Oliver Rogers’
in the first of a series of artiCles multimedia Journalist oli is going to give us all some tips on videoing hoCkey matChes
I’m often asked about techniques and tips for improving videos by people watching at games and also from those viewing online and you’ll be pleased to hear it isn’t like the Magic Circle, I do share advice! In this article I will deal with filming hockey matches, the dos and don’ts and safety issues surrounding them. The most important distinction
m
between the videos I film and those of many hockey clubs and their team video person is that I am not making a tactical video. I film to make (hopefully) entertaining footage to show off the
y name is Oliver Rogers and I’ve been shooting hockey videos for England Hockey’s online TV service since 2007.
sport of hockey. That’s not to say tactical videos don’t have their use helping teams to learn about playing against other teams, but my ultimate aim is for publicity and marketing. The biggest difference between a
tactical videos and my videos are that I concentrate on goalmouth action, rather than a wider shot of the players and their positions. So, before you start filming ask yourself what type of viewer do you want to watch your videos
– teams developing their tactical play or general viewers for entertainment?
three legs are better than one The biggest single mistake I see on YouTube hockey films is not using a tripod, or sometimes using a tripod that isn’t very good. A decent tripod will immediate make your film look more professional and less ‘home movie’. I would suggest this is also a piece of kit worth investing in, so get a decent one with some sort of fluid head to help make movements of the camera nice and smooth. Things like lighting and using a tripod
can influence how good your film will look – often a rubbish camera can yield surprisingly good results simply just because it was set up on a tripod and there was plenty of light.
This brings me on to your choice of
camera, I use a Cannon XH A1 high definition camera. But nowadays some of the HD mini-cameras on sale offer great results and for relatively small amounts. I recently purchased a Sony HDR-CX115E for taking to the World Cup in Argentina. It is small, compact and produces great HD video, it also has a big zoom and can handle filming hockey action very well. The one aspect that lets it down is only having a built-in microphone, so interviewing is difficult and requires positioning of the camera close to the subject. Many of these small cameras come
with face recognition software built in, meaning the old problem of automatic focusing not knowing what to focus on has been overcome. HD cameras offer clubs a very cheap and effective way to shoot high-quality footage. But always remember, an older camera can take great video if it is handled correctly and, as mentioned above, tripods, and lighting play a key role in making good films.
On corners, set the camera up and let the players do the rest
getting pitchside Positioning once we get to the ground is key. Tactical videos mainly require some height to be able to see all the players. So towers and hills behind goals are best for those shooters as they want to see all the pitch most of the time. This will not be good for us. Being at the halfway line will make us equidistant from both goalmouths and, if we are opposite the dugouts, we’ll get a view of these areas as well. The set up at Chelmer Park in Chelmsford or Sonning Lane in Reading offers the best positioning for somebody like me. At these grounds a tower on the halfway line combine the best positioning with some height. Being equidistant from either goal is important because it means you can swing the camera from end-to-end and be roughly in-focus each time. Height offers you a good view of the pitch and hopefully that view won’t be
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