Slug & Lede

I enjoyed watching Dan Pelle’s video on twins brothers and barber shop owners Bill and Jeff Haines, who after 48 years are forced to close down their shop. I thought the story was told very well through the lens of a camera.

For starters, I liked the first opening clip of the close-up of the barber pole and then a shot of the window pane of the Lincoln Heights Barber Shop with a customer getting a haircut. I think it works well because from the beginning, you know where you are and it allows for an easily transition into the story that is about to be told.

Another thing I thought worked well was the sequence around the 1:07 mark of the video. The sequence shots show a customer entering into the shop. It starts with a close-up of the customer’s hand on the door getting ready to enter, then focusing on a sign that points to stairs that lead to the barber shop, and finally the customer walking down those stairs. I thought that was a neat way of showing progression from once place to another and a way to capture the audience’s attention by switching up the type of shots. If it had all been one similar shot, it would have been very boring but because the angles and close-ups were different, it seemed to work well.

I also enjoyed the interviews with the customers. I like how Pelle shot not only customers who had been regulars at the barber shop for many, many years, but also the younger and newer customers. I think it was a good way to balanced out showing the longevity and appeal of the shop without overdoing it.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the final shot of the video. I like seeing the customer pay and having the camera focus on the old-fashioned cash register, even though I think the shot was a little too long. I think the final action of having the customer and one of the twin brothers shake hands was a wonderful way to end the video. I feel like there’s a lot of meaning in that handshake and I think it’s a great way to capture a moment where words might have failed.

For a not-quite-three-minute video, I thought it was really well put together. There were a lot of interesting shots and I think the story was told well. There were a few shots that I found questionable because the camera seemed to linger on certain items (i.e: scissors, magazines, etc.) longer than needed and I didn’t feel like they added much to anything. But overall, this video had enough to capture my attention and succeeded in telling its story.

“Last Call for Haircuts” is a piece done by Dan Pelle of Spokesman-Reviews.  The story tells of the retirement of twin barbers, Bill and Jeff Haines.  Bill and Jeff have owned the Lincoln Heights Barber Shop since 1961.  At the ages of 67, both brothers have decided it’s time for them to retire and close down the barbershop.  The video takes a look at a part of the daily routine of these twin brothers and how their long-time customers feel about the closing of Lincoln Heights. 

The opening shot of “Last Call for Haircuts” was good because it not only showed viewers where the story took place, but also gave a hint on what the story would be about.  There were a few shots that were unnecessary such as the ones of the stacks of magazines and the line of trophies.  They might have worked if the piece was supposed to be long and detailed, since it shows what the barbershop looks like.   However, because the video is barely 3 minutes long and everything is compressed together, it’s important to leave out anything that won’t help tell the story. 

Towards the middle of the story, we hear a customer talk about getting his haircut regularly done at Lincoln Heights for 5 years.  We also see him opening the door and walking down the steps to get to the barbershop.   The only problem with this is that we can’t see the man’s face.  Also, right after sharing his story, the camera goes to one of the brothers who is giving a haircut to a customer and that’s when we get to see who was talking beforehand.  This part might have been confusing for some people and should be revised or reedited.

There was another scene in the clip where a young boy is sharing his story on how his father started taking him to get his haircut done at Lincoln Heights.   Later the camera goes to the boy’s father and the caption introduces him as Tim Lamb, Lincoln Heights customer.  The problem for me was that the boy’s name was never mentioned.  I think the boy should have been introduced as well since he began telling the story and viewers don’t know who he is. 

Overall, the piece was well done.  The shots were good and the story was told very well.  It was almost always right to the point and did a good job portraying the history of the twin brothers and their barbershop.  I especially liked the very last scene where a long-time customer goes to pay one of the brothers and the last shot ends the story with the two men shaking hands.