Silver

Who I am

Mundelein

Documentary

Entry Description

Three teenagers tell their story about coming out as a homosexual.

Judge 1

Positives: Great interview composition. The backgrounds were complimenting without being intrusive and the framing was solid. I liked how you added pictures and b-roll over their stories. A lot of these videos lack effective B-roll.

Improvements: I may have gotten interviews from friends or family on how they accepted it, or didnt. That would have been powerful. In your lower thirds, everyone is from Mundelein, IL. I think I would have rather seen how old they were, what year in high school, or at what age they came out. I dont think location is particularly relevant in this case.

Judge 2

Positives: I really enjoyed how open and honest these three friends were about their experiences. The b-roll footage of them just hanging with friends and showing their lives in school really worked well over their interviews. The pictures from their past were a special touch that really allowed me into the interviewees world. The interview locations were well set-up and looked natural.

Improvements: I personally didn't care for the profile shots during the interview. They seemed out of place and I think it would be stronger if they stayed on the straight on shots of the interviewers. I think some of the reenactments could have been stronger because as they are right now I would consider losing them. The reenactments could be them actually sitting where they told their families and including the families instead of all of them being singular shots of them on the phone or tearing a picture.

Judge 3

Positives: I really liked the three different perspectives in the story. They all flowed and intercut really well. Great editing to create a follow through story.

Improvements: I think the documentary should eliminate the re-inactments. It loses the seriousness and power that it could have and throws off the tone. Sound editing. There was a moment where one of the characters mumbles over black forgetting his thought. It doesn't fit. I would cutting out that mumbling audio to make it flow better.