What are the best practices for using video editing to create engaging sports highlights?

Having help mster the women's FIFA promos at Channel 7, I saw how vital, not only the right shots of key match moments, but also the right order. It's one thing to have all the clips, it's another to find the right build up with highs and lows.

As a soccer fan I really enjoy watching extended highlights of games. They don't just show goals but also all the exciting moments in the match. And what makes some of them even more compelling and immersive to me is when they ditch the commentary for the natural sounds – it feels like you're right there in the stadium.

Start with quality footage: The foundation of any great sports highlight video is the quality of the footage. Use high-definition cameras, multiple camera angles, and steady shots to capture the action as sharply as possible. Keep it concise: People have short attention spans, so aim to keep your highlights video short and sweet. Choose the right music: Music is a key factor in setting the tone for your highlights video. Choose a track that matches the energy and feel of the sport, and one that complements the action instead of overpowering it. Pace your cuts: The pacing and timing of your edit is critical to keeping the viewer engaged. Choose the right moments to cut between footage, and avoid lingering on any one moment for too long.

Key Plays: Select clips that showcase the most significant and impactful plays of the game or event. This could include goals, touchdowns, home runs, slam dunks, or any pivotal moments that influenced the outcome. Player and Fan Reactions: Capture the emotional reactions of the athletes, coaches, and fans. These reactions can add drama and excitement to your highlights. Atmosphere of the Venue: Show shots of the stadium or arena, including crowd shots, banners, and the overall atmosphere. This helps viewers get a sense of the energy and intensity of the event. Context: Include clips that provide context for what's happening in the game. This might involve showing the current score, time remaining, and any relevant statistics or graphics.

Other best practices to consider: 1. Build a narrative: Ensure you arrange the clips in a way that tells a story and captures the flow of the game. 2. Keep it concise: Sports highlights should be fast-paced and action-packed. Ensure to keep the duration of your video relatively short, typically between one to three minutes. Trim unnecessary footage out. 3. Seek Feedback: Show your work to other people, preferably experts or sports fans, and gather their feedback. criticism can help you improve your editing skills. Always remember that practice and experimentation are key to improving your skills. Always seek inspiration from other sports highlight videos and also, be open to trying new techniques to create captivating content.

I like to label key events in the game with lower-third graphic titles. This is a great signpost for viewers, particularly in Sports that are high-scoring.

Capturing the Magic: Celebrating the Best Moments in Sports What draws most of us into the world of sports is witnessing those remarkable moments that leave us in awe. It's all about choosing that one video, the star of the show, something relatable that resonates with the audience. Whether it's cricket, football, or any other sport, the best moments never fail to electrify us. They're the moments we talk about with friends and share on social media. But here's the catch: the key to making a lasting impact is keeping it short and crisp. In a fast-paced world, the video should tell the story in seconds, igniting that excitement and connection within the audience.

Transitions can help lead one action into another. I always think back to my dance training where you would have key moments, where with the right transition, not only will move the dancer to the right place, but can also aid in furthering the message. Video is very much a movement and performative art, especially when editing sports material.

In my experience, I've found that adding colorful transitions into already nicely shot videos elevates an edit to great heights. Even though, a videographer needs to shot with editing in mind so as to need minimal effects nor transitions.

Transition Smoothness: Ensure that transitions flow smoothly between clips. Sudden or jarring transitions can disrupt the viewing experience. Use transitions that make sense in the context of the action. Timing: Pay attention to the timing of your effects and transitions. They should complement the rhythm of the highlights and not feel out of place. Transitions should occur at logical points in the narrative. Preview and Adjust: Most video editing software allows you to preview and fine-tune the effects and transitions. Take advantage of this feature to make sure they enhance your video as intended.

Sound is so important, and before I start editing any sports footage, I have music selected that I work the clips around. As well as this, adding sound effects to action shots will significantly improve the quality of work. No one wants to watch a ball hit a crossbar on mute, or not hearing the sweet swish of a golf swing... If you don't have the facilities to collect the sound at the time, MAKE SURE TO ADD IT IN POST.

