Slug & Lede

In Sin City Shooters, the positives significantly outweigh the negatives.  The variety of angles and different camera shots really help to keep the viewer’s interest.  Specifically, the shot where the camera is in front of the shooter while he is shooting and the bullets are coming directly towards you.  That seems like it would be a hard shot to get, but it was very well executed.  However, the scene at the beginning when the camera panned to follow the running shooter was a little too fast.  It made it hard to follow the main focus of the shot, or anything on the screen for that matter.

Another positive quality of the video was the mix between actual footage and interviews of the people in the shooting league.  Since some of the interviewees were a little boring, I think putting their voices as the background at various parts was also a successful idea.

I would only change two things about this video.  First, I would take out the high-speed panning at the beginning and go for a different approach.  Instead of panning, I’d go for a wide shot positioned in front of the shooter.  This way, you could watch him run and do the shooting course without getting motion sickness.

Second, I would take out some of the interviews.  Sometimes I felt like they were kind of rambling and not really providing any necessary information for the piece.  I think taking a little of that out would really clean up the video and make it even more entertaining for its viewers.

The video entitled Sin City Shooters was a short video piece about a group of people who love spending their time at a Las Vegas shooting range, including bimonthly shooting contests at Desert Sportsman’s Rifle and Pistol Club in Summerlin. The piece is designed to demonstrate the passion the people have for going to the shooting range and how exhilarating target shooting is for them. The people also explain the freindships and bonds amongst each other they they form from participating in the events.

In terms of actual video footage, I think it does a very good job of incorporating multiple shots. The extremely close shots do a wonderful job of portraying the intensity of target shooting. They not only focus on the power of the gun itself but also the force of the bullet hitting the target. In my opinion the interview portions are the strength of this piece. The camera was held very still and follow the 2/3 rule quite consistently. The interviews allow the viewer to gain insight into the people at hand, while still capturing the scene in the background.  The one shot that I thoroughly enjoyed in particular was when they were talking about it’s like a family and the camera is pointed upward into the faces of three people that were standing in a semi-circle. I thought that was a very effective shot and was inserted at the perfect spot in the video. The last strength of the video that I noticed was in the last scene when the video panned from right to left as it followed the girl shooting at the targets.The timing of the pan was consistent and well executed.

The main weakness I noticed was there were a few instances where the shot was taken at too close of a distance and as a result the subject’s head was cut off at the top of the screen. Although the close shot is intended to focus in on the facial characteristics of the person, I found shot itself to be poorly executed. It either needs to be re-shot so the subject’s face and head are fully on screen, or it needs to be taken from a slightly further distance.

Overall the piece was done very well. Static shots weren’t used quite as often as in other video pieces I’ve watched, but considering the circumstance of being at a shooting range, moving shots seem to be more appropriate. After a few minor editing adjustments, the piece will be near perfect. Job well done!

The Las Vegas Sun posted a video on their website on December 1, 2008. The video was done by Evelio Contreras and it was called Sin City Shooters.

This video was very professional. It was easy to watch and it flowed very nicely. The speech was not choppy and the video was good quality. The camera seemed to have been on a tripod during filming because there was no unnecessary shaking of the camera.

It was very easy to get a feel for the Sin City Shooters and the video was filmed in a way that made you feel like you had met the Shooters themselves. The camera did not stay in one place the whole time. There were over the shoulder shots, close-ups, medium shots, etc. The variety of shooting techniques made the video very interesting. 

About 30 seconds into the video, a husband and wife are shown. I believe it would have been best to do a zoom shot on them to get a closer look at their faces and how much they enjoy being there. 

The text at the bottom of the video that ocassionally popped up with names and titles could have been seen as distracting. I thought it was actually perfect and was a nice way of letting viewers know who was speaking and what they do. It was also nice because it did not stay in the video long, allowing the viewer’s eyes to move back to the subject speaking.

Overall, the video flowed very smoothly and was extremely well done. It was short, concise and still informative. I would highly recommend others to watch it.

“Sin City Shooters”is a 2008 video shot by the Las Vegas Sun about the Sin City Shooters club in Summerlin, Nevada.

