Cheerleaders arriving on the back of Harleys. Fireworks exploding in the fall sunset. Co2 cannons firing off a thunderous fog. Dozens of football players sprinting down a hill with American, Bulldog, and a stack of syrup-covered pancake flags. This insane start of a football game is what makes America great and I loved every second of it.
The Bulldogs are off to a 5-0 start to the 2019 football season led by strong senior leadership and a larger junior class. South Harrison invited me to their homecoming to create a Bulldog hype video. We had to capture staged shots, the homecoming parade, pregame, and game footage. It was a full day of filming!
The staged shots (using a fog machine and spotlights) usually are filmed whenever there’s a moment of free time. Which, on game days there aren’t many. Normally I’m running around like a madman trying to maximize the one filming day, but Coach Schoning created an itinerary that was a work of art. We had an entire hour dedicated to the cinematic staged shots! Some teams are a bit shy with these shots at first – but not the Bulldogs. You could tell they were getting hyped and even had some suggestions.
Once the fog settled, I packed up some gear and headed to the town square. I had some time to kill before the parade started, so I asked around for a solid place to grab lunch. I was recommended Lips to Hips. You can’t have a name like that and not produce. I ordered a cheeseburger with nothing healthy on it and a side of their homemade chips. I took a conservative approach because you can’t be too risky during a pregame meal. The burger was good, and the chips were amazing!
The square was filling up with Bulldog fans decked out in their finest purple. The parade was approaching but still half a mile away. I busted out the drone. Some videos rely too much on drone footage. I like to just have a few establishing shots utilizing the drone. Shots of the water-tower and square would suffice. Time to put on my monstrosity of a camera rig! There’s zero way to blend in wearing my camera stabilizer. Also, it was 90 degrees, sunny, but a storm slowly approaching so the humidity was around 4000%. This homecoming parade differs from most in that the floats and students don’t just drive past. Rather, they get dropped off at the county courthouse for a community pep rally. Oh, and the cheerleaders arrived on motorcycles which is the most renegade thing ever. I looked ridiculous with my giant camera covered in sweat, but the community shots were captured.
I had some downtime before I needed to capture pregame footage. This never happens. My gear was stored in Coach Schoning’s office where I planned on hanging out until warmups. I heard some band member in the room next door and I though, maybe this hype video could be different with staged shots of a drummer – fog machine and all.
The team slowly arrived and began getting ready for the game. The locker room was rattling with a hyped Spotify playlist. It wasn’t just the skilled players vibing with Drake – the big offensive linemen were feeling it as well. They were relaxed but focused. Coach Schoning took over the bluetooth and played a motivational speech. This got the players even more focused, but his actual speech took everything to the next level. The team was hyped!
Pregame went on with the storm in the distance and the heat index at what felt like 135 degrees. The booster club, aka my lifesavers, made sure I was hydrated. After warmups, the team headed up the hill near the north end zone where they relaxed by a tree line. Each coach discussed points of emphasis and one more motivational speech. We then headed back towards the stadium.
I was still wearing my heavy camera stabilizer rig. The team is about to sprint down this giant grass hill and I’m hoping to keep up. The dozens of motorcycles at the bottom of the hill call for team in their native language. “Vroom vroom” yelled the bikes! The team takes a few slow steps and inch their way down the hill. Then all heck breaks loose. We take off at a full sprint down the hill, past the motorcycles, through the 25 foot CO2 blasts, past the cheerleaders, and ending at the 50 yard line. That was the coolest entrance to a high school football game I’ve ever seen. I’d say it’s the Clemson entrance of high school football. The players are psyched! I’m out of breath but psyched as well.
The energy is high and the captains line up for the coin toss. Buzzkill storm decides to interrupt things and the game is delayed for lightning in the area. This wouldn’t be the last delay of the night. The Bulldogs head off the field to shelter while most of the crowd stays seated. The incoming storm was intimidating to say the least. The black clouds moved in but seemed to part all around the stadium. Storm clouds were in every direction the eye could see except directly overhead.
The storm delay is complete and the game begins. South Harrison had a slight control of the game but never pulled away. A couple more storm delays would interrupt the game play before the night was over. We were able to capture shots of the cheerleaders during the storm delays. Some of the girls took over Archer Video’s instagram stories. It was… something. We filmed some stunts and tumbling. But then… there was an accident. Clip below but WARNING: GRAPHIC.
Carci was so tough when it happened. I wasn’t even aware of how serious the fall was until replaying the video because of the way she composed herself.
Communities like Bethany are why I love creating these hype videos. They’re a community with tons of school pride. Most of the business’ windows were covered in purple and white. The motorcycles have to be intimidating for opposing teams. The players thanked me for being there and some even offered to help carry my camera gear. I’m a honorary Bulldog fan after being able to experience a South Harrison football Friday night.
