Slug & Lede

Overall I thought the video “Last Call for Haircuts” did a really good job of conveying the emotion of the twin barbers Jeff and Bill, and also did a good job of showing the history of their shop. I really liked the way the video began with the shot of the spinning barber pole, with the sound of a razor in the background which informs the viewers on what the video is going to be about without actually saying anything. This one shot set the scene for the video as a whole, preparing the viewer on what was to come.
The switch from the barber pole to the outside of the shop slowly brings the viewer closer to the characters before you meet them, which I thought worked really well. It shows the viewer an overview of what is going on between the barbers and the customers. I also really liked the clip right after the outside of the shop of the razor blade being washed. I felt this really starts to show the viewers the history of the barber shop and the tradition it holds.
The first customer we meet gives us an idea of the importance the twins and the shop hold in his life, before we even meet Jeff and Bill which I think is a good introduction to them. A real customer telling us about his experience makes the whole situation seem more believable for the viewer than hearing it just from the owners. I also liked how the customer was getting his haircut while being interviewed which shows us exactly what Jeff and Bill do and how they do it.
I don’t think the clip of Jeff and Bill worked very well within this video. Since Jeff was standing up, it gave me the sense that Jeff was superior to his brother, Bill, which took away from the importance of the ‘twins’ owning and running this shop. Also, the fact that Bill didn’t speak at all seemed a little strange for me.
One part of the video that was really random for me was the shot of the various magazines on the table. This didn’t really seem to fit in with the whole focus of the story, and it, in a way, was a minor break in the video for me.
My favorite part of the video story was with Don Black, the regular customer at the twin’s barber shop since 1959. I liked how his section of the video told a whole story in itself. The viewers get to see him drive to the shop, walk in the door, follow the “barber shop” sign down the stairs, and then proceed to getting his hair cut by Jeff. This is where the most emotion came through to me, in the interaction between Jeff and Don. Jeff doesn’t really seem to know how to respond to Don’s meaning of the barber shop, where a sense of sadness came through in Jeff, as if he was reminiscing on the times. I did feel that the shot of Don against the wall talking was a bit too close, but I did like how his face was off center on the screen, and I think it did a nice job of following the rule of thirds, directing us Don’s eyes.
The video had a very efficient ending with the old cash register, once again showing the history of the shop and the hand shake between Jeff and Don, which then fades out to black. The dialogue does continue, which I think was a good way of showing that the shop may be closed, but that doesn’t mean it is the end of the twin barbers.