Everything You Need to Know About a Highlight / Skills Video – Part 1
February 9th, 2009 - byAs most of you know, creating a winning highlight / skills video is a critical step in the recruiting process. With recruiting budgets being cut at every level, college coaches are depending on video more than ever to efficiently evaluate a large number of prospects. At the same time, advances in technology have made this step easier than ever…if you know what you’re doing!
Simply put, the quality of a highlight / skills tape can make or break a student athlete’s process. If filmed or edited incorrectly, the DVD will end up in the trash bin next to the coach’s desk and the recruit’s name will be crossed off the recruiting board.
Recognizing the growing importance of video, I recently sat down with NCSA’s Professional Video Editing Department to get the scoop on how to film and edit a highlight / skills tape…the NCSA way.
NCSA Video Coordinators Jim Broe, Alex Horton, and Marko Markovic have seen their fair share of athletic footage. Between the three of them, NCSA has produced more than 7,000 highlight / skills videos for student-athletes over the years. After speaking with them, it became clear that there are two main aspects to creating a highlight video: filming and editing.
This week, I will share their insight on how to properly film and then next week we will cover the vital information about editing.
CK: Why is the initial filming of a student-athlete so important?
JB:
The final product of a highlight or skills tape is only as good as the initial footage. Even the most skilled editing professionals cannot take poor footage and turn it into a high quality highlight reel. Editing professionals also cannot create plays out of thin air; meaning if the skill or play was not captured in the original filming then it is lost entirely.
AH:
Filming is where it all starts. In some cases, the only way college coaches will ever be able to evaluate a prospect will be through a highlight film. With thousands of prospective student-athletes looking for that initial “interest,” it is not uncommon for a college coach to turn off a film after one or two plays if they are boring, display the wrong skill or they cannot tell which player they are supposed to be watching. Good filming will make editing and evaluating much easier.
CK: What are some common mistakes that families make when filming?
MM:
An awful lot of families zoom in on their particular student-athlete which does not show the entire play and that student athlete’s role in its development. On the other hand, some families film so far away from the action that it’s hard to make out the student-athlete who is being showcased.
AH:
I completely agree with Marko. To avoid that mistake, make sure to spend some time preparing before you film. Sit down and discuss what games to film, where the camera will be located to capture the best angles and shots, the types of skills desired, etc.
JB:
I think too many families rely on their high school coach to film which can be a mistake. This might result in unqualified people being responsible for a student-athletes future. I suggest a family meets with the high school coach before the season to determine who will be filming all the games, what the quality will be like based on previous film taken by the coach, and whether or not the coach will provide the family with access to the footage.
MM:
Another mistake I have commonly run into is families attempting to edit the footage while filming. The best filming will be a steady shot of the action with no interruption. Families should not rewind or stop filming because who knows what you might miss!
CK: What are some of the trends you have seen in filming and how has technology played a role?
AH:
The advancements in technology have made the life of a filmmaker much easier. One tool that families should utilize more is a tri-pod. I know it does not sound very “high tech” but it is an enormous advantage. 
MM:
Absolutely! A tri-pod will go a long way towards maintaining steady footage and will prevent the human movements (mom or dad jumping up and down) that can be a distraction. Also, the prices of quality cameras have gone down quite a bit in recent years. I realize many athletes are part of a team and one suggestion that I have is pooling the resources of all the families to purchase a good camera. This could be shared by the entire team and produce a much better product for all the athletes.
JB:
In the whole scheme of things, tripods and quality cameras are relatively inexpensive given their correlation to overall quality. Also, the use of HD has increased in the last year, but at this point is not a necessity for student-athletes or college coaches.
CK: How does filming differ between a team sport and an individual sport?
JB:
In team sports, coaches need to see interaction between teammates. The play may have an outcome that is dependant on several factors outside of the individual student-athlete and coaches need to see all of it to effectively evaluate the prospect. This goes back to the mistake Marko pointed out earlier in which families sometimes will zoom on their student-athlete and miss the play going on around them.
AH:
To build off what Jim said, in team sports, coaches want to see more “real-time” footage whereas for the individual sport, coaches are more interested in their skills which don’t have to come during a game or match. Typically, individual sports should require closer filming to allow the coach to evaluate the skill set.
MM:
Jim and Alex hit it right on the head. Generally speaking, team sports should be filmed with a wide angle and individual sports with a tighter shot.
CK: Many families face the decision of hiring a “professional” to film their games or doing it on their own. Any advice for families making the choice?
AH:
My personal opinion would be to film on your own if possible. There are a lot of small, local companies and services who charge too much money given the return. Families are fully capable of taking their own film…and doing it well! The hard 
part is the editing.
JB:
This really depends on the amount of experience that the “professional” has regarding what college coaches want to see. Some production companies have no idea what skills a volleyball coach, for example, will want to see in which case the wrong footage will be taken and money wasted. I think if a family can receive the proper guidance about what to film from someone like NCSA, then they really can do the filming on their own. Just make sure to get that information before starting to film!
CK: I am sure you guys have seen plenty of high quality filming jobs over the years. What were some of the common characteristics those all had?
AH:
For me, this is easy, it’s five main parts:
- Good viewpoint, angle, and distance from the action
- Plenty of film to be evaluated (not just a two minute video already edited)
- Variety in the skills showcased
- Still and steady footage
- Good lighting
MM:
Be aware of what you’re filming and keep focused on the task at hand which is gathering footage of a student-athlete that can be turned into a highlight video. Sometimes parents lose sight of the goal and end up filming things that aren’t helpful. One time, I edited a film that included 30 seconds of a bee buzzing around a man’s head. I don’t know many college coaches that wanted to see that…The best films are all about the action on the field.
CK: Any examples come to mind of videos that were filmed well that our readers can look at?
JB:
Sure. Here are three links to some NCSA videos that are posted on You Tube that families can take a look at:
CK: Any final advice for families in regards to filming?
JB:
Don’t become emotionally invested in the filming process and remain objective. Parents need to let the tape run and not try to edit the game while filming. You can only edit what you have filmed.
MM:
Investing in the right equipment can go a long way towards improving the filming quality. Seriously discuss the possibility of investing in things like a camera or a tri-pod.
AH:
Keep the shooting simple. Place the camera on a steady platform, follow the athlete through their performance, and make sure to show each and every play to the end. Let us worry about the rest!
Be sure to check back next week when the NCSA video experts share some trade secrets on how to turn that raw footage into a final product that college coaches can evaluate through the editing process.
