7 Tips to Building an Epic Highlight Reel
As a videographer or filmmaker, there are many times you’ll want to create an epic highlight reel, whether you’re filming a sporting event, wedding, or concert. There are a few main tips to follow to ensure the highlight reel is exciting and entertaining.
Keep it Brief
The best highlight videos are concise and to the point to ensure you can keep the viewer engaged and avoid losing their attention. The video should be an average of five minutes long and can include 15 to 30 plays or exciting events. If you’re an athlete and want to make the reel for a coach, a brief video can help you to respect their busy schedule and can still allow them to gauge your skill level by viewing some of your top plays.
Use the Right Equipment
Whether you’re filming a keynote presentation or an event, you’ll need to use proper equipment to ensure the footage looks good in low light and isn’t too dim. Opt for using wide-angle lenses to get dynamic shots, along with portable tripods. You can even get more creative and use a Go-Pro for continuous recording without interrupting the event you’re working on. A video maker will also work well for beginners who are new to the process.
Incorporate Sound Bytes
Consider adding a few sound bites throughout the highlight reel to add more content and make it interesting. You can interview different people attending the event and use the sound byte with footage of the crowds. You can even get sound bytes from keynote speakers and can take the video to the next level and allow it to look more interesting and complete. It will also add a different dimension to the footage and add a creative twist instead of just showing multiple clips.
Take Quality Footage
The cameras you use during the event should have a high resolution to ensure the footage is crisp and looks professional. 720p or 1080p quality videos are considered to be the highest quality. There shouldn’t be a lot of shaking, which can make it look like an amateur made the video. Using higher quality footage can also make it easier to view the faces of the people you film, even if they’re moving at a high speed on a basketball court or soccer field.
Use the Best Plays First
The best clips should be added to the beginning of the highlight reel to grab the viewer’s attention and keep them interested in what you’re going to include in the rest of the video. You’ll be sure to impress the viewer if you use the highest quality of footage or plays first instead of waiting too long to start adding the best content.
Overshoot
One of the most common mistakes many videographers make is underestimating how much footage they need for their highlight reel. Unfortunately, it can leave you feeling limited with the clips you include if you don’t have a lot of content to work with during the editing process. Opt for overshooting and getting more footage than you think you need to ensure you have more of a selection with the clips you include.
Capture the beginning, middle, and end of the event you’re capturing to make it flow well and include various types of highlights instead of clips that are too similar to each other. Using the best footage you capture instead of all of it will look a lot more professional instead of scraping for any extra material you have when you’re trying to put a five-minute video together.
Make Your Content Info Accessible
If you’re an athlete who is making a highlight reel for a coach, make it easy for the person to contact you by including your information at the beginning of the film. You may also need to include your jersey number, graduation year, phone number, and email address. You can also have your awards and season averages posted at the beginning of the video to ensure the facts are easy for the viewer to find. You can also upload the video to a popular website to ensure you have a URL link to share with different coaches to make it easy to promote.
Knowing the main components of any epic highlight reel can allow you to focus on what works and what to avoid. As a videographer, you can keep it to the point and make it look higher quality if you’re more educated and have conducted enough research.
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