Slug & Lede

          The sun shines as the Sin City Shooters video begins, highlighting the emptiness of the vast desert, heightened by the metal crunch of gunfire reverberating through the canyon as a motley crew of gun enthusiasts discharge bullet after bullet.
         

          Evelio Contreras weaves commentary with plenty of movement, pushing the constant crash of gunshots to the forefront. Even as the shooters praise the sport, the “satisfying whop” of lead on lead remains.
 

            As for the footage, the crew did an excellent job dealing with the bright desert sun cascading down.  Seemingly everyone donned a pair of sunglasses, shielding from the bright, hot light. In one frame, however, the camera captured the sun, angling up towards a group of people at an awkward angle. Although short, the frame encompassed the feeling of the day, accentuating the warmth and delivering the knowing feeling so well.

           This warmth did not appear in any other scene as the crew positioned interviewees excellently. The distance was just about right, as was the gap to the left, showing an expansive view of the landscape as well as fitting the person into the frame comfortably.

           This deliberation failed to find its way into the transitions, as the video delivered a barrage of images, ostensibly jumping from one to the next. Although it accentuated the action, the lack of transitions was manifest and created a rough experience. Video’s strength as a smooth, transitional medium does not come through as well as it should have.

          Additionally, the close ups of the hands and guns were few, but executed well. Seeing the shot of a man’s hands grasping the gun at the beginning adds a dimension to the video by providing some diversity. Some more shots like that would have been helpful as the rest of the video focuses entirely on people and scenes set in the desert. Understandably so as they were in the desert, but breaking up the monotony with more close ups of the firearms would have been helpful.

The Girl in the Window

The stench of urine, cigarette smoke and the crunch of cockroaches underfoot highlight the beginnings of Danielle’s life. Her adoptive parents know little of her past, but the damage it caused is manifest, impeding every facet in their lives.

The St. Petersburg Times has covered the story, combining testimonial with candid shots of Danielle and her family. Most prominently, the narration of Sheriff Mark Holste compels the audience, pushing the seemingly horrid stench of Danielle’s childhood home right under your nose. An ubiquitous cockroach infestation adds a new dimension to the disgust.

Lane DeGregory and Melissa Lyttle, the slideshow’s producers, illustrated this level of disgust well through black and white photos. Utilizing Black and white allowed the pair to employ busy photos, accentuating the contrasts of feces, urine, and cockroaches against the mundane and expected aspects of the home.

Breaking from this, a color video explodes in the middle of the show, shattering the monotony and humanizing Danielle. However, the issue lies in this monotony. Each picture sits on the screen far too long, inciting restlessness and a yearning for the video to end. Sadly, this detracts from the incredible tale that is Danielle, the feral child.

On the other hand, doing the piece as a slideshow retains a certain timelessness and pace that works for the story. These contribute to the power of black and white and as video there could have been a multitude of other issues. For instance, the piece may have been too loud with Danielle’s outbursts and lack of social skills detracting from the gripping commentary.

However, the story’s commentary could have been better. In hindsight, an emphasis on Danielle’s past could have further vested the audience’s interest, broadening the story’s pathos. Pictures of Danielle with audio accomplished this to an extent, but so few pictures of her childhood home left a want for more. Additionally, the audio of the sheriff was easily the warmest so extending that entire section would have been an excellent improvement.

by Kevin Rutan