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.

Donna Vivino transforms into the Wicked Witch of the West for her role as Elphaba onstage at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN.

The opening shot of the theatre and the lights is nice, it provides a good visual as the journalist, Richard Tsong-Taatarii, introduces the piece. 

The beginning of the video is shot in close-up and increased speed as the green makeup is applied.  It is effective to show the time lapse.  There is VO throughout.  This seems disconnected.  It may have been more effective to pair the video of the makeup application with audio of the actress singing a song from the musical.  As I watched the speedy video I was expecting the audio to be fast, as well.  Music may not have the same problem.

I also think they could have showed the time lapse all together in the beginning and then talked to the actress and the makeup artist, Joe Dulude II.

There are good closeup shots of the brushes and application of makeup on each part of the face interspersed throughout the piece.  The audio is clear, but the makeup artist’s audio seems to be quieter which is most noticeablewhen they go back and forth between him and Vivino.

The video of Vivino getting ready for the performance was nice, it gave the viewer a behind-the-scenes feeling.

I enjoyed the wide shot at the end of Vivino onstage during the performance.  It starts out too wide, however, and would be more effective if it started as a closeup and zoomed out to show the whole stage.  The extreme wide shot is too much, you can barely see the actress on stage and there is too much black space on camera.

My favorite shot is near the beginning when there is a medium shot of the black witch hat sitting on the sofa.  It is subtle, but effective.

Another problem may be that they don’t explain any of the story of “Wicked”.  People may not be familiar with the idea of the musical and its connection to “The Wizard of Oz”.  One may be left wondering why she needs to be green at all.

Overall it was very entertaining, but not very informative.  I would have liked to hear more about the actual makeup.  What brand is it?  What is the name of the color?  Was it created for the show?  In a package about getting made up for “Wicked” these questions should be addressed.

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.

Richard Sennett’s multimedia piece “Bataan Death March Survivor” for StarTribune.com tells the story of Ken Porwoll, a Death March survivor from Roseville, Minnesota. The story works on many levels of media. As just an audio piece, the story is almost entirely suitable for listening, but the video attached gives the consumer a distinct visual picture of this man. The use of the violin in the introduction adds a soft-sounding noise to the piece that does not distract the listener but catches their attention in a positive way, adding a curious nature to the rest of the piece.
Sennett uses great background noise throughout the entire piece. As Porwoll is rummaging through old pictures from his past Sennett captures the moment by including the sound of this action. It is a small detail, but it adds a nice element of authenticity and immediacy. All the audio by Porwoll can be clearly heard and there are no major interruptions in time between sound bites, making the transitions between various anecdotes seem linear. Furthermore, Sennett is able to capture the breathing and movement of the man as the story is moving forward. Sennett’s use of sound emphasizes his astute attention to detail and story framing.
Various noises throughout the piece such as clapping and laughing never distract from the overall tone of the piece and come across as vital to the uplifting nature of the story. The integration of all the audio sounds and people speaking never seem to be out of place. At no time are the noises overbearing or obtrusive; they fit perfectly into the makeup of the story. When the voice of the narrator interjects into Porwoll’s story it does not seemed forced, but allows the story to add depth from the information that is given.
There are a few points where those that are listening can hear differences in the level of sound and projection of the voices. When Porwoll’s son speaks for the first time there is a noticeable difference in the volume of his voice. His words seem distant at times, forcing the listener to stretch to pick up the cadence of his voice. A suggestion for this could have been to interview both men at the same place to account for any different variables when it came to the level of sound in the room.
Overall, the audio works quite well for this story and can be understood throughout the piece. That being said, it would be best for most interested in this story to listen and watch the video as well. It is not completely necessary, but it increases the impact of the story. Certain pictures and video presented need to be seen to get the full context of the story. For this reason, the story is best suitable for both audio and video formats.

Link Below:
http://www.startribune.com/video/?vid=34265714&channel=/news&elr=KArks5PhDcU9PhDcU9PhDcU5PhDco8P77jyPhU

This multimedia video of the Wayzata football team from the Star Tribune in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota captures the images of how the mothers take care of the offensive lineman to make sure they stay big and strong. The video was really good because it captured the sound and hitting of football practice during the beginning. Then by the end I think it did a very good job of having the mothers talk about what they make and the work they go through to make sure the boys eat. The video really takes you into the event of cooking and the sizzling of the grill. I thought the piece did a really nice job of bringing the audience into the event. It also brought in some personality because of how the mothers describe the boys as sloppy and the dogs get whatever falls on the floor.  This makes it so that the story isn’t just dry and brings more into it.

One thing that I really thought was bad about the piece was that although the hitting during football practice was good it kind of got in the way of the coach speaking. At one point the camera man cut off the coach and went to a player talking. That kind of bothered me. I also thought the practice scene could have been taken out and the coach could have been interviewed in a more quiet place where he talks about the impact of size in football.

I really don’t think that any other medium would have been better. The images from the video bring us into the event and it does a good job of interviewing the mothers and players because it brings a personality into the piece rather than a plain story. Like I said above the only thing I would do differently is perhaps interview the coach in an area that is more quiet because although I liked the images from practice I don’t think it added much to the story and it became a distraction at one point. Other than that I really liked the video because it captured the entire event and brought us into the home and really captured the moment.

www.startribune.com/video/?channel=/sports&vid=34447704&elr=KArks5PhDcU9PhDcU9PhDcU5PhDceyckc1EyU

In a Star Tribune video package by Steve Rice titled “Early Voters Found Lines“, different aged voters are interviewed while waiting to vote at the Chapel Hills Church in Edina, Minnesota.

