Thanks for volunteering to tape a match. Coaches
can not see or appreciate everything that occurs during a match. With the video tape, the
coach can make a careful and studious analysis of team abilities and team problems, and
develop a training plan to enhance the abilities and resolve the problems seen in the
tape. The tips following should help you make a better quality tape.
Camera Tricks
- Some videocorders rewind a significant amount each
time RECORD is turned OFF. This causes a significant loss of data if you stop recording at
each stoppage of play. If you want to stop, let the camera run for about 5 seconds before
turning it off.
- Similarly, it takes some cameras as long as 5 seconds to
start rolling, so it is not always worth it to turn the camera off for minor stoppages of
play, because you miss continuity of play, and it is sometimes important to have a view of
the field situation before the restart.
Setting Up
- Tape from the coach's side if the referee allows it
to minimize the number of people who walk in front of the camera or talk to you while
taping.
- Set up the tripod early and make it level and
stable. Mount the camera and turn it on. Pan the field from goal to goal, looking through
the view finder to check that the top of the bar on each goal hits the view frame at about
the same place. If it does not, the tripod is not level or the camera is pointing up or
down.
- If it is raining, you can keep the camera dry with a
plastic bag over the top, leaving only the lens out when there is game action. If the
camera gets too wet, it quits.
- Put a little resistance in the azimuth and elevation
tripod settings to avoid jiggle while taping. It should take a little muscle to move the
camera.
- Put the lens cap back on when not with the camera to
avoid burning out the CCD imaging system in case the camera points up to the sun.
Match Begins
- Scan the field slowly, before kick off, particularly
the opponents, so that we can see their organization and positions.
- As the linesman starts to work, prepare to move the
camera if he often takes a position that obstructs your view.
- If someone walks in front of the camera, don't be
shy about saying "excuse me, we are taping the match". Most people will be glad
to move out of the way.
Taping the Action
- Avoid jiggling back and forth and up and down. Don't
talk - it has sound.
- Zoom in and out frequently to adjust to position of
the ball. You will want to see about 20 yards worth of action, 10 on either side of the
ball.
- Always zoom in fully when the ball is near the
opposite side or far end of the field. Otherwise, the people on the tape look like
indiscernible ants.
- Zoom back when the ball is near so you can keep all
the action in frame. If you lose a ball that is punted high into the air, zoom back until
you find the ball in the frame. Then zoom in as the ball is about to be headed.
After the Match
- Let the tape run during a few moments of post game
activity in case there is an incident worth recording or a shirt number we did not see
before.
- Mark the tape while still at the field to avoid
losing data.
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