2nd Place :: Division A

Hidden Significance

Oak Park River Forest

Documentary

Entry Description

An except from a documentary about a boy with a rare disability who has an incredible for music.

Judge 1

Positives: Impressive angles. Great rack focus and tracking shots. Interview composition is spot on. Although I may have zoomed out a touch in some of the interviews. Tight shots are impactful, but if held for too long they can be uncomfortable, and this isnt a project where you want to feel uncomfortable. Incredible documentary topic. I love unsung hero projects. Charlie is a rock star and I am jealous of his talents.

Improvements: I would have liked to hear about his music story earlier. We dont know anything about his abilities until minutes after we meet him. The most powerful part of his ability is being able to mimic his instructor and pick up music quickly. We dont see that until the interviews 2 minutes into the project. I would have liked to see more between Charlie and his teacher. I want to see and hear him struggle and accomplish a song or challenge. And you could have used a song Charlie wrote as the background music. Of course, this project is masterfully done and I'm just knit picking. Plus, I havent seen the full version.

Judge 2

Positives: This was an exceptional story to tell and I was fascinated to know more. Every shot was dynamic and kept your eyes glued to the screen. I wanted to watch Charlie play for days. All of the b-roll footage was beautifully shot and I appreciated that most of the music in this documentary was being played by Charlie. That was very smart and impactful. I really can't say enough nice things about this documentary and wish it was't just an excerpt.

Improvements: I think for the purpose of trying to tell a story in 5 minutes I would have liked for there to have been more interviews to give us a better sense of Charlie's personality and his world. We understood that he was gifted but some of the pretty b-roll footage could have been cut down to shed a little more light on him. There's a brief moment where Dennis' words don't match his lips. There is also a shot of Charlie walking outside over Dennis' interview that doesn't seem to fit. I'd eliminate that and stay on him until the sheet music.

Judge 3

Positives: Great pacing and flow in the edit. The music was a great choice that helped move the video along and drew the audience in. Great job! He is an amazing kid.

Improvements: Looked like there was a technical glitch with the fade from black. It was startling. That's at about 14 sec. Also at the same timecode it reads Cosmo Coffey, Charlie Carpenter, & Jack Bauhs. I assume the 3 of them made this. It just says their name very large over the frame (ie the boys face). Put what their being credited for and also try to blend credits in and not distract the eye too much.