Rice included commentary from legal voters, as well as young students participating in the area’s non-binding young student election. The program is called “Kids Vote”, and it intends to show young voter turnout and candidate choice compared to legal age voters.

The package begins with different B-Roll shots of the line itself, setting the scene for the story. It then cuts to interviews right away, with the second one being from a young African American student who proclaims his excitement of the possibility of a black president.

I also like how Rice interviewed a bunch of first time voters, since the youth’s vote has been a prominent topic in the 2008 election. However, I think he could have asked them more questions regarding which issues are important to them, and then possibly contrast those interviews with that of older voters to give the viewer a wider variety of commentary.

While I think this video had good intentions, it was very incomplete. It was way too short, and could have included a lot more interviews from people there. Furthermore, there could have been more narration to provide backround information about Edina’s past voting tendencies, or actual statistics of the 2008 voter turnout.

Also, there is a random section of B-Roll in the middle of the video that seems a bit choppy. Just when the viewer thinks they’re getting to the grunt of the information, there is no narration at all; just random shots that set the scene again. While I think these shots can be valuable to the video, they maybe should have been integrated to the beginning, or at least coupled with narration from Rice.

Overall, I don’t think this video was very well done. It provides a very small glimpse of election day in this Minnesota town, and the editing isn’t that great either. The only good part was the final close-up of the “I Voted” sticker, just because it pulled it all together.

On Oct. 23, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, MN, had the chance to talk with everybody’s favorite potheads: Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. This piece, along with several others, were created by Star Tribune staff member Troy Melhus, with this audio clip featuring the voices of Melhus and Chong.

The audio details Cheech and Chong on what they’d like to accomplish . The two converse jokingly about the conflict in Israel and the current political climate in the United States. Chong mentions wanting to “settle things down” in Israel, in addition to discussing the fact that those who solely focus on getting Bush out of office will be out of a job before long.

This audio piece is great in terms of content, but lacks in the quality department. The conversation is somewhat difficult to comprehend due to a large amount of static acting as the only real type of natural sound heard, so it may take a couple listens to fully grasp what’s being discussed (and the fact that it is not a very serious rapport). I can’t help but wonder if this interview was conducted from a studio to a more remote location, and that this is why there is such poor sound quality when Chong speaks. Regardless, I surely anticipated it to be of higher clarity, especially coming from a large publication such as the Star Tribune.

      Barry and Hercules, is about the Hennepin County Sheriff Department awarding a badge to their first canine on force. Richard Tsong-Taatarii of the Star Tribune created this, and I frankly don’t think he should be in anyway proud of it. The video is an elongated shaky mess of confusion.
      In the first shots, Hennepin County Deputy Sheriff Barry Heikkinen is speaking, but he’s not in the shot. Instead, Tsong-Taatarii shows other officers. The actual dog, Hercules, is seventeen seconds in and follows a completely different dog. I enjoyed the shot of Hercules entering through the door because it was close. However, they must have had problems with Hercules coming through the door because there’s an unsatisfying cut to a different shot.
      Following this, for no reason, he shows these shaky wide shots of Hercules and Deputy Heikkinen walking through the halls and speaking with an unseen visitor. For most of the film, the wide shaky shots are a consistent problem. I think a lack of steady shots seriously damaged Tsong-Taatarii. If he had a steady headshot interview with Deputy Heikkinen to go to between varying shots of Hercules, it would have been much more satisfying.
      What would have worked best for this is about a minute and a half film that consisted of the badge, a steady interview with Deputy Heikkinen, and a shot of the ceremony itself with perhaps some shots of Hercules in action. That would have been perfectly sufficient. Not great, but sufficient.
I realize working with a dog can be difficult, but a need for tighter shots and interesting action went on for two and half minutes of the three minute film.
      He had some opportunities near the end when Hercules is finally seen proving he can do something besides slobber, but it came off as the Blair Witch Project more than a news report. That could have been pretty cool, and used as the opening instead of the end.

The Star Tribune’s video page provides videos from the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Twin Cities areas of Minnesota. One such video, posted Oct. 7, 2008, entitled “Some Are Worried, Some Aren’t” , provides the insight of average citizens from the region regarding America’s recent financial crisis, and how it is impacting their own lives.

This video is great in that the opinions of the individuals interviewed are very honest, sincere, and straightforward. These people do not sugarcoat their answers, even if they really aren’t feeling the blow of an economy in trouble. Those who are worried fear their job security is in jeopardy, along with investments in the stock market. Others don’t see much of a problem, other than prices on consumer goods being slightly higher than they once were. Each opinion is different, and this keeps the video interesting.

I found it rather odd at first that all you hear is the interviewee’s voice, but after viewing the video a couple more times, I can assume this was done for a reason. What matters in this video is the voice of the average citizen, not the person holding the camera. At times the background noise, particularly the train, took focus from the person speaking, as it sometimes made it difficult to hear what they were trying to convey to the interviewer.

Because this video is solely based on interview, however, it rarely allows for any change of scenery, aside from head shots of interviewees (which were properly filmed according to the “rule of thirds”). The filming was relatively static. Every now and again, the video would cut away to a still shot of stock brokers, a car at a gas pump, etc., but this did not help break up the monotony so much as feel like a distraction. One can understand why this may have been done, especially considering that the video is exclusively interview, but it does not come across as the producer may have intended.