Tony Marino spent almost an hour on his computer editing video of his football games to create a one-play highlight. When he finished, he leaned back from the screen and admired perhaps the most spectacular play of his Broadneck high school career.
Marino, a quarterback, dropped back in the pocket and threw a high-arching, 38-yard pass to Jordan Sokel in the end zone, giving the Bruins a 21-0 lead over Thomas Stone in the 2003 4A East Region final.
"Unbelievable play," Marino said.
If only it had actually happened.
The play on Marino's computer was actually the blended result of two entirely separate football plays: one a simple pass by Marino; the other a 38-yard touchdown pass actually thrown by Broadneck's Andrew Holland. Using relatively basic video editing techniques he learned in class, Marino combined the two plays seamlessly to create a fictional highlight -- one that reflected his computer aptitude, not his athleticism.
And while Marino, a senior who's headed to Towson University, only doctored his highlight to get a laugh out of a few friends, he exemplified a problem that's beginning to make college coaches leery: Are highlight videos, long relied upon during the college recruiting process, still worth trusting?
There's never been a reported case of a high school athlete doctoring a recruiting tape -- perhaps because a well-spliced tape would be indistinguishable -- and some coaches said they have never even considered the possibility. Those who have, though, are beginning to fear the implications of a doctored recruiting video at a time when athletic scholarships can be worth $200,000.
"The kids are so good on the computer now that they can do these special effects," Towson Coach Gordy Combs said. "It's like Hollywood. How do you know what's real and what isn't?"
Often, it's impossible to tell.
In the media production class at Broadneck, students learn almost as much about distorting reality as they do about reflecting it. Five football players have used the media production class -- taught each term by junior varsity football coach Ross Stimley -- to create highlight videos.
At least six other schools in Anne Arundel County offer a similar class. While neither Maryland nor Virginia keeps track of how many schools offer media production classes, Stimley estimated that at least one-third do. More than 900 students in Montgomery County entered a school district media festival this year. Fairfax County offers a centralized television and video production program to all of its students.
The Broadneck class uses iMovie, a program that comes with a standard Apple computer, for most of its video editing. On the right side of the iMovie display is a list of options to distort footage. Some have silly effects: An earthquake feature causes the movie to shake violently. Some look convincing: A rain option can make a quarterback seem competent in nasty weather.
