ALLYSSA- Research Document:

For my live report project, I have decided to film and centre mine around the Royal Holloway Sunday League football event, which is a weekly event where anyone from the university can form and team, play and compete against others in football. Since there are many teams involved in Sunday League, I have decided to focus my live report on one specific team and will be live reporting on Instagram.

Preparation and Production notes/plan:
I want to capture the energy as well as the dynamic of the team through filming parts of the game, as well as interviewing some of the team members before and after the game in order to also get an insight into their individual thought processes and opinions on the match. To prep for my interview aspect of the live report, I have managed to think of a few questions.

I plan on asking a few questions before the game:

  • How are you feeling ahead of today’s game?
  • Is there anything specific you’re looking forward to in today’s match?
  • If you had to describe the team’s energy in one word, what would it be?
  • Who’s the most hyped-up layer in the squad right now?
    • As well as questions for after the game:
  • How do you feel about the team’s performance today?
  • What were the key moments that shaped the game?
  • What do you think went well, and what could have been better?
  • Who do you think was the standout player today?
  • Any final thoughts or messages for your teammates or anyone watching?


    • I plan on structuring the live report by first introducing the event, which is Sunday League to the viewers, and continue to film as I make my way onto the pitch. I will then scout for some of the players on the particular team I will be focusing on and do a pre-game interview with some of the players and including the captain. After this, once the game starts, I will continue to film and give live updates on the game through some footage of the match and commentary over it. I will be using a range of shot and angle styles such as long and close-up shots for when filming the actual match, shoulder level shots, medium close ups and low angles for any candid moments as the team is planning and discussing their strategies for the game. And lastly, some medium close-up shots for when shooting the interview part.

    Case Studies and Research for inspiration:
    As someone who has recently gotten into watching sports matches, particularly football, and after watching quite a few interviews from BBC sports, Premier League, UEFA competitions, etc. I have realised how male dominated the sports journalism field is. A reporter who particularly stood out to me was Emma Saunders, she is known for her engaging matchday commentary and in-depth interviews with players and managers at Sky Sports football and Premier League productions. I really like the energy she brings and her interview style; and I also admire the fact that she can engage her viewers through her ability to break down the game whilst still maintaining professionalism.

    Another football reporter who also stood out to me, and will be taking inspiration from is Reshmin Chowdhury, who is a respected multilingual sports journalist who has covered UEFA competitions, BT Sport, and BBC Sport. I really admire her ability to navigate big football events and conduct high-profile interviews. I also really like Chowdhury’s professional interview style as she comes off as very calm and professional when speaking to players and coaches at games.

    Lastly, although she is not directly involved in football, and instead does interviews for Formula 1, I also admire Lissie Mackintosh and the insight she has bought into the world of F1 through her interviews. I really like how she brings a more youthful, engaging and social media friendly approach to sports journalism, her interviews and videos are very fun and engaging to watch. Her confidence and poise in interviews are also something I admire. All three journalists I have researched upon and taken inspiration from have paved the way for more diverse voices in sports journalism and represent a new wave of female sports journalists who are making an impact in traditionally male-dominated fields, which I believe to be very important as well as admirable. Their work ethic and live reporting styles is something I would definitely try and incorporate into my own project.

    These are some interviews I have watched from the interviewers I had mentioned and will take inspiration from:

    Visuals, Sketches and Stills:
    stills and visuals from past football games






    Zeynep (University Volleyball Training Sessions) DRAFT:

    For my live report project, I will be focusing on the university's 1st team volleyball training sessions. My plan is to film their practice, capturing the energy, teamwork, and behind-the-scenes moments. After editing the footage into a vlog-style video, I will go live on Instagram to discuss my experience, the team’s performance, and key takeaways.

    I want to highlight the intensity and spirit of the training sessions by filming different drills, warm-ups, and team interactions. To add depth to my report, I will interview players and coaches before and after training to get their thoughts on preparation, goals, and reflections.

    Before training, I will ask questions about their mindset going into the session, what specific skills they are focusing on, and how they would describe the team dynamic. I will also ask which teammate brings the most energy and what goals the team is working towards. After training, I will follow up with questions about how the team performed, what the toughest drill was, if anything unexpected happened, and who had a standout performance. I will also ask what key takeaways they will carry into their next match.

    The live report will start with an introduction to the team and the purpose of the training session. I will capture moments of players warming up and preparing for drills, followed by pre-training interviews with a few players and the coach. Once training begins, I will film different aspects of the session, including drills, team discussions, and interactions, using a variety of shots to keep the footage dynamic. After the session, I will conduct post-training interviews to gain insights into the players' experiences. Finally, I will edit the footage into a vlog and go live on Instagram to share behind-the-scenes moments and engage with viewers in real time.

