3-Camera Soccer Game

[Bob Woodhead]

Not a soccer/sports shooter per se, but I’d go with 1 wide covering the play with about 1/2 field, and the other two on MS of the “stars”. Designate 1 of the 2 “star cams” to switch to the defense player when the ball heads that way. The 2nd of the 2 can decide with the play which offense to cover. Try to get your WS up on the top bleachers. Since soccer really covers the whole field, I’d go with the 2 MS cams around midfield. I’d STRONGLY RECOMMEND having all 3 cams start together, and NOT STOP until tape runs out. Since you’re not covering “the game” you don’t have to worry about a gap in coverage while all change tape @ 1 hour. This’ll make it WAY WAY easier to edit as a “multicam”.

Bob Woodhead / Atlanta
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[Bob Cole]

[Joe Vibral] “any tips about length/structure of a demo for college coaches???”

These are my guesses, based on partial knowledge:

What the coaches say: they are suspicious of highlight reels, and would prefer a longer sequence that shows more realistically the athleticism of the player.

What they do: unless the player is already highly recruited, they are not going to sit through a video of an entire game.

I recommend “extended” highlights, followed by the whole game or at least longer sequences. The highlights should show the entire development of a play, rather than the “Sportscenter Top Ten,” two-second clip. I’d also frame the isolation camera shots a bit wider than just the player herself, to show the player’s field awareness.

[Joe Wilson]

Thanks Bob W. and Bob C. Great suggestions.

Do you think the mid-field cameras should go hand-held? Note: We’ll be using DVX-100’s or equivalent prosumer cameras, no shoulder-mounts.

Re: the edit– the client also asked I make a “skills” video with the players. Any partial knowledge about coachs’ opinions with this? And I suppose it’s only appropriate to add music and flare to the very brief ESPN-style highlights section, right?

Thanks again.

Joe

[Bob Cole]

[Joe Vibral] “I suppose it’s only appropriate to add music and flare”

This strikes me as a big no-no. I think the coaches just want to go through the mound of DVDs they get as quickly as they can, and don’t appreciate any hype. Plus, it makes it look as if you’re doing a hard sell on the kid.

But my info may be out of date, Joe. You might try calling a coach of an out-of-season sport and asking him or her.

[Bob Woodhead]

I’m always one to go with sticks if I can. Can’t help you on the “style” of the edit – I don’t have any knowledge of what a coach would be looking for. I wouldn’t even know what’s a good play when I saw it.