Do you do weddings?

While we do not like to ever say never, but we don’t do weddings. This is an area we deliberately have not explored as many events that we do also are during the most popular wedding times. Wedding photography is a skill unto itself and one we have not mastered and as we always want to deliver to the best of our abilities, we would most likely decline discussions around weddings.

Do we need professional filming or years of footage at 4K to get a good recruitment film?

Absolutely not. We know that seems like that is against our best interest to say that, but our goal is being there for our clients interests, not just ours. Filming on a phone can be fine. At the end of the day, you need about 3 minutes of footage that displays the athletes abilities. This is NOT just scoring! It is looking at the whole of the player to get a potential recruiter’s attention to see talent so that they want to see a full game film or come watch live. One of the biggest ways to capture attention is with some professional editing and personalization, so if you were going to invest, we’d recommend on the editing side.

Can we hire you to do team filming of games and be able to share with all team members?

We like to keep things simple, so the short answer is YES. If the goal is to film for a team, then we want the whole team to have access to materials beyond YouTube viewing. We focus on creating great content for youth sports and certainly want the players, their families, friends, coaches, and fans to have access.

If we hire you to focus on our athlete, can we share footage with others?

The short answer is YES. Though we retain all copyright we also give a license to our clients to use the footage as they see fit as long as they don’t sell it. Often when we get this question it is because they want to use it in recruitment films, and that is 100% fine (and encouraged). We have also noticed families want to share the footage with other players who often play with their athlete, which is also fine. When we are contracted to film a specific athlete, we do that without paying attention to the other aspects of the game. If the footage is usable for someone else and not sold to them, then we are perfectly fine with sharing. Incidentally, we do have ways to capture two or three atheles in a package if needed.

My Senior is a male and doesn’t want to do pictures. Any suggestions?

Welcome to the club of boys not wanting pictures taken. This is common. The best way to get them to comply is with detail and a distinct time frame. We would recommend telling them 90 minutes total time (though if we can get them to cooperate and smile it is usually 60). We recommend no more than three changes of clothing 1. More formal (coat, shirt, tie), 2. something semi-formal (collared shirt), 3. something casual (something they pick). Tell them the exact places where the pictures will take place. Finally, make sure you tell them you’ll take them for food after if they do this for you. Yes, you are bribing them. If the bribe is big enough, and you want them clean-shaven, you might get that, but that tends to be a coin-flip in success if they like their facial hair.

My Senior is a female and we don’t have an aligned vision on pictures. What do you recommend?

We don’t recommend the “I’m paying for this, so it is my way” card. That is an expensive day for pictures no one is happy with. While we fully recognize you are paying for it, but your Senior’s pictures are about them. Pick your battles in the negotiation on the ONE big thing that you want and then allow them to take control. A solid psychological trick can be to have a hard stand off for a day, and then the next day come back and say “OK, we can do what you wanted if you do this ONE thing for me.” Often, the student when doing the ONE request get a different perspective and end up liking it.

What happens if during the photoshoot there are disagreements on what is happening?

The clock is always ticking. We work to a plan that is defined in time. Before there is payment and acceptance of a client, we have an agreement that details what is to be done, where, and the alike. This agreement is the outline for the day and what is followed. We reserve the right to allow for some small flexibility in the moment if everyone is getting along. If someone is shouting or screaming or a lot of drama (male or female) happening, we will strictly follow the agreement and if time runs out, the shoot ends.

I have other questions?

Feel free to reach out to: Services@FilmYouthSports.com