Sound design is an essential process to add life into your edits, especially because it doesn’t require too much skill - it’s 80% effort. It brings the viewer deep into the action as if they were watching in person. It emphasizes big actions and highlights to create even more impact. A heavy whoosh sound as a basketball player takes flight, a riser to add tension as he cradles the ball back, and a heavy bass drop as he dunks it, with the sounds of the audience screaming in awe and excitement. The sounds on the linemen’s pads crashing. The satisfying sound of a perfect swoosh. The snap of a slap shot. It all adds emotion and character. Your video is 50% sound. DO NOT NEGLECT SOUND DESIGN.

Sound is what carries the edit to high standards. Choosing the right background music and knowing when to inter-cut with natural sound is so important.

Songs are one of the strongest ways to evoke a collective memory. Pairing music with sports movement can create a real visceral experience for the audience. Most sport occurs with no music, just the sounds of supporters, so mixing shots with music and other sound design really elevates and enhances the vision

License and Copyright: Ensure you have the necessary rights and permissions to use the chosen music. Using copyrighted music without proper authorization can lead to legal issues. Consider using royalty-free music or obtaining licenses for commercial tracks. Match Music to the Action: Sync the music with the action on screen. Key moments should coincide with musical crescendos or beats, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement. Sound Effects: Add sound effects, such as the sound of a cheering crowd, the ball hitting the net, or the roar of an engine, to enhance the immersive experience. These effects can make viewers feel like they are part of the action.

16x9 is great for when you want to highlight the competitive nature of sport, eg. Competitor running in from the side to try and steal the ball. 4x5 is great for when you want to crop in and create a closer engagement with the player and audience. Knowing how different aspect ratios can be used to heighten a response from the viewer, especially for sport content, is so important.

Aspect Ratios: Adapt your video's aspect ratio to fit the platform's preferred format. For example, vertical (9:16) is common for mobile platforms like Instagram Stories and TikTok, while horizontal (16:9) is standard for YouTube and many other platforms. Title and Description: Craft compelling and descriptive titles and descriptions that engage viewers and provide context for your sports highlights. Use keywords and relevant hashtags where appropriate to improve discoverability. Thumbnail: Create eye-catching and relevant thumbnails that entice users to click on your video. Thumbnails are often the first impression your video makes on potential viewers.

Edit in-app for social media preferences. Even if you have a finalised asset, import it into your chosen platform and play with it. Cut it in different places, add a different soundtrack to it; make it a bespoke experience for your followers there. Not only will this give your audience something different where they want to be, but you'll also reap algorithm rewards because you're still creating native content. Have fun!

Think about scroll stopping moments when editing for shorts/reels/TT. Conventional thinking would be to save the best highlights for the end as the payoff. But if people don't stop and watch they'll never get there. So try putting a dramatic move or highlight right at the beginning, but see where you can abruptly cut it so the awesome action is teased but people need to keep watching to get the payoff.

Storytelling: Think of your sports highlights video as a story. Build a narrative arc that includes an introduction, rising action, climax (key moments), and a satisfying conclusion. This can make your video more compelling and memorable. Emotional Appeal: Sports highlights often evoke strong emotions. Use editing techniques, music, and commentary to amplify the emotional impact of key moments, whether it's the joy of victory or the disappointment of defeat. Consistency: If you plan to create a series of sports highlights videos, maintain a consistent style, branding, and release schedule. This helps viewers know what to expect and can build a loyal following.

In the present era, video consumption spans have notably dwindled to under 60 seconds, a trend largely attributed to platforms like TikTok and Reels. To engage an audience and incite curiosity, it is imperative to craft a trailer within this brief timespan, focusing on igniting interest within the initial 3 seconds.

Coming from a higher education perspective, marketing your best and most engaging sports will only get you so far. Highlighting those niche sports and including them in your promotional videos will allow you stand stand a part from your competitors.

Don't go overboard. The story should the highlights, not the editing. Focus on the skill, grace and agility of the athletes. Let them amaze the audience. You don't have to. There's nothing that makes me click away from a clip faster than some editor who thinks I want to see a random sequence of 5 frames clips repeated a dozen times with a hard drum beat. When I see that, I know that the editor doesn't care about the story, he/she cares about making themselves the story.

Shot selection is the key to emergent storytelling. You don’t necessarily have the context of a game to work with. But choose your best clips and arrange them in such a way that you start to feel a rise and fall in energy and timing - once this flow becomes circular there’s an opportunity to string everything together on a common through line that has a beginning, middle and end.