Clapperboard from the set of Oz

Did you know the clapperboard originated in Australia? Local filmmaker FW Thring is credited with inventing this useful filmmaking device. It's used during film, television and video production to synchronise picture and sound and mark scenes and takes while recording. Operated by the clapper loader, it's still in use today and has become universally known as a symbol of the film industry –there's even an emoji for it. 

This clapperboard was used on the set of the feature film Oz – A Rock'n'Roll Road Movie (Chris Löfvén, 1976). In the mid-1970s, the revival of Australian feature filmmaking was hitting its stride, so this artefact also represents the rebirth of the local film industry. Oz is noteworthy for being a rare original film musical and a very '70s twist on the 1939 Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. In the updated film, Dorothy is a wannabe rock groupie with stars in her eyes, who sets off on a wild journey across the country. Along the way, she teams up with a gentle biker who hates violence, a lost surfer who can’t find the beach, and a rebellious mechanic who’s better at breaking cars than fixing them. Together, they head to the big city, chasing the dream of seeing rock legend the Wizard in his final, unmissable concert.