When my local junior rugby club approached me for help with creating a video to encourage new players to join and promote the club, I was determined to do something a little different. The aim was to promote the diversity of ages, sexes, and abilities the rugby club caters to. The point being, anyone can play Rugby League, and the Boothtown Terriers Juniors embrace everyone who wants to play. The family feel and welcoming vibe at the club need to shine through. A typical and genuine salt-of-the-earth local sports club, helping kids learn new skills and discipline to not only further their sporting career but also to help with building life skills.
Grassroots rugby is very much a community thing, so with that in mind, I wanted to combine both ground and aerial videography. Filming took place over 2 weekends, and we also used the GoPro for some very in-the-mix tackling shots which worked out well. We placed emphasis on the people who volunteer and the diversity of the players’ ages, both sexes, and the fun aspect of playing rugby. The weather the week before was typical northern weather with rain, so we had more mud than I would have liked as pretty green pitches always look good with the drone, but we worked with what we could.
I started the video with an establishing shot of the area, a focus on “this is our house” as they say in American Football. Showing the local area and building up to the intro shots of the clubhouse. Within the clubhouse are various motto and logo plaques, and these made for great B-Roll footage also. Footage of the various founders, coaches, and players also made for some great action shots. The drone aerial shots gave a good sense of perspective and the surrounding areas, highlighting the pitch and goal posts.
Editing-wise, I wanted something edgy with a build-up, and music played an important part here. I wanted a punchy feel. No soft ambiance here, and the music choice needed to have segments so we could switch things up into sections. There was also a history of photos from past events which were perfect to be included, but placing photos within a video tends to look sluggish and awkward, so we got around that by using a gallery-style section for photos which kept up with the fast-paced feel. It worked well, I feel, and in the end, we have a great promotional marketing video for a great local community rugby club. Watch the video below now:
