Jake Halperin
NH HOCKEY REEL
More than just highlights—this is the story of a team, their journey, and the moments that defined their season.
The Vision
The goal of this project was to craft a cinematic, emotional recap of the Northern Highlands Hockey Team’s season—more than just a highlight reel, but a story-driven piece that captured the heart of the team’s journey.
A major goal was balancing fast-paced action with slow, emotional beats to let key moments breathe. The final piece wasn’t just about goals and hits, it was about the story of the season.
The Execution
Capturing the intensity of the season required a flexible (yet capable) setup. I shot this on my Lumix S5II rig (as pictured). This camera gave me the speed and reliability that's required for filming the action of hockey, as well as the off-ice moments.
I primarily used a 24-70mm lens, but also opted to use a 70-300 for some tight shots of the action. I did not use any prime lenses for this project as I relied on the versatility of zoom lenses.
For audio, I relied heavily on an on camera shotgun microphone. When time allowed I used wireless lav microphones to capture clean audio of the coach talking.
The entirety of this project was filmed handheld, allowing for a more authentic feel. During gameplay, I positioned myself in areas where I could anticipate, rather than reacting late. Quick zoom adjustments let me frame both wide, cinematic moments and intense, close-up action.
For off-ice moments, I focused on staying close to the team to capture their real emotions. The energy before the game, the intensity on the bench, and the celebrations after a big play all played a key role in telling the story. Since everything was happening in real time, I didn’t force shots. Instead, I let moments unfold naturally while making sure the camera was always ready.
Post-Production
Breakdown.
To make the video feel as real as the memories, I mixed game audio, crowd reactions, and coach pep-talks to pull the audience back into those moments. I used two songs the players on the team recommended. I used a stem splitting software, to separate the vocals from the instrumentals, which allowed me to remove some of the vocals, to make the song less distracting.
The video also included numerous effects to make the video visually interesting. The VHS effect seen at the beginning and end of the second song was used to encourage the audience to reminisce on the season.