My first post... critique welcome
- Thread starter pgh412
- Start date
Latin Lens
Well-known member
Okay....I will try and be kind because I really want you to learn from what you posted here for us to critique. At first watch its not very good, but you had some good elements if you would have expanded or "saw" them better and used them to your benefit.
It also appears your a OMB? So there is difficulty in that plus you are in a small market so you are still learning. So with that said let's critique your wind turbine story:
I think overall you could've told the story better by setting it up in a better order. Nats of wind and tight shots of leaves blowing or dust from the ground off the top. Tell us how windy the city is then get into how this wind is fueling the turbines.
You need more shot selection and lose the still shots of the turbines. You could have got all you needed if you shot better...wide, medium, tights. Your standup was rough but again I understand since you're a OMB. Set up the camera and maybe a walk from inside the turbine through the door and end up outside would have been better.
Keep trying...its the only way you're going to learn is by making mistakes.
It also appears your a OMB? So there is difficulty in that plus you are in a small market so you are still learning. So with that said let's critique your wind turbine story:
I think overall you could've told the story better by setting it up in a better order. Nats of wind and tight shots of leaves blowing or dust from the ground off the top. Tell us how windy the city is then get into how this wind is fueling the turbines.
You need more shot selection and lose the still shots of the turbines. You could have got all you needed if you shot better...wide, medium, tights. Your standup was rough but again I understand since you're a OMB. Set up the camera and maybe a walk from inside the turbine through the door and end up outside would have been better.
Keep trying...its the only way you're going to learn is by making mistakes.
Latin Lens
Well-known member
Identify the key players of any story you work on and everything will come out allright. In this case its....WIND, IMPACTED RESIDENTS...AND MAYBE A GUY WORKING ON THE PROJECT.
Once you do this you can go out and gather the necessary shots/nats to put the story together. If you struggle in the edit bay then you didn't get all you needed and that means you got some work to improve on.
If you find it easy then either you don't care too much about your work (personally) OR you got the proper elements and they fall into place easily like children's building blocks.
Remember everywhere you move your camera to is an oppurtunity to get a sequence or wide, medium, tight......look around.....listen....find the shots with your eyes AND your ears.
Once you do this you can go out and gather the necessary shots/nats to put the story together. If you struggle in the edit bay then you didn't get all you needed and that means you got some work to improve on.
If you find it easy then either you don't care too much about your work (personally) OR you got the proper elements and they fall into place easily like children's building blocks.
Remember everywhere you move your camera to is an oppurtunity to get a sequence or wide, medium, tight......look around.....listen....find the shots with your eyes AND your ears.
whatsatripod
Well-known member
Don't pay attention to my screenname because I actually use a tripod, but lock down your shots, take a half step away from the tripod and count to 10. The shots you used were a little shakey and that jars the viewers a little bit.
The best way to learn if you can't get to the NPPA flying short course is to watch NPPA award winners. They will give you ideas in shot selection and how to use natural sound. Or get in good with a senior shooter who will take the time to pull you under their wing and show you the do's and don'ts of the business.
The best way to learn if you can't get to the NPPA flying short course is to watch NPPA award winners. They will give you ideas in shot selection and how to use natural sound. Or get in good with a senior shooter who will take the time to pull you under their wing and show you the do's and don'ts of the business.
pinecone
Well-known member
I'm gonna disagree. The still shots could still be used to cover a section of reporter track specifically dealing with construction. I don't mind using provided stills to cover things I haven't shot, but make sure you use them as a group and not randomly like you did here. The transition is jarring.
The biggest thing is that you need a lot more different angles of the wind towers. You really undershot them.
Thank you all for the advice.
I understand what you mean about the "jarring" effect of switching between stills and video.
The shots were shaky because our tripods are not very good and the wind was gusty extremely heavily that particular day.
I had the tripod locked down and put rocks on the bottom of the legs but to no avail the shots still shook.
The turbines hadn't been activated for spinning yet so that's why they weren't turning.
I understand what you mean about the "jarring" effect of switching between stills and video.
The shots were shaky because our tripods are not very good and the wind was gusty extremely heavily that particular day.
I had the tripod locked down and put rocks on the bottom of the legs but to no avail the shots still shook.
The turbines hadn't been activated for spinning yet so that's why they weren't turning.
Latin Lens
Well-known member
No doubt...I am from Texas and the winds on the open plain are brutal. So I don't fault you for the shaky shots because of the wind...there's little you can do about that. But if you can...find some cover so you can get some steady shots...the stills were jarring because there was no introduction to them...and here's some good advice I learned a long time ago:
No matter what the story is you will never know what you are going to get until you actually show up but if you have to use the negatives and turn them into a positive and thats where cleaver writing can really help you like this:
"Out here on the plain...(nat of wind) the wind blows strong. These wind turbines aren't moving but when they do...(another quick wind nat or a guy checking a bolt or something)...they'll supply thousands of kilowatts of energy to the town of X."
Work around what you don't have (spinning turbines) but still get the necessary support and like I said earlier...it should be easy to put together in the edit bay. Over time you will get better and better at this....this is a career long skill to be learned....go with the flow...turn bad into good.
NEWSSHOOTER3
Well-known member
Pop
I'm tainted by so many GREAT turbine stories I've seen, in the past. This is rather pedestrian, in my opinion. I understand the shake, in the wind. But, it just lacked any "POP"!
Just a thought, but there was an opportunity missed in the stand up. That's easily, at least, a two-parter. Even as a OMB, make it happen with the door open, if you follow me. THAT's something to remember!
At the end of the day, lead story be damned, I want to be the story that is memorable....
I'm tainted by so many GREAT turbine stories I've seen, in the past. This is rather pedestrian, in my opinion. I understand the shake, in the wind. But, it just lacked any "POP"!
Just a thought, but there was an opportunity missed in the stand up. That's easily, at least, a two-parter. Even as a OMB, make it happen with the door open, if you follow me. THAT's something to remember!
At the end of the day, lead story be damned, I want to be the story that is memorable....