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It might be hard to imagine that the concept of in-camera time recording was on the drawing board of Jean-Pierre Beauviala, founder of Aaton Cameras, as far back as the late sixties.
But, just as the film medium itself endures, Beauviala's original motivations to develop in-camera timecode still hold true: to streamline the process in order to optimize the filmmaker's creativity.
Today, Aaton's in-camera timecode (more commonly referred to as AatonCode) has matured and takes advantage of many of the ancillary improvements in filmmaking technology. But this can be a double-edged sword. While technology helps create more ways of doing things (more means to get to the same end), this can be perceived by some users as too many choices. In such cases, technological advancements may work to detract from their original intention.
The purpose of this guide is to cut through these distractions and offer a straightforward explanation of AatonCode, its benefits and its real world uses. Sometimes, the dissemination of accurate information is the biggest difference between an enjoyable, problem-free timecode experience and a misadventure.
This guide is intended to be available in both print form and online, and to be updated regularly. In fact, we would like you to consider it a collaborative effort between equipment manufacturers, transfer facilities, filmmakers and all other interested parties. Please feel free to submit your "comments and improvements" to this guide, as well as your AatonCode experiences, both positive and negative.
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