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Junior Match Videos - Technical Discussion


Sauchie Web

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A separate thread for discussing the technical aspects of recoding Junior football matches has been requested on a couple of threads over a few years, so I guess we can start one.



Match video highlights are a great way to demonstrate the high standard of Junior football, the support it gets and the facilities available at grounds.



There are a few volunteers who produce these videos, what can we do to encourage others to start making these?



What information can the people who produce these videos share to help each other? What equipment do you use? What editing software? How do you optimise your production workflow?



Where is the best place to record at a particular football ground?



What ideas do you have to improve the quality of these videos?


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For anyone thinking about starting to record matches, but don't know where to start. I would say just try it without investing in anything special.

Start with whatever you already have. If you have a phone with a camera or a pocket camera, take some footage of freekicks, penalties, or when you can see a good attack happening. Most of the time it will come to nothing, but if you are lucky, you will capture that goal. If you have video editing software, put your footage into it, delete the boring bits and merge all of the clips together. Get the software to produce a video and upload it to youtube. If you don't have video editing software just upload your separate clips to YouTube and use the YouTube software to create something.

Expect to miss goals, expect kids to jump in front of you when your recording. Just take as much footage as you can and hope for the best. Once you get happy with recording on the equipment that you have, only you will know how to move your videos onto the next level. This may be a better camera, a tripod or monopod, external mic, field monitor, better editing software faster PC... the list goes on. But you may need non of these. I have seen fantastic footage on YouTube and thought that they must have fancy kit to capture the match, but then met them to see a small pocket camera running in video mode. You can get great footage with most cameras, just keep practicing.

My first video was taken on my iPhone. It was dark and very shaky, it's now over 2 years old and 260 people have viewed it. We all start somewhere, and I still get kids jumping in front of the camera and asking if the match is gong to be shown on the telly!

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Nice one!

There are a few volunteers who produce these videos, what can we do to encourage others to start making these?

Think getting the word out that the club would like someone to do is most important, but feel the hard part is getting the right person (if a club wants it done regularly) because of the commitment required. Most folk like to go out on a Saturday night and it takes a unique individual to be sat cutting sections out of an hour n a half of footage after filming in the wind and rain all afternoon with an umbrella battering off your heid. However that said, having match highlights is priceless to Junior football as a whole, It raises the profile and also I have friends and family in the states who have been following Hurlford as a result of the highlights. I try to include post match interviews to provide a bit more depth, however not being a sports journalist it can be difficult getting an interesting section but found you get better over time at it. In my day job we talk a lot about transferable skills and would say to anyone thinking about doing it, you'll learn loads that's useful and meet a lot of interesting people in the process.

What information can the people who produce these videos share to help each other? What equipment do you use? What editing software? How do you optimise your production workflow?

Think even this thread is a step in the right direction, many folk who film for a living are too busy to be involved without a cash incentive so really it will be mostly been done as a hobby so the more help the better imo but that said some of quality is of a high standard. Tripod is for me the most important thing so if ur buying one get the best you can afford, second hand you can get some really good ones without the steep price. Also make sure to weigh your tripod down, I use my laptop bag or a bag of sand to give it a bit of extra stability. Filming wise I often find myself inclined to zoom in a lot, however taking in as much of the pitch as possible provides a better watch of the build up, more so if the coaching staff use your footage for review purposes. Camera wise I have a really basic one, its a panasonic sdr-S50 which can be picking up for next to nothing on ebay but plan to upgrade as it lacks the high def quality which has become more and more affordable, plus side the file size is smaller so it means quicker processing. The important part was getting a good SD card as the transfer rates can save you a lot of time. I've tried a few but found the SanDisk Extreme's to be the best, 30mb's+ per second and are also shock/water proof. Software wise I use Sony Vegas 9 as it really does everything I need and a whole lot more. It's not as expensive as its not the latest they have to offer, still pricey but really worth the outlay imo. Took me a while and still am learning how to use it but has yet *fingers crossed* to crash on me. I need a better computer but to optimise my production workflow I have a few beers lol

Where is the best place to record at a particular football ground?

For me it's as high and central as possible though I've been trying other places around the ground, Ideally when I get a new camera I plan to use my old one behind the goals to get multiple angels. Our friends over at Meadow have exactly what I think is ideal, big scaffold in a commanding location to film from, really jealous of it tbh haha.

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I'd love to get back to videoing our games at Lochgelly Albert, but it's just impossible when I do the matchday programmes, match reports, the website and photography that is required for the programme, along with being a full time Dad to a 19 month old and working full time too.

Just can't do it all myself. The key is to have a team of people to help in these roles who understand the importance and relevance of it.

