Film Sports Highlights Like a Pro to Win a College Scholarship

Create a sports highlight reel for your kids!

If you are the parent of a high school athlete, this will be an important read. I know you are busy shuffling your athlete off to practice and camp. You are investing in nutrition and protein shakes and specialty trainers and showcases. You are doing everything right. But if you haven’t thought about how to create high-quality student-athletes highlight videos, you are missing the most important part of securing an athletic scholarship.

Did you know that student-athletes who present high-quality highlight videos to college scouts and coaches are 12 times more likely to move forward in the recruiting process? Depending on the budget of your student athlete’s school and the dedication of the coaching staff, the school may or may not create a great highlight film that you can send to college recruiters. Why take that chance?

Create Sports Highlight Film on Your Own

You are your child’s biggest fan and their most dedicated advocate. Your athlete’s coach has dozens and sometimes even hundreds of other athletes to manage. You have only your student-athlete. Even the best coaches don’t have the time or equipment to film hours of footage and capture multiple angles.

A comprehensive highlight film will incorporate game footage, technical skill footage, and every amazing feat of athletic prowess accomplished by your athlete. It is impossible for high school sports programs to create this high level of highlight film for each and every athlete. The parents that take this on as their responsibility will be positioning their children for the best chance of success.

Take an Online Sports Filming Course

Online courses are the quickest and easiest way to gain a ton of knowledge about any topic. You may not have multiple cameras or a film team, but there are many simple tricks and techniques for creating professional sports highlight films. An online training like [Insert name and link for the course] provides the crash course you need to create an unbelievable film that compels colleges to respond.

Get Your Equipment Together

It isn’t necessary to break the bank, but it is important to purchase video technology that will make filming easy. In most cases, an iPad with a film case and some attachments is all you will need.

Make sure you have the following equipment ready to go:

Tripod
Wide-angle lens
Telephoto lens
Editing software

Shaky, grainy footage makes a bad impression with coaches who are sifting through several hours of film at a time. Be prepared to deliver the highest quality film possible.

My company iOgrapher has ready-to-go bundles specifically for this purpose. The link is here.

Show Up Early to Set Up and Test

The stands fill up quickly for sporting events. Arrive early so that you can set up in the ideal spot without fighting the crowds. Give yourself enough time to film some test shots and make sure your equipment is working properly.

More Film is Always Better

The more options you have available, the easier it will be to create a stellar sports highlight film. Film games, skill sessions, and even practice to make sure that you have a film of every impressive moment that will grab the attention of college recruiters.

Time to Edit

There are a number of editing platforms available for creating highlight films. The Create Better Sports Videos course helps you decide which one is right for you. Although college recruiters don’t expect cinema quality highlight film, it is smart to meet a few criteria:

Add a marker to make it easy for recruiters to spot you.
Include your name, school, and jersey number within the intro of the video.
Keep highlight videos down to 3-5 minutes or less.
Most coaches watch the film on mute, so no need to add audio.
Coaches want to see your off-ball performance, too so include clips of smart reactions and hustle.

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, more than 150,000 student-athletes receive around $2.7 billion in athletic scholarships each year. Preparing yourself to capture the necessary sports highlight film to get your child to the next level could result in a huge opportunity.