Unlike with a narrative piece, a long-form sports feature doesn’t require as much storyboarding or image planning or continuity work. The majority of the frames will be interview shots, split up by different types of B-roll. Keeping the interview answers in order, coherent, and basically not cutting it up to where the subject seems to say something he didn’t actually say will be the biggest responsibility of this piece. As for the B-roll aspect, there are two options: practice footage and game footage. Personally, I would like to get both, as there are different tones that come with each type that will fit differently into the overall piece. Of course, I would like to arrange my interviews first before I start planning out my B-roll so extensively. But the majority of my piece will be interview shots, which are static and don’t require much thinking ahead.
I imagine the interviews to be taking place in two separate locations. For Coach Helfer, interviewing him in his office would be ideal. It would be a lot easier to work on and control the lighting, and him being behind his desk would be a lot more intimate. As for the players, the locker room would probably be the best setting for their interviews. While doing them on the court would also work, because it’s a large area with the potential for myriad distractions and problems, while the locker room would be a much more controlled environment. It would be a lot easier to set aside one part of the locker room for interviews, or even come in after a practice and ask a player to stay behind.