    For inspiration, I have looked into sports journalists who bring a fresh and engaging approach to reporting. Holly Hamilton, who has worked with BBC Sport, balances professionalism with relatability, making sports coverage accessible to all audiences. Victoria Garrick, a former volleyball player turned journalist, provides insightful and engaging interviews by connecting with athletes on a deeper level. Erin Andrews, a well-known sports broadcaster, brings confidence, in-depth knowledge, and compelling interview techniques to her coverage. Each of these journalists brings something unique to sports reporting, whether it’s energy, professionalism, or approachability. My goal is to blend these elements into my project, capturing the heart of university volleyball training and making the experience engaging for viewers through both my vlog and live report.





    Han Basketball Research:

    I decided to focus on the Mens’ 1st basketball team at Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL) and research into the sport of Basketball. For my live report, I plan to attend the LUSL (London Universities Sports League) cup finals and report on the Royal Holloway University of London versus Kings’ College London Men’s Basketball game.

    Preparation and Production notes/plan:
    Key aspects that I want to report on during the game are major plays of the game, the most valued player of the game/ the player who scored a majority of the points, the half-time show and also include interviews with members of the team and spectators in the audience. Questions prepared for the basketball team:

    Questions prepared for the audience:

    I have chosen to use my phone to film the event as I want to capture it in the perspective of a person simply coming to support the team rather than filming at a professional level with high-res camera quality. I understand that parts of the video report may contain inconsistent levels of quality due to the restrictions of filming on a phone with a low-quality camera, but I believe that it would accurately represent what most phone-users would capture at any other big public event, and that the experience of the event is often of greater value than the quality of what may be recorded.

    Case Studies/Inspirations:
    I had chosen to focus on basketball as the sport I would report and research on, as I have a general interest in sports and throughout my life, basketball has been a key aspect as my family have been involved in community basketball events and teams in the past. Furthermore, the NBA (2016) is also what inspired me as I have always been an NBA fan.

    A section of the history page on the NBA website (2016) that particularly resonated with me to film the LUSL cup finals basketball game is “The NBA has a rich tradition of game-changing plays and storied rivalries, personal sagas and team dynasties. Players and fans alike share the excitement of reliving key moments in basketball history, and admiring the excellence of former players, coaches and teams who helped shape the game. The league is home to living legends, and we honor their achievements while also looking to the future”.

    Reflections on my Live Report:
    After filming my live report, the challenges I faced during filming were, not always having the clearest view of the game as the camera was often blocked by other spectators, the quality of the clips are not as consistent; and as mentioned I was using my phone to report on the event, and I was unsuccessful in gaining interviews for what I had originally planned due to scheduling issues.

    Footage Stills:


    Bibliography
    NBA (2016). History - NBA Careers. [online] NBA Careers. Available at: https://careers.nba.com/history/. [Accessed 9 March 2025]





    Oscar Draft (Rugby)
    The Royal Holloway Rugby team participates in various inter-college competitions and is integral in fostering community spirit, whether you’re a part of the team or going to the games to support the players. This is why I’ve decided to base my live report around it. I will be going to some games to get some footage as well as interviewing players to get some insight into their experiences.

    Live Report:
    The final cut of the live report will be my live interviews of the players from the rugby teams’ training session cut with footage that I took from their last game. I plan to ask questions specifically related to the game, so I will cut to footage from the game as they answer the questions. Additionally, I’ll also be asking about Royal Holloway’s Rugby community as a whole and what it’s like to be part of the team. Examples of my questions include:



    Preparation:
    To prepare for my interviews, I have looked into various professional rugby post-game interviews, press conferences and reports in order to emulate the kind of questions asked in a professional setting. In particular, I have been watching a lot of interviews around the Six Nations games, which are currently going on. I specifically enjoyed the interviews with the Welsh team’s interim head coach, Matt Sherratt, and their Captain, Jack Morgan, after their loss to Scotland. Although defeated, their attitudes remained positive, and they could recognise where their weaknesses were and acknowledge the opposing team's strengths while still maintaining hope for future games.

    Game Footage Stills:





    Galid's Research document (American Football)
    The Royal Holloway American Football team plays in multiple different tournaments which plays a significant role in building community spirit. I have chosen to center my live broadcast on it becuase of this. In addtion to interviewing players to gain some understanding of their experiences, I will be attending several traning sessions.

    Live Report:
    For my live report, i inted to attend one of the team's training sessions or home games to capture the essence of the team's spirit and dedication. By recording signifcant game moments, I aim to bring the intensity and exactment of their performance to life. This hands-on approach will allow me to provide updates and paint a picture of the squad and their highlights on the field. I am going to be interviewing the players and examples of my questions include:



    Plan/Inspirations
    I've researched several professional American Football post-game interviews, press conferences, and reports to get ready for my interviews by trying to imitate the type of inquiries made in a formal context.

    Footage from recording