Couple gives back

[Photojournalgist]

My last couple of packages have been with a photog ... which is really weird. I honestly felt like I wasn't doing nearly enough work, and probably annoyed my photog by continuously asking him if I could carry something.

Today I was back to being solo, and this wasn't quite what I had in mind for this story, but God forbid a pkg runs more than 1:30. The back and forth it took to get it within the allotted time came at the cost of a quicker pace, interesting bits of story and time to actually edit the piece. It ended up being quick and dirty with a lot of still shots from the couple's experiences in Kenya and I'm kicking myself for still not slowing myself down and focusing on one thing at a time while I was in the field, but I thought I'd post it anyway ... never going to get any better if I don't put it out there and get some honest thoughts.

'It's nothing that we ever planned to do'

 

[Latin Lens]

So these types of stories are very difficult to "jazz" up because you are relying on other people's pictures to fill the b-roll which makes it easy yet hard for you at the same time. I think you needed the safari pics off the top rather than the lady looking at a computer. I didn't know what she was doing and why until the third shot where you can see she's scrolling through the photos. So match the pics to the sound and you'd be fine there. Wrong positioning on the lady's interview...there's a huge window behind her....and unless you have lights and gels to compensate then that's a huge photography no-no. Bad choice of location. If you're trying to find a light source then you need the light striking her face not the back of her head. Its take some time to develop that skill but you need to know the basics. Bright light(s) behind subject=bad for camera. Unless you are editing non-linear than you needed some simple effects to jazz the pics up...some dissolves...some quick nat pops...anything to break up the monotony of still pics and track and sounbite. The part with the wool animals was good. Anybody would find telling this story difficult...we know you are still learning to write but this could have been helped out by some really interesting writing but you'll get there in time. Tough assignment but overall not a bad attempt.

 

[Photojournalgist]

Thanks Latin!

The sequence off the top was built around a completely different script and I wasn't able to re-adjust it for the revised script, but I definitely see where starting with pics would have made things much better ... even with the original version. Looking at it now I realize how long it takes to get to the point of the story.

I really wanted to rearrange the furniture in the room for the interview, but I put myself in rush mode ... again. I ended up losing control of the situation and let her stay where she was after she sat down, knowing full well the giant window was going to give me problems. I was hoping to play with the interview in Edius a little bit, but baisically just shot myself in the foot with that one.

There has also been a discussion or two about whether or not moving the furniture would have been ... "ethical." I personally don't have a problem with it, but I'm curious to know what you guys think.

 

[Latin Lens]

I am sure if you search the threads here you'll see the debate(s) for yourself. The interview is the one thing in the news gathering process that we CAN control...therefore its already a "staged" event. So moving furniture, positing, lighting...all that is yours to control and manipulate. Where you get into an ethical area is if you shoot a well-lit interview for the "good guy" and a purposefully bad-lit interview for the "bad guy". Now you are crossing the line and forcing someone to think a certain about an individual. Just be fair. In a feature there's not any question of this...you just want proper positioning and lighting. Do what you need to do because you must control that situation.