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I'd love to get back to videoing our games at Lochgelly Albert, but it's just impossible when I do the matchday programmes, match reports, the website and photography that is required for the programme, along with being a full time Dad to a 19 month old and working full time too.

Just can't do it all myself. The key is to have a team of people to help in these roles who understand the importance and relevance of it.

Can understand your frustration there fella, its really important and so relevant in this digital era, I'd put on the website and programme you need some help and hopefully some folk comes forward.

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What's in the bag?

As mentioned, I started with an iPhone. I then moved onto a DSLR which my wife bought me for one christmas. I now use a HD Handycam with the following kit which I have built up over time, and when the wife has not been watching :-)

All packed up and ready to go.

IMG_5952.jpg

I use a video monopod instead of a tripod due to limited space at some grounds

IMG_5954.jpg

Lanc Controller on the monopod with adapter leads for the handycam

IMG_5955.jpg

Umbrella clamp to clamp the umbrella to the monopod on the odd occasion it rains

IMG_5957.jpg

Arm for Field Monitor

IMG_5958.jpg

Action Cams, waterproof cases and clamps for behind the goals on the net support poles

IMG_5959.jpg

Handycam and external mic to focus sound on the field rather then the supporters

IMG_5960.jpg

Field Monitor, spare batteries and hdmi lead

IMG_5961.jpg

All of it assembled

IMG_5962.jpg

I use the Monopod and Lanc Controller as I have shaky hands and the Field Monitor as your eyes are so tired after 90 minutes of straining to watch a 3" LCD.

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Can understand your frustration there fella, its really important and so relevant in this digital era, I'd put on the website and programme you need some help and hopefully some folk comes forward.

I've tried that, but without any success. Plenty of "love what you do" and "would love you to do the highlights again" etc but nobody stepping up to the plate to offer their help in any capacity. I dare say some people think what I do is a 2 minute job!!!

Might have to seek a transfer to another club! Ha ha...

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What's in the bag?

As mentioned, I started with an iPhone. I then moved onto a DSLR which my wife bought me for one christmas. I now use a HD Handycam with the following kit which I have built up over time, and when the wife has not been watching :-)

All packed up and ready to go.

IMG_5952.jpg

I use a video monopod instead of a tripod due to limited space at some grounds

IMG_5954.jpg

Lanc Controller on the monopod with adapter leads for the handycam

IMG_5955.jpg

Umbrella clamp to clamp the umbrella to the monopod on the odd occasion it rains

IMG_5957.jpg

Arm for Field Monitor

IMG_5958.jpg

Action Cams, waterproof cases and clamps for behind the goals on the net support poles

IMG_5959.jpg

Handycam and external mic to focus sound on the field rather then the supporters

IMG_5960.jpg

Field Monitor, spare batteries and hdmi lead

IMG_5961.jpg

All of it assembled

IMG_5962.jpg

I use the Monopod and Lanc Controller as I have shaky hands and the Field Monitor as your eyes are so tired after 90 minutes of straining to watch a 3" LCD.

That's some serious kit, mate. Am I right in thinking I inspired you guys at Sauchie after visiting you when you won the South Division title?

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That's some serious kit, mate. Am I right in thinking I inspired you guys at Sauchie after visiting you when you won the South Division title?

You certainly were my inspiration to get involved in videoing the matches... and you have cost me a fortune :-)

Shame you don't have time to get back into it as they were very good.

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They are Drift HD Ghosts. They were the only ones I could find which were waterproof (you can use them without the case) and has a battery life long enough for the entire match

http://driftinnovation.com/drift-ghost/

I would say though that although they are good to get the goal view, I'm not convinced they are worth the cost as the usable footage is very small.

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I've seen the gopro ones but those look class!! Do you know of any cheaper alternatives?

Not when I looked. The problem was battery life as I don't want to be changing batteries at half time as it wold cut into my pie and pint time. The Ghost HD battery lasts 3 hours, whereas the gopro needs battery extenders and then you have problems with waterproofing. The goPro has the better picture quality as they are the ones you see getting used on action shots on TV, but it came down to battery life for me. I looked at others when I bought these to try and buy cheaper and they either had short battery life or batteries which could not be swapped out.

Drift have introduced a newer version of the Ghost, so hopefully these will come down in price.

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Nice one, yeah would be hard for me to justify the cost but like the external monitor and controller, what model of Sony Handy cam is it you use? as I know not all them have the ability for external mics etc

It's a sony hdr-cx410ve. It's got a nice wide angle and zoom, but is struggling with autofocus in these dark days. It has a normal mic jack input and clean hdmi output. It does not have native LANC support, it has a multi-terminal socket so I need 2 different adapter cables to get LANC working. What do other people use? Is it just my camera struggling with autofocus in these dark days?

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