Silver

George Hess: WWII Veteran

Neuqua Valley

Documentary

Entry Description

This is a documentary I produced in my Broadcast Journalism III class, about a World War II Veteran, George Hess.

Judge 1

Positives: 1) The interview segment was effective and engaging. 2) The image choices for cutaways were very appropriate.

Improvements: 1) The images, although well-chosen, could be better displayed. Many were very blurry and difficult to see. 2) George Hess' story was very compelling and it would have been nice to see more of him as a young soldier.

Judge 2

Positives: Excellent choice adding the subtitles. It wasnt so hard to understand, but it really helped me understand his story better because I could read it. Awesome pictures in this piece. Some of those old photos are mesmerizing. Smooth moves and great pacing on those pictures too. So touching.

Improvements: There arent many notes that I have. I would have liked to hear maybe a specific story that happened to him in the war. Although his retelling is very vivid and fascinating, I feel like the doc would have made a better story if he told a story as opposed to some things he remembers. But im grasping at straws here. Great work.

Judge 3

Positives: It was a good idea to have the subtitles near the bottom because at times it was hard to understand him. I appreciated the original clips from WWII, that was a nice touch to tie in with his interview and what he was saying. Nice music softly playing behind his story.

Improvements: I would have the camera pulled back a ways from George during his interview. Its nice to have a little more breathing room and space naturally in that situation. Especially because he keeps leaning in towards the camera, and sometimes you can't control your subjects. I might have had George introduce himself in the beginning and what his rank was. Just an idea.