Trying to get back into baseball....

It'll be a very compelling story when you make the majors! Good luck to you! You'd be surprised how much better you can play the game with a few years of maturity under your belt. It really could happen. That's why I love baseball.

As for your equipment, my advice is that you figure out if you're going to want to shoot in HD or not. If it's HD, you can find some HD cameras for less than 1,000. JVC has some good sub 1,000 cameras. What you'll lose on quality, hopefully you'll gain on story.

For editing software, a lot depends upon your computer. I use Adobe Premier Pro on a Windows based computer. For mac, I think Final Cut Pro is the best (but that's just what I think I remember others saying). But editing software can easily cost you more than your camera, so keep that in mind. There are some cheap alternatives (windows movie maker), but you lose a lot.

Good luck with the baseball and the movie!

Chris

cibao said:

It'll be a very compelling story when you make the majors! Good luck to you! You'd be surprised how much better you can play the game with a few years of maturity under your belt. It really could happen. That's why I love baseball.

As for your equipment, my advice is that you figure out if you're going to want to shoot in HD or not. If it's HD, you can find some HD cameras for less than 1,000. JVC has some good sub 1,000 cameras. What you'll lose on quality, hopefully you'll gain on story.

For editing software, a lot depends upon your computer. I use Adobe Premier Pro on a Windows based computer. For mac, I think Final Cut Pro is the best (but that's just what I think I remember others saying). But editing software can easily cost you more than your camera, so keep that in mind. There are some cheap alternatives (windows movie maker), but you lose a lot.

Good luck with the baseball and the movie!

Chris

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Thank you very much for the quick reply. Everything in your response is very helpful.

I'm hoping to get some advice on where to buy used equipment, online, pawn shops etc. I would def. be willing to buy new stuff but would prefer a decent used camera.
Would the advantage to HD solely be the quality of the picture, is it harder to edit HD? Does anyone think I need anything else that I would not be able to forsee i.e. a microphone, extra hard drive, lenses?

I apologize for the ameteur questions. Any advice would be tremedously appreciated as I will start VERY soon!

Sounds like a great project, and I hope you succeed (with baseball, and the doc).

You want to upgrade that camera. You also want someone to follow you to tape this journey, which should also entail a boom operator (skeleton crew, this would be the minimum).

Don't worry about editing or editing software yet, if you do make it to the majors, that is one heck of a story, and a producer will snatch this up. If not, and you still have an interesting journey, you can still find an editor to work with you.

cibao said:

It'll be a very compelling story when you make the majors!

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It could even be a very compelling story if he never makes the majors, too!

(Not that I'm wishing for that, obviously )

There's a fantastic documentary called "My Father, the Genius". It's made by the daughter of a failed architect. There's no crowning triumph at the end; no reversal of fortune; no vindication. The guy just tried as best he could, and failed.

The point is, it's not that he won or lost - he simply fought for what he wanted, and what he thought would work. It was the portrayal of one man's struggle that made this a great doc. An everyday man, with hangups and foibles and vices, who simply keeps going 'cos he can.

I just want to document my next year of existence.

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Go for it.

Can't really script it, but religiously keep a daily journal going, on top of whatever else you document. You'll have to put the pieces together later.

Good luck!

If you do make it, you'd be an instant sensation, and some channel would buy the tapes and edit it into a TV style sports doc, if you don't make it, you'd still be an unknown, and it would be a more dramatic, theater style doc. That's the way I see it. I'll root for you to make it to the majors even if it means a sports doc on ESPN

B&H photo sells used gear. Also Ebay often has good stuff (you just have to be very careful...check into the seller, and feel free to email them questions...how many hours are on the head of the camera if it keeps track of it, or an estimate if not, what the camera was used for, was it taken care of, why they're selling it, etc). HD is a much better quality. Worry about editing when you're ready to edit. And if you can, find someone to edit for you.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

I believe that a good shotgun mic is needed. You can get one for anywhere from 50 to 250 (you can go much higher, but in this case you probably don't need to). Check out Audio Technica or Anzus. All of the other advice is sound too.

But what are you here for...get to the gym, and the cages. Work on hitting the curveball, and offspeed pitches!

A funny thing is I wrote a novel years ago about an accountant who was 27 years old, and got back into baseball!

Good luck!

Chris

What a compelling tale, both wanting to get back into pro ball and wanting to document it. It'll make a fabulous film no matter the outcome. I would love to edit your tale and I suppose I'm volunteering. I'm not sure how much you can afford to put into documenting the next year of your life, but videotaping as much of it as possible is key, obviously. Every training session, every tryout, every interview with every coach or trainer you come across. But in addition, I would try to keep an audio journal of each day...record your own voice narrating what you did that day towards your goal. These recordings would either serve as reference of your journey or as actual narration when it comes time to assemble your story into a film.

Best of luck, and please keep us abreast of the progress, both with the film and with your goal of playing pro ball!

