Slug & Lede

The Star Tribune’s video piece on Jake Urton’s inspiration to the Blaine Bengals football team is a well done piece. The overall message is clear and the visuals are strong and advance the message that Urton has worked hard to overcome his personal struggles and can serve as an example for anyone, including the Bengal’s players.

The personal interviews with the coaches, with B-roll footage of the hard work done that involved coordination is especially moving, because the coaches speak honestly and sincerely about their admiration for the young man, and it goes well with the visual of Urton pushing himself to achieve something that is truly difficult for someone with his condition. Doing this as a video piece is essential to creating a clear picture, using audio or text would never do justice to the amount of hard work that Urton puts in to better himself. The video footage that shows how difficult it is for him to even walk, let alone do complex speed excercises and lift weights, is crucial to understanding Urton’s level of commitment and dedication that serves as the focal point of the piece.

The only weakness of the piece, in my opinion, is that the narrative explanations (seemingly from the producer of the video, but never clearly defined) are not synced well, the volume is especially a problem, as it is much louder than the rest of the audio in the piece and seems out of place.

Overall a very good piece, well put together and the video and audio works well together, only technical issues with the narrative. Video was definitely the best medium for this story.

            The video “Hard work pays off,” produced by Kyndell Harkness of the Star Tribune, is a very inspirational story. Senior, Jake Urton, was born with cerebral palsy, but through training with the Blaine’s high school football team has become a confident young man. He is now a manager of the team.

This video was very well done. It had a good mix of video, interviews, and photos. It started off nicely with good solid shots of the kick off, the team helmet, and the football team in action. This was a good way to start the video because it gave the viewer enough information to know basis of what the story was going to be about. The shots were clear and not shaky, which was also really nice.

            There was a good balance between close shots, medium shots, and then wide shots. The close ups on Jake’s face when he was bench pressing, and the close ups on his feet when he was doing the speed ladder were good choices. This engaged the viewer, and the audience can really experience the hard work Jake puts into his training.

            Some of the shots of Jake talking to the other players looked like they were shot looking up at them rather than straight on. The angle did not look right when the camera was shooting up, so maybe doing those shots straight on or angled off the side would have been better.

            For the interviews the rule of thirds could have been used more. Most of the interviews were shot straight forward, and putting the interview subject off to one side would have looked a little better. Some of the interviews at the beginning, specifically the physical therapist and the trainer/assistant coach, had some static in the background that was a little distracting. Then there was the last interview with the trainer/assistant coach at the end that seemed to echo, but other than that the audio on the rest of the interviews was good.

            The room tone and natural tones were good for most of the video except the part when Jake was talking about how much help everyone has been in helping him improve. There was background noise of loud talking, and it over powered Jake’s own voice causing the viewer to not pay attention to Jake as much.

            A video was the best medium for this story because the viewer was able to see Jake move and interact the way he normally does. If it has been just pictures with audio, the impact would not have been the same. A powerful story about a disabled little boy growing up into a confident inspiring young man is best told directly from his own mouth and those around him.

     The video, Hard Work Pays Off, by Kyndell Harkness is about the Blaine high school football team’s manager, Jake Urton.  Jake is a senior in high school who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.  The story told is how he has worked hard, and he inspires the team to work hard as well.  The video ends saying that the team will be playing for the state championship on Friday.

     One of the strengths of the video was the many different types of shots that were used.  They had a good variety of over the shoulder shots, moving shots, close ups, and wide views.  One close up that was particularly good was the close up of the coach’s hand as he was drawing on tape on the floor for a workout exercise.  It was paired with his voice, and it was a good example of the types of workouts that Jake does. 

      Another strength of the video was the natural sound in the background, especially in the weight room. The noise wasn’t too loud to be distracting, but it gave the viewer a feel for the atmosphere.  I also liked the introduction of the video where they called Jake their “secret weapon” of team morale.  I also thought the shots of Jake interacting with his teammates were a strength of the video. 

      One weakness of the video was the interviews.  They did not use the rule of thirds; the interviewees were in the center of the screen and looking right at the camera.  Also, some of the shots were shaky, and they should have used a tri-pod to keep it steady.  They could have interviewed Jake more on screen because the story is centered on him, and they also could have explained what cerebral palsy is.  Furthermore, I think they should have given more information on Jake’s background and how long ago he started working out with the football team.

      Video is definitely the best medium to use for this story.  Text would not have been good enough, because that would not allow people to actually see how agile and athletic Jake is.  The main part of the video is showing Jake’s inspiring personality and his hard work ethic, which could not be explained simply in audio or text.