Sports Documentary - Case Study

Role: Camera Operator

Client: Why Now Studios/ Great Big Story (London, UK)

Logline: Documenting the routine and performances of professional rock climber Brian Zarzuela as he competes at the US National Championship in Washington, D.C.

A camera filming or photographing a group of young people, some in sportswear, in an indoor sports facility with a wooden floor and a padded wall, with clothes and water bottles on the floor.

Solo Camera Operator

Operating camera and telephoto lenses in a live competition environment requires high-level spatial awareness and a deep understanding of continuity editing while shooting.

  • Multi-Level Tracking: Tracked fast moving subjects across multiple vertical levels of the athletic facility to capture interesting angles that support the narrative. Shooting with available light while maintaining visual continuity.

  • Instant Delivery: Delivered culled, and metadata tagged footage which made the final YouTube release and secured hundreds of thousands of views.

  • Remote Client: Managed all on-the-ground technical logistics independently, fulfilling the international brief with minimal oversight.

People climbing on indoor bouldering gym walls with various colorful holds.
A smiling young man in a beige climbing harness standing behind a video camera in an indoor rock climbing gym, with a climbing wall featuring colorful holds and a sign listing different climbing routes and areas in the background.

Outcomes

The shots delivered on the brief, providing the studio with the US Nationals coverage needed to cut a human-centric sports documentary

  • Audience Engagement: The video launched on Great Big Story’s YouTube channel, securing hundreds of thousands of views and driving audience engagement and retention through its branded sports documentary series.

  • Remote Client Partner: Filmed all DC based footage for sports feature doc, delivering 4K high-speed (60fps) footage that met client required spec with reliability and easy communication.

The above clip shows acquired footage used in the final cut. Watch the Full Video on YouTube


Indoor bouldering gym with climbing walls and people using the facilities.
Camera on a tripod filming an indoor rock climbing gym filled with climbers and a hanging audience.

Special Thanks to:

Sportrock Rio - https://www.sportrock.com/rio

USA Climbing - https://usaclimbing.org/

Brian Zarzuela - https://www.instagram.com/brianzarzuela/

Great Big Story - https://greatbigstory.com/