The video is extremely well done because of the good mix of different camera angles and shot types.  This was the major strength of the piece. Two shots that were used particularly well were the wide shot and pan shot. The wide shot was used appropriately to give the viewers an idea of the surroundings, which appeared to be the sweltering Las Vegas desert complete with beautiful mountains in the backdrop. The pan shot was used very well to follow two of the shooters as they moved from target to target. This can be a difficult shot because you have to follow at just the right pace and keep the camera steady will doing so. The camera operator did a good job of keeping the camera from shaking and moving at just the right speed as he/she followed the shooter.

The interviews were excellent, the “rule of thirds” was followed perfectly. The interviews were a big part of why video was the right medium for this story. Hearing the voices of the shooters, especially the woman, allowed people to hear the excitement in her voice firsthand. I also liked the gunshots that could be heard throughout the piece, the gunshots weren’t too loud and didn’t disrupt the piece at all. This was very important because the interviewers, especially the woman, described the sound very enthusiastically as an important part of shooting.

It was hard to find weaknesses in this piece, but I feel that there were a few. The first has to do with the caption below the video, which mentioned something about the club holding bimonthly shooting contests. Nothing was ever mentioned in the piece about shooting contests, it was about the enthusiasm the these people have for shooting.

While the story used many different types of unique shots, there were a few that could have been done differently. At the 37 second mark, there is a very wide shot of a man shooting in the direction of the camera. The wide shot was unnecessary, it showed a couple of people standing around behind the man as well as some parked cars, and the surroundings had already been seen in a previous wide shot. A medium shot or even a close up illustrating the facial features of the man probably would have worked better.

Feb. 7, 2008—Las Vegas Sun’s “Are EPA coal emission’s standards strict enough?” video produced by Matt Toplikar is well-produced and covers an interesting topic for that market because of its local impact.

The video focuses on Mesquite, Nevada and the surrounding community’s fight against the instillation of a coal plant. They were worried because they believed CO2 emissions would pollute their air and ultimately cause global warming.

I would like to discuss the positives and negatives of the package by taking you through the video piece by piece.

The first few scene setting clips are good because they establish location and are edited well. They sweeping motion ends before the clip cuts away to the next scene. However, some of the B-Roll of the men speaking into the microphone looks a little shaky; perhaps the videographer did not have a tripod and therefore, it appeared unprofessional.

I thought the use of the graphics to display locations of the towns and the plant where very good because audiences needed to know where exactly this emissions plant would be placed. Its locality could effect their health.

Next, Toplikar decided to use a still image with audio and I think that it works, but it is not as effective as a movie would have been because this topic creates emotions in people’s faces when they speak in anger about it. As an audience member, that would have been intriguing to see.

The first SOT had excellent framing, as well as the second one. I really thought the second SOT’s angle was interesting because the camera was pointed upwards towards the pink sky. The man being interviewed was talking about solar power…I sense some irony.

The use of the multiple bars and copy as graphics did not work for me because it was too much to take in during that amount of time…and I am not sure about whether or not it was completely necessary to include all of the statistics.

I thought the flashing images of the people at the meeting worked to establish just how many people attended this meeting and were upset; however, there were too many images of different people. The first 10 would have been enough.

The framing of the SOTs during the meeting were great, but each one lasted too long for this package. I did not pay attention to what they were saying after they spoke for more than 10 seconds.

I really enjoyed the coal plant graphics and the big list of the chemicals. It was presented in an interesting way; one that really impacted me as an audience member.

The last SOT was not framed well because the lower thirds were sprawled across the man’s face.

Overall, the piece was important journalistically to present to the public because it was such a concerning issue.

The coverage of a town meeting and protest in Mesquite, NV was effective in and of itself but some aspects were less than helpful.

My video card is a little lack luster and I don’t think the designers took that into account when they created rapid jumps and clips within the video or at the very least an overwhelmingly fast stream. I often found that a man’s voice would come out of a woman’s body or that the speaker’s image would freeze and the audio would continue forward.

The photo of the mayor of Mesquite was pretty distracting. It was an unflattering photo and I found myself focusing on the photo rather than what the mayor was saying. Some of the effects they used with the photos were distracting as well. When the frame would zoom in or out on a certain point in a photo I was a little overwhelmed. I think just presenting the photos (full of people) would have been effect. There is plenty of color and activity and line; when you add physical movement it makes the viewer feel nauseous.

