Slug & Lede

I noticed very quickly that in the Pie Crust Making Video the camera shots were only going to be close-up and medium or wide shots. Although it was important to do this for a cooking video in order for the viewer to see the details of the food and the preparation, I thought the cuts to each shot were too jumpy and too much of the same thing. The angles were not varied and it was just like they were focusing in and out so fast that it was almost dizzying. I also though some differences in where the camera was placed would have helped change it up a little, and would have given a more human aspect to the video. I know when I’m learning how to cook something, I want to watch the person cooking from all different angles so that I don’t miss anything.

I also wished they would have zoomed in and out at least a couple times so that the viewer was eased into the close ups. Or they could have used other techniques, such as moving the camera from left to right or vice versa.

Although there were really only two different shots used, I thought the cameraperson did a good job of using the rule of thirds and not leaving any weird, gaping holes or “whitespace.” And though the timing on when a close-up shot was coming was predictable, they were used in the correct places. For example, they did a close up on her rolling the pie crust (something that needs to be seen up close.)

In the beginning of the video the cook said she had written a piece for the newspaper on the same subject, so obviously this topic does work in other forms of media. But I think video is the best because you are actually able to see how the cook prepares the food and the way she does it. It is one thing to say “roll the dough,” but it’s another to actually see if she’s rolling it tenderly, quickly or forcefully. An audio slide show would also have been fine, but with a topic like making pie crusts the photos would probably be boring. A good cooking audio slide show might be interesting with a really colorful and intricate dish.

All in all I think the video was mediocre and is in need of improvements and variance.

A refreshing mix of angles are used in J. Pinkley’s video Make your own pie crust featuring Minneapolis writer and cooking instructor Beth Dooley.

The shots are based off of what she says. No one will easily forget to use cold, unsalted butter after 25 seconds and two close-ups on her face and the butter package drive the point home.

Pinkley follows the rule of thirds closely. While at times Dooley lacks headroom at the top of the screen, she almost always is featured on one of the two imaginary parallel lines that split up the screen into thirds.

Dooley is featured looking straight into camera. This was the right choice as she has the confidence to pull it off. It also adds to the very personal and informal aspect of the video.

There is a window in background reflecting a bright light, but it’s not bad. Instead, it adds to the “at home in the kitchen” feel of the video.

The shot portraying the dough at its “cornmeal” state could have been a tad longer. The point is to be able to see and remember the texture of the dough. A one-second shot is too quick to do so. Two or three seconds would have been more effective.

There is an awkward repeated shot of the refrigerator closing. While the point is to show time lapse, it is lost in the fact that the door closes twice in a row without opening. They should have transitioned to say that they waited 30 minutes or simply lengthened the second shot to show her open the fridge again.

Why the apples in the pie plate? It feels unsanitary, not refreshing, when Dooley removes the apples and puts the piecrust in the plate. They are distracting and don’t add to the piece.

However, the piece excels at using an array of different shots, keeping the audience watching. I think I might go make a pie crust.