If you’ve been following my Instagram account, this golf blog or my YouTube channel then you’ll know that I have been using Shot Scope’s devices for a number of years. As an experienced user, I’ve also created a number of popular video tutorials such as my ‘10 top tips every user should follow before using the Shot Scope V3 golf watch‘ and ‘How to edit your round using the Shot Scope Dashboard (Desktop/Laptop)‘, produced in order to help new and existing users avoid making common mistakes and to teach them how to get the most out of their Shot Scope devices.
All of the previous Shot Scope videos I’ve produced have always been unpaid and created out of my own personal interest in helping others. When Shot Scope recently approached me to ask if they could commission me to produce three instructional videos for new users of their V3, H4 and PRO LX + devices, I jumped at the chance.
Not only was it a great opportunity to work with one of the market leaders in terms of wearable golf tech but it was also really nice to hear that they liked the style of my other videos and felt that I’d be a good fit for these instructional pieces.
The Brief
The brief for each of the instructional videos was clear. Shot Scope wanted me to produce three short videos (around 5-7 minutes) explaining to new users of their V3 GPS and performance tracking golf watch, H4 handheld and PRO LX + GPS rangefinder how to set up and use each device correctly. Each video was to primarily consist of me presenting information to the camera, with some additional product shots and on-course footage mixed in for good measure.
I decided that the best approach would be to film, edit and produce one video at a time so that I could ensure that I had got the look and feel right before moving on to the other two videos.
With the brief nailed it was time to move onto production.
Production Process
In terms of the production process, it was generally the same for each of the three videos I produced. The main steps I followed during the process have been outlined below and for the purposes of this article, I’ll focus on how I produced the Shot Scope V3 instructional video rather than all three.
Meeting with Shot Scope Team
Although the brief Shot Scope shared with me was clear, members of the team and I decided that it would be best to meet online to ensure that we were all singing from the same hymn sheet before production began. I found this to be a really useful opportunity to ask further questions about the products, the brief and to share my ideas with the team. Lyndsey and Jen from the Shot Scope team were both really friendly, well organised and able to answer any questions or concerns that I had, making the entire process stress free.
After our meeting, I began planning the recording sessions.
Planning for recording
The team at Shot Scope kindly provided me with a detailed script for each of the three videos so that I would take the user through the process of setting up and using each device in the order Shot Scope needed me to. I made a few tweaks to each of the scripts to align them more closely to how I speak and the phrases I use, then shared them with the Shot Scope team for review. After they were signed off I began recoding the footage both in the studio and on the golf course using the script and any notes I had gathered from our meeting.
Recording product shots and talking head sections
The first step was to set up the lighting in my newly created filming space so that I could capture some footage of the Shot Scope V3 golf watch being unboxed, charged, and of the club tags being inserted into my club grips. I also used this opportunity to capture footage of me setting up my Shot Scope account through the mobile app and pairing it with the V3 as I went through the onboarding process. However, in the final video I decided not to use this footage, instead opting to display the screen capture footage from my mobile on screen with an iPhone overlay on top of it. Correctly setting Shot Scope products is essential to ensure they track all shorts properly, so I really wanted to make sure that the footage I captured at this stage was as clear and easy to understand as possible and using the mobile overlay seemed to be the best move.
Having captured all of the necessary product shots and the set up process for the V3, I repositioned my lights in the studio to prepare to record the talking head section of the video. Prior to pressing the record button on my camera, I had invested a lot of time and effort in reading and learning the script in order to make the recording process easier. After capturing and reviewing a few test shots, I recorded the full talking head piece in one take. Not because I was able to present perfectly without making any mistakes but because I always leave the camera rolling for the entire sequence and just redeliver any lines that I mess up. Working this way means that the camera never moves position, goes out of focus and I remain in the same position for all clips. It’s also easy enough to edit out any of the mistakes and means that I am only working with one single video file on the timeline.
With all of the in-studio footage captured, the next part of the process was to record the V3 being used out on the golf course.
Capturing the on-course footage
The team at Shot Scope and I felt that it was important to include as many shots of the products being used out on the golf course as possible. For example, instead of a still image on screen highlighting the V3’s menu options, we wanted to capture this as video footage on the golf course.
Using the script, I made a detailed list of all of the product shots I needed to capture on the golf course so that I could check them off once they had been recorded to avoid missing any. The last thing I wanted to do was get home and find out I had missed some important shots.
Armed with my tripod and camera, I headed to the golf course on a sunny Sunday evening to capture the footage. I purposely chose to record the on-course footage during the evening as our golf course tends to be quieter and I like how the twilight lighting looks. When recording this type of footage by yourself as I was, it can take quite a while to set the shot up and sometimes requires multiple takes. Having the course to yourself generally makes the process a lot easier and less stressful.
On the course, I captured a wide range of shots including footage of me walking to the first tee, turning the device on and selecting a game mode, accessing the various menus, teeing off, close-ups of the tags and the watch in close proximity, putting, and uploading my finished round.
Having captured all of the necessary on-course shots, I headed back to the house to review and back up all of the footage I had captured. With all of the footage in the bag, it was onto the editing.
Edit. export. review.publish
The final part of the process was to bring everything that I had captured together within my video editing package of choice, Adobe Premiere Pro. This is often the most time consuming part of the process but it’s also the most rewarding as you can see your vision and finished video begin to take shape. As you can see from the below image, there are a lot of files and edits on this particular project due to the vast amount of content I captured both on and off the golf course. When you begin to add music, screen capture overlays and other effects, things can get a little messy on the timeline so it pays to be organised.
After the editing was finished, it was time to export the finished video and share it with the Shot Scope team. for review. It’s at this point that any necessary changes and alterations can be made before the finished video is re-exported and submitted to Shot Scope for upload to their YouTube channel.
As mentioned above, the process I followed to create the ‘How to set up and use the Shot Scope H4 Handheld‘ and ‘How to set up and use the Shot Scope PRO LX+‘ videos was exactly the same and these videos have also been uploaded to the Shot Scope YouTube channel and like the V3 video, will be shared with new users as part of the onboarding process.
The finished article
Now, I’ve spent long enough taking you through the production process so it’s about time I show you the finished video. Click on the play button below and feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments area below.
and finally...
If you’ve made it this far then I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this article. I really hope that you’ve found it interesting, insightful and enjoyable to read. Please feel free to use the comments area below to share your thoughts on this article, the finished video, Shot Scope devices in general or on anything else. You’re also welcome to take a look at my other blog posts, follow my journey to scratch or perhaps take a look at my equipment reviews.
If you own or manage a golf product or service and you would like me to produce a similar video for you, please drop me a message via my Work with Andy page and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Thanks again for reading,
Andy
