Things You'll Need:
- Camcorder Batteries
- Garbage Bags
- Camcorder Tripods
- Camcorders
- Garbage bags
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Step 1
Arrive early to allow for setup time.
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Step 2
Park as close as you can to where you'll be taping.
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Step 3
Check out sunlight or electrical lighting to be sure neither will shine directly into your lens or onto your viewfinder.
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Step 4
Select a shooting position where nobody is likely to be standing in front of you or jumping up to yell during the event.
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Step 5
Check to be sure your pans left and right are equally clear of spectators.
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Step 6
Try to find an elevated location where you can look down on the action.
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Step 7
Choose a level shooting position - don't fight gravity by trying to shoot from the side of a hill.
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Step 8
Bring your tripod (borrow one if necessary).
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Step 9
Select a place close to house current so you can run your camera off the power supply instead of batteries.
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Step 1
Adjust the viewfinder for sports coverage before you set up your tripod.
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Step 2
Set the height of the tripod so that when you're looking straight ahead, you're looking straight into either viewfinder at eye level.
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Step 3
Make your tripod head level by lengthening or shortening the legs.
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Step 4
Adjust the pan control (if there is one) on your tripod so there's a small amount of drag as you pan and tilt.
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Step 5
Put a handheld microphone (if you have one) away from spectators.
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Step 6
Arrange your extra equipment (camera bag and so on) so it's out of your way as you move about behind the camcorder.
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Step 7
Make sure the power cord (if you're using one) does not pass through the area where you'll be standing, so you don't trip over it.
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Step 8
Use a plastic garbage bag with a hole cut in it to protect your camcorder if you think it might rain.
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Step 1
Be sure you're familiar with the flow of action in the type of sporting event (baseball, tennis, and so on) you're going to cover, so you know what to tape and what to ignore.
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Step 2
Plan to shoot a fairly wide shot, during the first few events you tape, until you catch on. You can tighten up and shoot closer shots as your skills improve.
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Step 3
Keep both eyes open when you tape sports.
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Step 4
Use your left eye for the "big picture" and your right eye for determining what you're taping.
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Step 5
Anticipate a likely play and be ready to cover it when it happens.
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Step 6
Note that if most of the action in a potential play will be in a restricted area, you can go tighter for a better close-up of the action. But be ready to pull back to a wider shot if you guessed wrong.
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Step 7
Aim toward keeping the principal player in the shot all the time. But be ready to switch principal players if the shot calls for it.
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Step 8
Roll on every play or potential play if you want to get all the action.
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Step 9
Start recording an instant or two before the play action starts.
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Step 10
Count "1-2-3" to yourself when the play is over, then stop taping.
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Step 11
Shoot cutaways sometimes, but not always, in between plays.
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Step 12
Come off tripod and go handheld if you think you can get access to the field for a different vantage point.
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Step 13
Bring extra tape and batteries if you change vantage points.
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Step 14
Change vantage points only at a natural break in the action.
