Lessons From Filming A Travel Baseball Team

My client, Daniel, is the owner of a travel baseball team. Our connection began on what seemed like just another day at work for me at Best Buy. Daniel came in looking for a camera to start creating content for his team after his previous content creator had moved on. During our conversation, he realized that instead of buying equipment and taking on the editing himself, it would be better to trust me with the task.

This opportunity opened the door for both of us to grow—he learned what content works best for his brand and social media pages, while I refined my skills as a creator and learned to navigate the social media landscape.

Key Achievements

Over the course of the project, I created 19 videos for Daniel. These videos reached 32,046 organic views, with 24,039 of those views happening within the first 24 hours of posting. These numbers were a huge win for both of us and helped us understand what type of content resonates most with his target audience.

But beyond the numbers, this experience also taught me several lessons that I’d like to share.

Lessons Learned

1. Involve the Client in the Process

One of the most important lessons I learned was the value of including the client throughout the creative process. No one knows their brand better than they do. Daniel handled all the captions for the videos and even contributed creative ideas. His input was invaluable—he had a clear vision for his team’s online presence, and working together made the entire process seamless.

2. Sports Content Relies on Performance

Filming sports content was a unique challenge. I quickly learned that the success of the videos often depended on the outcome of the games. Winning games or exciting moments provided the best material for engaging content. On the other hand, lackluster games made it difficult to create anything impactful.

At one point, I had to really push myself to create content from games that weren’t very exciting. After discussing this with Daniel, he completely understood the dynamic—that my ability to deliver high-quality work depended on the quality of the games, which in turn relied on the players’ performance. Together, we set new expectations with the content strategy we had in play.

3. Workflow Challenges

One of the biggest challenges I faced was the unpredictable nature of sports retainer work. I had envisioned a smooth workflow where I’d film the game, batch edit the footage in one or two days, and schedule posts weeks in advance. But in reality, I was often creating content just a day before posting because my ability to create content depended heavily on how the games played out.

This lack of consistency added stress to the process. While I managed to stay ahead at times, I realized that this type of work isn’t my favorite. However, I’m grateful for the experience because it pushed me to improve my planning, communication, and efficiency. Currently, I’m brainstorming better ways to produce highly engaging content in the most efficient way possible for the next season.

4. Refining My Techniques

Working on this project allowed me to experiment and refine some of my technical skills:

• Frame Rates: Shooting in 120fps wasn’t necessary for this type of content. 60fps provided the flexibility I needed without the massive file sizes. I saved 120fps only for specific moments that I knew I would slow down in post.

• White Balance: Setting a fixed white balance avoided color shifts during outdoor filming. When I didn’t shoot with a set white balance, there were times when the shots would have an undesirable cool, warm, green, or magenta tint, making it hard to match them to the rest.

• Color Profiles: I switched from S-Log3 to S-CineTone, which simplified my workflow. S-CineTone delivered great results with minimal effort, and the most I had to do was some basic color correction—a standard for any client shoot.

Now, this isn’t something entirely new to me, but this experience truly solidified an essential part of my workflow: proper preparation during the pre-production stage. The night before each game, I made sure to build my camera rig, format my SD cards, and pack everything I’d need—microphones, ND filters, SSD, and tripod. Having my gear ready to go allowed me to spend the minutes before a game scoping out the area. This way, I could focus on finding the best angles while navigating obstacles, such as people or equipment blocking the view. This preparation helped me concentrate on what truly matters when arriving at a shoot: being fully present and ready to deliver my best work.

5. Instagram Insights

Another area of growth was optimizing content for Instagram, which was our main platform. Here are some insights I gained:

• Quality Over Duration: The length of a video matters less than its uniqueness and quality. A video’s performance is more reliant on the substance of the content, not necessarily the resolution. An uninspiring or unentertaining video won’t perform well, even if it’s shot in 4K and color graded to perfection.

• Drafts Feature: Instagram’s draft feature improved my efficiency by allowing me to prepare posts in advance and post them when it was time.

• Future Automation: I learned about tools like Meta Business Suite for scheduling posts that can streamline the workflow even further in the future. While I haven’t used it yet, it’s definitely something I plan to explore and utilize.

Relationships Are Everything

One of the most valuable takeaways from this experience was the power of relationships. What started as a routine interaction at Best Buy turned into an incredible opportunity for both of us. This wasn’t just a business transaction—it was a mutual learning experience that allowed us to grow together.

I truly believe this opportunity was more than a coincidence. It felt like God opened this door for me to refine my craft and build my confidence as a content creator. Daniel’s trust and support meant everything, and his willingness to work collaboratively made the entire process rewarding.

Moving Forward

While sports retainer work isn’t something I plan to focus on long-term due to its unpredictable nature, this experience was invaluable. It reinforced the importance of adaptability, collaboration, and preparation while teaching me how to deliver results even in challenging situations.

If you’re navigating similar opportunities or looking to refine your workflow, I hope my story resonates with you. And if you’re a business owner in the Raleigh area looking for a videographer to help elevate your content, I’d love to connect and bring your vision to life. Let’s make something incredible together.