# Video tap
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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Video_tap.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_tap
> Source revision: 1279176520
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Expand Ukrainian|date=January 2025}}
A '''video tap''' is an accessory for a [motion picture camera](/source/motion_picture_camera) used in [filmmaking](/source/filmmaking) to provide a video signal from the camera lens. Video taps are used to allow the [film crew](/source/film_crew) to see what is in the camera's frame without having to look through the [viewfinder](/source/viewfinder), as well as allowing video to be recorded and can be used to create an immediate [rough cut](/source/rough_cut), if needed. Since a video tap normally attaches to a camera's existing viewfinder using a [beam splitter](/source/beam_splitter), the video appears dark and [frame rate](/source/frame_rate) flicker is visible. Sometimes the tap will include frame lines and burned in [timecode](/source/timecode) and [keykode](/source/keykode).{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
The person who operates a video tap is sometimes called a "video assist".[{{Cite web |title=Film Glossary |url=https://www.clevelandfilm.com/jobstraining/glossary-of-terms/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Greater Cleveland Film Commission |language=en-US}}] Video taps can be useful for the director of a production to ensure the shot is to their liking,[{{Cite web |title=Video Assist Operator / VTR |url=https://www.filmincolorado.com/guide/video-assist-operator-vtr/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Film in Colorado |language=en-US}}] Most film cameras include a video tap.