1st Place
Michael Driver KATU (Portland, OR)
Judges Comments
A Long Walk Home 10 10 10 10 Loved this story - fantastic all the way around!
SS, WTIC A Long Walk Home 10 10 10 10 Rock solid shooting, great moments, great character, and you let him tell the story. You didn't get in the way. The only thing I'd have liked different (and this is nit-picky), is positive action to start it. Could we see him walking towards us, rather than away off the top? Great interaction with the homeless community, and then you were able to get their reaction. His backstory gives us perspective. Seeing him bed down for a moment, and hearing what he's dealing with daily brings us up close to what's going on. You really knocked it out of the park.
JBH WTIC A Long Walk Home 9 10 9 10 Really solid story. You didn't need a reporter to tell this story. You let your character tell the story nicely. Awesome use of nats, sequencing, and overall variation of shots.
2nd Place
Sean Estes KTVK-KPHO (Phoenix, AZ)
Judges Comments
Pete the Punisher 9 10 10 10 High energy, quick cuts, great nats and moments (attitude!)
SS, WTIC Pete the Punisher 8 10 9 10 Good character, good moments - I like seeing him interact with the students. Hearing his back story gives him credibility. Shots are all rock solid. I would have liked more variety on the set up shots of the girl - change up the angles, not just the focal length. You did this with the next kid - we're behind him, then right up next to him, then close up on his target. When you go to the photos, and you are dissolving current day video under it - it works well, but be careful. There is one spot around 1:07 - it looks like you started to bring in a clip, then didn't. It's only there, even less than a second. Attention to detail! Good job with the pacing, you didn't run out of shots, and you were able to keep the energy through the end.
JBH WTIC Pete the Punisher 9 10 10 9 Your shot cuts matched the pace of the story. Loved this piece. Really nice job of developing Pete's character and telling us his back story. Really nice editing in the beginning. I can tell you really spent time on placing your interviews in unique positions to be interviewed. Nice job.
3rd Place
Scott Jensen Alaska Dispatch News (Anchorage, AK)
Judges Comments
Kotzebue, Obama and the Renewables 8 8 8 9 Beautiful shots, great nats and sequences. I like how you incorporated the music/singing in the beginning and returned to it at the end.
SS, WTIC Kotzebue, Obama and the Renewables 9 9 9 10 Great shots, great nats - particularly like the blending of the nats - and the transition sequence of ancitent lifestyle to modern culture. There are a couple shots in the sequence which have a slow zoom - around :40/:45. Because there are a couple of other cuts, the slow zoom seems out of place. If you had done one or the other, it might have worked better - either stay on the one slow zoom shot, or keep it static to match the other cuts. Actually, you do this during the transition to cemetary hill - it's 3 slow zoom shots blended together nicely. There is great attention to detail with the sequencing (the fisherman at beginning, driving through town.) What I like the most about this piece, you take a complex issue, and make it fairly easy to understand. You introduce us to a couple of characters, make us care about the characters, and the characters explain the issue, and why it's important.
JBH WTIC Kotzebue, Obama and the Renewables 10 9 9 10 What a great piece. Very well shot, and excellent blending of natural sound. Loved that you rode the audio under previous video. Excellent sequencing of shots.
Honorable Mention
Darren McQuade KTXL (Sacramento, CA)
Judges Comments
We Don't Drink the Water 7 8 7 8 I liked that you guys started with "real people" - went to the issue - and then ended back at the house. Lots of good nats and thanks for lighting the documents. In the beginning you had her standing at the counter, then opening a bottle, then back at the counter. I'm not sure it's a big deal, but I would keep her at the counter and sequence it rather than bouncing around.
SS, WTIC We Don't Drink the Water 8 8 9 8 Great, clean natural sound. Solid shots. Nice job on the paperwork, you really made it come alive. Not just the slapping it on the table, but, the multiple angles & the lighting. It's simple, but, it makes a big difference. The graphics & stand up work well illustrating what you are talking about. Too many graphics are just text. I'm not crazy about hearing reporter questions. They should be able to write into soundbites. (I know, thats on the reporter, but you work as a team.) Also, the reverse shots - what I call 'me-roll.' They don't add anything to the story, help push it along. If you need a cut away to cover butting bites, use relevant video. Overall, nice job. Your character at the beginning & end is very compelling, and you have some nice moments with the family.
JBH WTIC We Don't Drink the Water 8 8 8 8 Great investigation piece. A good job of introducing a character and bringing her story back around at the end. I know it is hard to shoot investigations, however, I think you made this work. Loved the water shots and nats. Nice lighting on the documents. Loved your closing shot.
Judges: WTIC