One of the concerns that should guide you in this location selection is your target audience. If you are filming the match for later review with a coach or even just to examine how you played by yourself, you want as much information as possible. If using a phone, and broadcasting to Facebook or YouTube, be sure to put the phone in landscape mode before you hit Go Live.
If you are only going to have 1 camera/phone recording or broadcasting a singles match, these are the locations I would recommend, in order.
1) About four feet in from the left wall, about waist high. (The vast majority of players are right-handed, so their opponents will attack their “weakest” side, i.e. their backhand, with most serves and most shots during the rallies. This will give you more of the game than any other area since you will be able to see the action off the back wall.)
2) High in the center, pointed slightly down. (Above the door if the door is centered, otherwise about 6.5 feet high.)
3) About four feet in from the right wall, about waist high. (Only use this one if at least one of your players is left-handed or you will be missing too much of the match.)
4) Centered, about 10-15 feet back from the glass, so that you can see the entire court. (I do not recommend this higher in the list because there are too many options for non-play to be recorded. i.e. the ref might be standing right in the center of the action, players might be cutting across the court to get to their next match, the players’ bags will be in the way, etc.)
For doubles, I recommend the high center and 10–15-foot back options.
There can be some value in this view, if…
1) there is no writing on the glass
2) the ref is off screen, refereeing from above or from a perch
3) you can get the camera high enough to keep the spectators out of the way
There have been very few facilities that I’ve been to that had a good option for this. The US Open portable court was one, but then the camera had to be so far away that it lost value.
The following views should be avoided:
No Vertical Video!
Get above the lines!
Don’t position your camera butt high on the ref!