One thing I didn’t get from the video, that I wouldn’t have gotten had I not previously known, was how these toxins effect people. A lot of speakers said that they were bad for people and that they would harm citizens but no one ever said how or what specific health repercussions there would be. I think that could have been an effective addition, interviewing a doctor about the effects, or even getting an EPA representative to talk about the specific effects.

I did find some aspects effective such as the graphic displaying which chemicals the proposal did not plan monitor. It displayed it clearly and creatively as well as aesthetically.

The main reporter’s voice did not really do justice for the story. She sounded uninterested and bland and at times I found myself wondering what she was talking about. It was fairly easy to tune her out, she did not vary her tone or emphasize any syllables.

I think viewing this story overall was a pretty effective medium, though it had it’s drawbacks. Each person stepping up to talk about their concerns over the plant has an everyman sort of quality that lends itself to the fight this town is fighting.

For more information on EPA regulations

Evelio Contreras’ Sin City Shooters video illustrates the thrill that a group of gun enthusiasts experience as they practice shooting targets at the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle and Pistol Club in the desert of Summerlin, Nevada.

The video which was published by the Las Vegas Sun opens with the sound of bullets hitting the metal targets, followed by a close up of a gun used to fire the shots. The combination of the gunshot sounds and the images of artillery was a good way to set the mood for the rest of the piece. Contreras was very successful in the blending of the interviews and the sounds of guns in the background. He also did a good job of using the rule of thirds while shooting the interviews and the sound during the interviews was very clear for the most part.

The video could have been stronger if Contreras had used more close up shots. Most of the shots throughout the video were either wide or medium shots which were not as effective in telling the story as close ups may have been. In addition, the video would have been easier to watch and follow if the choppy transitions were smoother. Specifically, there was one awkward portion toward the middle of the video which first pictured Brandon Wallace on his own and then transitioned to a group of three. At this point the video became somewhat shaky and was shot at a very awkward angle.

A video was probably the best option for this story which would have been too boring for print. The video was able to capture the setting of the hot desert, the fast pace of the shooting and the passion of the gun enthusiasts.

Last year the Las Vegas Sun featured a video piece about the Desert Sportsman’s Rifle and Pistol Club in Summerlin, Nev. The video, which clocks in at just over a minute in length, was produced and filmed by Evelio Contreras.

The opening shot with the close up shot of the hand gun at the beginning is a cool and effective way to start the video. It gives the viewer a good idea of what the video is about right away. Also I like that the shooters miss the target occasionally. This gives the video more of a candid feel so that it doesn’t rehearsed. It’s also a cool technique that the camera pans along with the movement of the individuals. It reminded me of the scene in Goodfellas when the camera follows Herny and Karen through the restaurant. I also like that it includes interviews from three different people which is the perfect number of sources for this length of story. I think that the line “it’s a lot of good time spent with a lot of good friends,” was the best quote in the video.

My biggest critique of the video is the boring subject matter. If it wasn’t for this class I would absolutely never watch a video about a gun club. However the thing about journalism is that many times the reporter may have no interest in the material that they are covering but it is their job to make it as interesting as possible. Another thing that I didn’t like was that the gun shots were too loud. Being that I am not a gun person this displeased me right away. My final complaint is the video’s short length. It just seemed like it all happened so fast that it was kind of hard to figure out what exactly the video was about. Upon second viewing it seemed obviously that this video was simply a feature piece about a gun club in  Nevada.

The filming techniques used are well done and overall I feel that the reporter did a good job. I would give this video a rating of three out of five.

The Las Vegas Sun video Sin City Shooters explores the the thrill and fun participators feel while spending a day at the shooting range.

Perhaps the best part of this video was the opening scene. It began with the loud pangs of a pistol firing with a close up on the target being hit, as well as the gun being fired. This immediately got my attention and I was curious what exactly this video was about.

In addition the author of this video, Evelio Contretas, manages the frames and shots very well. A majority of the video was composed of medium shots. This worked  well because it allowed the audience to witness the full shooting experience with both the shooter and target in view. These meduim shots were also formating within the rule of thirds, making the picture balanced and easy to view.

The video was very short and fast past. I felt these factors to be both a positive and negative to the video. The content presented was well timed and should not have been any longer. But for someone who has no knowledge of shooting range activites, this video seems a bit arbitrary. I would have liked the video to have some more background information and go more indepth into the topic.

          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.