Game night

Game-Day Tech

One iPhone films the game wide. A second person marks each play.

That turns a normal video feed into organized game film: every play has a beginning, an end, a result, and a clip attached to it.

This is not a television broadcast. It is not a two-hour video file someone has to scrub later. It is a game-aware camera.

Live is optional. The game tape is not.

What You Need

One filming iPhone with FlagOS Camera
One scoring phone or iPad with FlagOS Score
A tall, stable tripod
A battery pack connected from kickoff
A separate hotspot or field Wi-Fi for the scoring device
Optional: small clip-on fan, shade, rain cover, paper and pen

You do not need a broadcast camera to start. A recent iPhone on a tripod is enough to capture a usable tactical-wide view of a flag football game.

The Picture

The goal is not a tight close-up of one player. Keep the whole play visible:

The snap
The quarterback
Route development
The throw
The ball in the air
The flag or final result

Use the filming iPhone in landscape. Start wide, then pan with the play. Keep recording through the flag.

If the wide shot cannot show the whole play, a more expensive camera will not fix it. Placement matters more than camera price.

Where To Stand

Stand near midfield on the sideline whenever possible. Get high enough to see both hashes and the routes develop.

Bleachers are good.
A press-box level is better.
A truck bed or elevated platform can work where appropriate.
Avoid filming from field level if you have a higher safe option.
Do not use an end-zone angle as the primary view. It often misses routes and spacing.

Keep the sun behind you when you can.

Before the game, frame the field so the ball, both hashes, and enough downfield space stay visible. Do not zoom so tightly that receivers or the ball leave the frame before you can pan.

Two Jobs

Camera Operator

Uses FlagOS Camera on the filming iPhone.

Landscape
Keep the view wide
Start the stream before kickoff
Keep the camera rolling through the game
Follow the play, not one player
Stay on the action until the flag is pulled
Do not score on this phone

Capture every play clearly.

Scorer

Uses FlagOS Score on a second phone or iPad.

Set possession
Tap SNAP (Clip start) before the hike
Tap CLIP STOPPED (Clip stop) when the play ends
Enter the result after the flag

Those taps are the clip boundaries. Score and film share one clock.

One person working alone should not pan the camera and score every play with one thumb. Choose one job: score without film, or film the game and keep a simple paper play sheet.

What Families See

Families do not need an app. Send a FlagOS Watch link.

From that link they can follow the live video, the score, the game clock, who has the ball, and the plays as they are marked.

The stream may run 30–60 seconds behind the field. That is normal. A small delay is better than a stream that buffers, spins, or drops.

What Coaches and Athletes Get

Coaches

Not one long video file to search later. Film organized into real football moments. Instead of scrubbing for a third-and-long, red-zone rep, interception, or touchdown, they go to those plays.

Athletes

Clips connected to the play they just ran. Easier to review and share without hunting through a full-game recording.

If Watch Goes Dark

Do not panic. Do not stop scoring. Live can drop. The game tape is supposed to survive.

Leave FlagOS Camera running. The filming iPhone writes a local copy in short segments while it streams.
Watch may go dark. Scoring should keep marking SNAP and CLIP STOPPED. The book does not wait on video.
Tap Start again in the same game when the connection returns. Do not start a new game or a separate stream.
Do not close FlagOS Camera until the game is over.

If the stream drops, the game is protected. If the app crashes, completed segments stay on the phone. If the phone loses power or someone force-quits FlagOS, the current unfinished segment may be lost — but every completed segment remains and uploads when FlagOS reopens.

Coaches do not pick “Watch video” versus “recovered video.” A play uses live tape when that time exists, and recovered local tape when live missed it. If the file is still uploading, that play shows Film processing until it lands.

A dead battery stops the local recording too. Keep the filming phone on a pack from kickoff.

Game-Day Setup

Tap each one. It stays on this phone until you leave the page.

FlagOS is installed on the filming iPhone and the scoring device.
Filming iPhone is landscape, on the tripod, on a battery pack.
Clip-on fan is on if the phone is in sun or already warm.
Scoring device is on its own hotspot, cell, or venue Wi-Fi — not the filming phone.
Start is on. Watch has picture.
The shot shows the snap, routes, throw, ball, and flag.
Scorer knows who has the ball.
Paper and a pen are nearby.

How The Game Runs

Camera

Open FlagOS.
Go to Camera.
Tap Start.
Confirm the Watch link has picture.
Keep the camera running for the full game.
Pan with the play and hold through the flag.

Score

Set possession.
Tap SNAP before the hike.
Tap CLIP STOPPED when the play ends.
Enter the result.
Repeat for the next play.

If the scorer forgets CLIP STOPPED, entering the play result closes the clip. Starting the next SNAP also closes the prior play.

If Something Breaks

Watch is dark: Leave FlagOS Camera running. The filming iPhone should still be recording locally. Tap Start again in the same game when you can. Keep scoring.
The picture spins, buffers, or jumps: Restart Camera in the same game. Do not create a new game. Do not chase a higher stream quality when the network is struggling.
Watch is delayed: Leave it if the picture is stable. Thirty to sixty seconds behind is normal for a reliable live stream.
Score will not save: Check the scoring device’s connection. It may be on the filming phone’s hotspot, which is already uploading the game. Move it to a separate hotspot, field Wi-Fi, or cell. If the scoring app fails, use FlagOS Score on the website.
The phone has bars, but the stream is bad: Bars do not guarantee usable upload. Crowded parks can overload a tower even with strong signal. Try shade, a better spot, or a field router if you have one.
The filming phone is overheating: Heat often looks like a network failure. Use shade, a clip-on fan, and external power. Do not leave the phone in direct sun if you can avoid it.
The filming phone dies: Watch ends and local recording stops. Scoring can continue on the second device. Paper is the last fallback. This is why the pack is on before kickoff.

Common Questions

Do we need a real camera?: No. The priority is a reliable tactical-wide view, not a television close-up. A recent iPhone on a stable tripod is enough to start.
What about a second camera?: It can add another angle or a closer view. It does not replace the main wide feed. Get the wide shot working first.
We already own a Mevo. Can we use it?: Yes, if it is set to send into FlagOS. Same job: a wide, continuous field view to the Watch link. Not Instagram. Not a separate scoring system.
Does family need to install an app?: No. Send the Watch link. They can watch in a browser.
Why does the scoring device need a separate hotspot?: The filming phone is already using its connection to upload video. Sharing that connection with scoring is how the picture dies. Keep scoring on a separate cell, hotspot, or reliable venue Wi-Fi.
I forgot to tap CLIP STOPPED. Did we lose the clip?: No. Entering the play result closes the clip. Starting the next SNAP also closes the previous play.
The app is not installed on this device. Can I still score?: Yes. Use FlagOS Score on the website. Film waits until FlagOS Camera is running on the filming iPhone.