Are you saying you are going to create a documentary on video? I'm kinda not getting the other half of your paragraph...
If your going to do videography, you'll need to get another camera, picture cameras I don't trust for video.

Some descent cameras I've used is a Canon XH-A1 (Some start from $1000 and up depending which Canon, and where you get it.), Or getting a Sony HD: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9178695&type=product&id=1218046368285

For video editing software, I would recommend Video Pro X from Magix... This software kicks butt! It comes with two monitors on the software, the first one shows the movie in the time line, and the second shows the preview from files that you will put in there.
You can config the sound to have 5.1 surround sound, and add awesome effects in the video.
http://www.magix.com/?id=6&pageid=10229

Reply to All

indietalk: Thanks for the editing advice. I am thinking that it would be impossible to film myself pitching. This seems to be a very obvious problem that I easily overlooked. I was wondering if you know how I would go about finding anyone interested in making a documentary about my pursuit of pro ball.

I can only hope for ESPN...lol

Zensteve: I think you are right in that even if I don't make it people will see how hard it really is. There is a story in that. I was thinking "Hoop Dreams" but I will check out "My Father, the Genius" if they have it on Netflix. I like the journal idea as well, very thoughtful.

cibao: My g/f asked me what I was laughing about while I was reading your reply. Good advice, but I'm a pitcher, I'm the one throwing the curveball and hoping guys weren't in the gym or cages working on hitting it! What's the name of your book?

UC: Thanks for the post. You made me realize that I can't really film myself pitching, especially if I made a team and was in the bullpen. Thanks for the editing offer and the idea about the audio journal. Right now I don't even know if this will happen b/c of some issues but I will keep you posted.

bwpro: Originally I was thinking about making my own documentary using my shitty digital camera that happens to take videos. That's why I came here, to get real advice. I've since realized that I can't film important things myslef and am trying to figure out if there is anyone out there who would want to make such a film. I did check out one of the Sony HD camera as well, so thanks for the link.

Anyone else who reads this: If you are, or know someone who is, interested in making a documentary about a 27-year old trying to get back into pro baseball, please e-mail me at donnybaseball_21@hotmail.com, even if you want to touch base.
There is much more to my story so it might appeal to someone who isn't interested in baseball.

It was called Dreams Lost and Found, but I was never able to get a publisher, and went on with life. I wrote four novels in a year, and couldn't sell any, and haven't written a novel since. I'm thinking now with self publishing, I might just go over them and publish them myself!

Work on that change up. If Nolan Ryan or Roger Clemens didn't have something slow to throw in there to keep the hitters on their heels, even they would've been hit!

What part of PA are you from? I might be able to help you out. How soon are you going to find an open tryout, or are you going to try and get on a semipro or indie team?

Chris

cibao said:

It was called Dreams Lost and Found, but I was never able to get a publisher, and went on with life. I wrote four novels in a year, and couldn't sell any, and haven't written a novel since. I'm thinking now with self publishing, I might just go over them and publish them myself!

Work on that change up. If Nolan Ryan or Roger Clemens didn't have something slow to throw in there to keep the hitters on their heels, even they would've been hit!

What part of PA are you from? I might be able to help you out. How soon are you going to find an open tryout, or are you going to try and get on a semipro or indie team?

Chris

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That's quite a bit of writing for one year. Were you the accountant by any chance?

I feel my change-up is my best pitch. Unfortunately it's been on the shelf for the last five years becasue I was in the pen and relied on a fastball and slider.

I am from northeastern PA about 2 hours north of Philly.

These are my current plans: Continue training this summer as much as possible and if I feel ready I will contact teams (independent). I don't think I will necessarily need a tryout if I get back with the last team I was on. I told them I was retired during this off season and they released me from my contract but they may pick me back knowing that I did well there. However, I am a free agent, which means I can sign with any team.

I want to make the transition back to starting so I don't know if my old will accept that. As of right now their pitching is struggling a bit so it may be a possibility.

If I get back onto a indy team then I will need to wait and see if any major league teams will buy my contract from the indy team. It is a possibility but I would basically have to dominate everytime I take the mound to get another look from a major league team.

If I don't feel ready this summer then I will continue training and either tryout for a better independent league or go open major league tryouts, or try to get an invite to spring training somewhere.

I'd be happy to share any other info via e-mail as well. Thanks for your interest.

No accounting in my past. I'm in Northern Va, so you're probably 3 and a half hours away, so I don't know if I could work it. If you can't find anyone closer or better suited for it, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. You can email me at chris@thethreelittlefigs.com

If you've got a good change up, and a decent fastball and slider, I don't see any reason that you can't make it work. There's nothing worse than getting twisted up by a good change (for the batter at least!).

Chris

P.S. Get to the cages anyway...you might find yourself in the National League!!

Aren't training sessions videotaped for performance reviews later on?

That would be a good source of footage, for later.