This is actually really good. Surprisingly so.
The shooting is pretty strong, although I would've liked to see some tighter shots of the main subject in the story.
I think my only criticism here would be that a couple of the interview shots looked a little off. The shot of the coach behind the net was inventive, but it felt off-balance--like the post should've been to the other side. I've always felt that shots should balance like a scale, and a person is a really heavy weight to have in a shot. Also, the interviews through the fence were a but much, and I found them distracting. But kudos for trying, as I find a lot of interview shots to be pretty boring.
Ok, the writing...
The best line had to do with "picking up," while the girl picked up a ball. That was nice. But what about the structure? I mean, what is the story really *about*?
I was left with a really big question at the end: why does this guy do what he does? The story is all about the "what," with none of the "why." Is there something in his past that led him down this path?
Also--and this may have been impossible--could we have showed the kid living with him? I mean, it was mentioned, and was one of those moments that makes you go "Wow, really?!?" but how much more powerful could it have been if all of the sudden, we found out he actually let a kid move into his house?
I feel like every story needs a really strong focus. Is the focus tennis, or is it this character who's doing these amazing things?
But I don't want this to come across as being too negative...this is a really, really good story. It's put together well, there's shots to match what's being said, and the effort that went into it really shows. I have no problems with the writing itself...just the way the story is focused.
