Logline: Around the Nation, high school students are preparing to return to the gridiron. Two-a-day practices, blood, sweat and tears. Scrimmages and walk throughs are a tease, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the first Friday when students return to the field. Still full of hopes and championship dreams, this video essay takes a nationwide look at the “perfect” day, when all high school teams are 0-0. This is a proof of concept shot at Laurel High School in Maryland.

Crafting the trailer

After outlining my pitch in a PDF document, I decided I would try to shoot a teaser to help pitch the idea to my sports editors. I contacted one local High School, the reigning State chapmions at Westfield High School in Chantilly, VA, but recieved no response. I then turned to Laurel High School, which I live right down the street from. Their Athletic Director, Coach Oxendine, loved the idea and invited me to spend a practice with them. Their head coach and staff welcomed me with open arms and the above video is the result.

I shot this trailer using the video function on my Sony A6300 and a FE 28mm lens. It was the first time I'd used this camera for video. I love this little camera! After shooting with it an color grading with Magic Bullet Looks, I'd like to try this again with my Blackmagic Video Assist hooked up to it. Recording ProRes directly out of this camera would give me a better image that would hold up to the color grading process better. Overall, I'm excited about this story and am looking forward to making the pitch to the sports department today. We will see how this goes!