A sports highlight video may seem like an unnecessary addition to your already long list of press releases, tweets, Facebook updates, and website maintenance duties if you’ve previously handled tournament communications.
But there are a number of reasons why you should consider producing one. While creating highlight packages may be time-consuming, the benefits to your business can be enormous.
3 Benefits of Creating a Highlight Video
1. Highlights Garner Millions of Views
There is a bigger audience for highlight videos than for other video formats. If an event isn’t being streamed, a highlight film lets spectators see their favorite athletes in action while they’re far away. Due to the fact that highlight videos are accessible to fans of any language, they are very popular among your sport’s global following.
2. Can be Enjoyed Even Years Later
Your highlight video will continue to work hard to promote your sport even after the final trophy has been given away.
As long as it’s of good quality, one 2-minute highlight video may be utilized for many different purposes, including media b-roll, athlete presentations in schools, sending to grant-giving organizations, or even as promotional material for next year’s competition.
Years after putting in a single day of effort, your efforts may pay off!
3. Valuable for Sponsors & Partners
If you’re working with a niche sports highlight clip, you may not be able to get even 100 people to come to the game. But if your sponsors’ banners or placards appear in a highlight film, you may provide them with a larger audience and boost their own social media efforts.
5 Easy to Follow Steps for Creating Highlight Videos
1. Finalize What to do Before the Event
Most sports communicators desire to display their sport in high definition (HD). Although this is the preferred resolution, novice filmmakers may find it difficult to work with. These are the reasons:
- HD video files may go into gigabytes in size. Large video formats may take hours to download and produce, in contrast to standard definition video, which can be quickly uploaded to your computer and watched right away. As a result, HD introduces a lag at every step. HD may not be ideal if you’re pressed for time.
- Using laptops or other machines not intended for video editing may cause lagging and even crash because of the size of HD files.
- Even using a simple online video editor may help you with the creation of a sports highlight clip with a high resolution. However, according to how much bandwidth a viewer has, YouTube will automatically change video quality to meet that demand. Despite the fact that you went to the trouble of filming in high definition, your audience may only be able to see the results in low definition.
In other words, aim for the highest possible resolution while keeping the workload to a minimum. Starting with standard definition and working your way up to high definition as your video editing skills develop.
2. Shooting the Highlight Package
Many individuals don’t know how to compress eight hours of video material into a two-minute highlight package, which is why YouTube has fewer highlight videos than expected.
You’ll have a higher chance of getting some really amazing highlights if you have a lot of competitive videos, but how can you find these highlights without having to re-watch everything?
a. Approach 1
Before you even leave the field of play, sift through hours of video to prevent having to dig through the chaff. In order to do this, follow these steps: Each play should be filmed separately.
Depending on your chosen activity, each clip will last anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds. Delete plays that don’t have a highlight. You’ll have around 20 minutes of high-quality video after working out for eight hours, and that material renders quickly and is easy to sift through.
b. Approach 2
Because Technique 1 requires specialized equipment, you’ll have to go through all of your videos in post-production to find what you’re looking for. Ensure that your camera is always on and that you have a notepad and pencil nearby.
If you see anything noteworthy, jot down the time it occurred on the recording. You will not have to view the whole game’s video again to know when the “hit” happens even if you have to render it all.
c. Approach 3
Use the cheering of the attendees to your advantage if your event draws a sizable audience. Look at the audio graph once you’ve imported all of your video material into your video editing program.
There is a high chance that the crowd is responding to a good play or a contentious call, which causes the audio to spike.
3. Edit the Highlight Video
Assuming you’ve followed the instructions this far, editing your highlight video should be a breeze. Keep highlight videos small while editing them.
Sports videos on YouTube are typically three and a half minutes long, although the most-watched ones are between two and four minutes long. A four-minute video will bore viewers to death. There is no such thing as too little when it comes to video editing if you don’t have much expertise.
Special effects in basic video editing applications are plentiful, yet they may appear corny in no time. Do not overburden your video with effects so that your message may be clearly seen.
4. Posting your Highlight Video
It’s time for you to make a video. However, if you believe your work is done, you need to reconsider. Now it’s up to you to get the most out of your YouTube exposure. Here are the fields that you must fill up when posting your video on YouTube.
Title: Ideally, the title should be descriptive, but it should also include important terms. In order for anyone searching for “wheelchair rugby hits” (a common search term) to discover my film, the title includes the sport name, as well as the words ‘hit’ and ‘highlight.’
Description: Keep it brief, but include relevant keywords and a link to your website in the description.
Privacy Settings: Make sure your video’s privacy is set to Public so that anybody may see it. Change the setting to Unlisted if you just want to show this movie to a select group of individuals. Once the video is Unlisted, it can only be seen by individuals who have been given the URL. Neither your channel nor search results will display it.
Category: Sports video should be clearly categorized as such in the title and description.
Tags: Arguably, this is the most critical area. There is a limit on the number of tags you may use on YouTube, so choose carefully. It’s possible you’ll have to conduct some research to discover the most popular highlights before you can tag them.
5. Promote your Video
- Use social media to spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, and other websites that you frequent.
- Post it on the website of your company
- Send an e-newsletter with the video attached to it. Send an e-blast to your membership list with a link to the video and the schedule if you’re making the highlight video on the first day of the tournament.
- Involve your sponsors and business partners in the video
Conclusion
Your knowledge of creating highlight videos has now increased significantly. You need a constructive approach combined with creative techniques to ensure a high viewership for your sports highlight video.
By following this 5-step walkthrough guide to creating a sports highlight video, almost anyone can create an amazing highlight that viewers can enjoy for years to come!
