Toreador66
11-man fan
Hello, we are a new program. We’re looking to purchase a video camera for game filming. We will put the film on HUDL primarily. Looking to spend about $500 for the complete package. Any help will be appreciated
Need game filming camera advice
- Thread starter Toreador66
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CoachSanders@ACS
Six-man pro
Get you an iPad. They work great!
Coachporter
Six-man fan
We use a Sony Cx440. I bought it second-hand a few years ago for around $150 and it works great.
C. LaTransviejo
Six-man fan
When you use an iPad, how do you retain the game recording for your records? Can you transfer it to an SD card?
CoachSanders@ACS
Six-man pro
Download the Hudl app to the iPad and record the game through the app. You can also use the SD card as well. It transfers relatively easy, as long as you have decent wifi.
NTXSpartans
Six-man fan
More than the importance of your equipment, make sure you have someone qualified and interested in recording your games. You can spend $500 on a great video camera but if your person filming your game gives you a $2 effort you will end up with $2 worth of good film.
C. LaTransviejo
Six-man fan
How do you recommend finding someone “qualified and interested” in recording the games? Is it a gung-ho parent, or the two non-athletes playing “grab butt” over behind the band, or some new naive school employee? Or how do you go about finding the right person for the job? And how much do you have to pay them?
CoachSanders@ACS
Six-man pro
For us, we found the student aspiring to have a future in the technology field. He gets treated like royalty by us. He gets a title, he gets to be a part of the team dinners, travels with us, gets the swag, gets a football letter, etc. There is always a person in the hallways that wants to be a part of it, but may have to serve in another role besides player.
sberry2023
Six-man fan
We pay a non-coaching staff a member a stipend.
Other places I have been we have used parent volunteers, jh coaches (big school), stipend (like we do now) and student aides.
I prefer to have a calm adult doing the filming, but have had some really good HS age camera workers as well.
sb
sberry2023
Six-man fan
Spend a lion's share of that budget on a good tripod. Makes ALL the difference in the quality of the film. You can get the Sony mentioned above new for about $230 from Amazon, you can get "renewed" and off brands for about half that....the rest needs to be tripod.
Tripod with a remote control for the camera you choose. Something like the one pictured from Amazon for $90.
Somewhat cheaper than I anticipated.
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If you're primarily using the footage for Hudl, something like the Sony CX440 is a solid option—excellent quality without breaking the bank, and I've seen it hold up well even after years of use. I'd agree with the folks mentioning tripods; a sturdy tripod is essential, even more than upgrading to a fancier camera. A tripod with a remote control will make things much smoother, especially during long games.
Finding a balance between decent equipment and a dedicated filming person. We use a basic Sony camera for our games, paired with a solid tripod, and it’s worked out great. As others mentioned, the tripod makes a difference, especially for capturing smooth footage. Also, having someone reliable behind the camera-whether a student or a staff member is just as important as the gear itself.
If you're looking to film games primarily for Hudl, a good budget option is the Sony CX440. I’ve helped with similar setups before, and these cameras are easy to handle and provide solid video quality, even when the lighting isn’t ideal. Paired with a sturdy tripod, you’ll notice a significant improvement in the stability of your footage, which is super important for sports. Tripods can easily get overlooked, but they’re a game-changer for clear and watchable game films.
If you’re editing the footage before uploading it, a simple tool like Movavi software can make the process smooth. It’s beginner-friendly and has features like cropping, subtitles, and transitions that help add a professional touch to the clips.
If you’re editing the footage before uploading it, a simple tool like Movavi software can make the process smooth. It’s beginner-friendly and has features like cropping, subtitles, and transitions that help add a professional touch to the clips.
I wish modern filmers would get a shot of the score board after pats...this use to be the standard practice in the 90s but rarely done now...guess coaches dont tell them to do this anymore. It helps ID what year a game was played if that info is unknown...I can not tell you how many times it would have helped ID unknown years/teams on game films I have
