while it extends to both ends on the crew gift example (as noted above, with the example on IveySlates.com, it extends to just one edge in that instance – also, there are breaks on the sides on one of the “on set” examples in the production photo above)
3. The space between the bottom of the “T3” logo and the top of the Director name and title is substantially different in the two examples
4. The size, color, font type, and placement of of the “A” in the bottom right hand corner on the slates differs in the two examples
5. The size and spacing of the etched writing for Director, Cameraman, and Date differs in the two examples
6. The “fill/texture” type of the “T3” logos in the two examples differs
7. The point of intersection between the “T” and “3” in the two examples differs
8. Again, the spacing of the text etched into the two slates differs, as seen by comparing the placement of the text in relation to the “T3” logo above

Below is a close-up comparison further illustrating both the difference of the “fill/texture” type of the “T3” logos as well as the difference in the point of intersection between the top of the “T” and “3”:

Below is an extreme close-up showing the point of intersection between the top of the “T” and “3”:

Below is a close-up comparison illustrating the difference in the “fill/texture” type used in the “T3” logos in the two examples:

As can be seen from the “on set” production photo, the Kelvin Wise example is not consistent with the genuine example depicted in this photo:

Below is a comparison between the Kelvin Wise example, the “Crew Gift” example, the Kevin Ivey example, and the “on set” production photo above – looking exclusively at the “fill/texture” type of the “T3” logo, note all three match down to very specific patterns within the fill itself, while the Kelvin Ivey example is completely different:

The other two of the three T3 clapperboard examples earlier in this article in which collectors attribute Kelvin Wise as the source also have the same type/style of fill in the “T3” logo.

Next is a comparison between the “A” imprinted in the lower right corner of each example:

Below is a close-up comparison illustrating the difference in the “fill/texture” type and quality used in the “A” imprint in the two examples:

Special thanks to Mario and Jan for working together to supply the Original Prop Blog with the comparison photos for this analysis, and members of the Original Prop Community discussion forum for observations and insights into this matter.

Further information will be published as it becomes available.

Jason DeBord