1st Place
Peter Hull KXAS
Judges Comments
TWC News KE Border expenses 10 10 10 10 An example of how an investigative story about a money doesn't have to be boring or cliche. This was solid journalism and every single shot had a purpose that matched exactly what you guys were talking about. Not one moment went by where I was confused about the numbers and that shows how well the visuals held up and conveyed the point of the story.
TWC News GR Border expenses 10 10 10 10 Man, somebody shelled out a few thousand to get all those crisp $100 bills! This is great-great-great. It is exactly what I want from an investigative piece: good creative use of graphics to draw my eye to visually-simple information, reinforcing what the reporter is saying. This is one of those places where "staging" is okay when done right -- and here it's done to perfection. The copier, the folders, the pens/stapler/paper shredder/etc. sequence...it's all gold. (That strip of backlighting on the one-line of number data...someone's been spending time on Facebook Storytellers!) And you seem to have talked to EVERYONE. Interview lighting and framing is so solid, too -- and there's not an interview cutaway you didn't get. I'd love to watch some of your raw tape to see what was cut! That late stand-up...so wonderfully timed. This is hard work to tell an important story, in a way that I can understand and even be a little angry about -- they spent HOW much? Exemplary job.
TWC News KD Border expenses 10 10 10 10 this is an incredible story and was well planned and shot extremely well. the editing was so sharp and the way the edits were for each nat before and after each track with the folders and tape and wind and shredder and everything else, you did this story amazingly well. bravo to you, your reporter and your team. the graphics were not overbearing and the way they were intoduced really went well with the video you were showing and the pacing of the piece. the perfect amount of everything and nothing seemed to jump out at me in a negative way. pure excellence. I will keep a link to this story to show my colleagues.
2nd Place
Ryan Oliverira KXAS
Judges Comments
TWC News KE A compass to lead them home 10 10 10 10 Wow. This was absolutely incredible on so many levels. You committed to the shots of dfw highways in a way that I've never seen- and that made the theme of the entire pkg work very well. There wasn't a single moment where I was taken out of this story and that is surprising because after your human trafficking victim, you had an app, yet that was still compelling. It is very hard to have a critique for this because it's one of the best stories I've ever seen on such a tough subject, but I guess if anything would be the broll of your character- She was walking on a sidewalk and I wished she was doing something that she does regularly in her life so I could have gotten to know her better. At the same time- maybe that would have detracted from her incredibly powerful story.
TWC News GR A compass to lead them home 10 9 9 10 Front-to-back, this holds my attention. Visuals are on-the-money, really driving forward the dark and desperate narrative your reporter penned for the story. Did you rely too much on flashy editing -- extreme timelapses, the staged map-and-compass, long shots of headlights tracing out into the dark? There's a fine line to tread between just right and too much of that. Excellent interview framing -- the hair light might have been a bit much on your one male subject (I think the lighting was pretty hot on his neck). You're constantly on the move with your camera and it results in a solid and engaging product. Bravo on a difficult subject done well.
A compass to lead them home
A compass to lead them home
TWC News KD A compass to lead them home 10 10 10 10 This story was shot so incredibly well and editing was even better. The tiny edits of nat audio really helped move this wonderful story along and the shots told the visual story so well you could have muted the story and still have created a masterpiece. Every single shot was beautifully framed and the pacing of the editing really brought out the soft, sympathetic sounds of the reporters voice. The amount of effort that went into this piece definitely shows the care and dedication you have in your job. Bravo photographer. Bravo.
3rd Place
Jason Hanson KSTP
Judges Comments
TWC News KE Back yard baseball 9 10 10 10 What a sweet story! Such a simple theme, but told so well. I can tell you and your reporetr had good communication about what you wanted to do with this piece. The pacing, the nats, everything was fantastic. The photos in the baseball cards worked well- but to make them work even better, I wish they were printed out and placed on the field rather than dissolved in with that fake nat. (Obviously this would require getting the photos ahead of time) Or you could have gone back to the field after the story if you had time. Really great job though- the tears came when the mom talked about kindness at the end!
TWC News GR Back yard baseball 10 10 10 10 Wow. I am so connected by the end of this story, it is just outstanding. It flows so well, the shots are so crisp and there are so many of them -- what a GREAT idea putting a GoPro in front of home plate, who does that?! (Not the main criteria, but your reporter also did an outstanding job writing). I liked the baseball cards for the triplets. Music is proper throughout, not overbearing. There was a moment when I thought I wouldn't like those "flashback" shots with the white matte...but then you wove it back perfectly to full-color backyard, with the dissolve. This is a great example of how a good PKG could have been a day-turn of the baseball game...but a great PKG was spending time getting those important interviews and empty field shots. Awesome opening sequence, crisp NATS (the bird tweets! Are they even real? So clear!), great job getting so much of that Twins game announcer. The one, single thing I don't like is the closing shot. It's bland, I wish I saw more of the colorful field and the game action -- the big fence blocks most of that, although the shot is well-framed. (I like the shot at :24 better!) All-in-all, this is an immediate favorite. **One other thing -- your reporter incorrectly tracked in the beginning, "T-C-P field"...it's TPC. She was correct later on.**
TWC News KD Back yard baseball 10 10 10 10 Where do I begin! this was such a wonderful piece. both editorially and visually, the story was heartwarming and enjoyable to watch. I really enjoy when the NATS can bring in a viewer just by listening to a story. adding in the well framed shots and the sharp editing, you have a masterpiece. A norman rockwell. very good job with this piece. bravo.
Honorable Mention
Peter Hull KXAS
Judges Comments
TWC News KE Unguarded pillars 9 10 8 9 Right off the top I leaned backwards because I thought I was going into that pillar. His sound of "oh" right at that moment was perfectly placed. Again- another interesting story from your I-team that could have been boring but wasn't. This was an issue I had never even thought about before, and I think you gave it all the visuals (albeit- not the most exciting at times- because you're shooting concrete posts) I needed.
TWC News GR Unguarded pillars 10 10 10 10 Second investigative piece from this I-team that I've watched, and I just said out loud, "Man that team is good." The third shot of the piece -- who knows if you intended this, but the lighted right side of the interview frame matches SO perfectly with the surveillance video, and the viewer's expectation of that concrete pole ramming into us...I'm not describing this well, but it is jarring and shaking and powerful all at once. And of course matching your driving shot with the bus camwra video was good. Great visual trick with the tape measure showing how close that pole is to the highway. Loved the ending juxtaposition -- my eye naturally went from Zunita's face, to the other side of the screen as I watched that fateful concrete post eerily slide by. No shot feels wasted here, and every shot seems to show me something important to the story. You visually match the reporter's information word-for-word. I'm left shaking my head several times, and I imagine that's exactly what you wanted. Bravo.
TWC News KD Unguarded pillars 10 8 9 9 I really enjoyed this piece. you had so many visual aspects of the story that kept me engaged and curious the entire time. the use of superimposing Zunita and the highlighting of the guard rails were nice touches that i really saw as a creative way to highlight important aspects of the story. great smooth shots throughout the piece. The editing and the graphics really allowed me as a viewer to understand a lot of what is going on in the piece so it was a nice aspect to the overall story. great job!