"Music to me" a documentary by Eric Rea

Wheaton North

Documentary

Entry Description

This is a short documentary that I shot showing my schools orchestra and what they think about music. I knew the orchestra teacher from a class I had in the past learning about piano and I had come to know her pretty well. When we were told about a documentary project I decided to do it on the orchestra and hear what they had to say about music and how it plays a part in their lives. This is my first documentary that I have filmed and the first time I've taken a film class. I enjoyed the process and I learned a lot of new things that I can apply to my future projects.

Judge 1

Positives: Really nice job! You’ve structured this very well, and for the most part, everything has nice flow. Most of the interviews sound and look very good, and convey a powerful and inspiring message. I also think your musical transitions from interview to interview are quite nice and help set the peaceful mood of the piece.

Improvements: I’m wondering if there are opportunities for you to use the actual audio from the orchestra (instead of a music track). I kept wanting to hear what the orchestra actually sounded like. :) I’d love to hear from Miss Chu a bit earlier… she’s certainly the best interview, and says some things that I think would set up the kids’ soundbites really well. (Also, she has a bit too much head room in her interview… you can fix this by some slight rescaling/repositioning in post.) Make sure to include the names of your interview subjects in the lower thirds (not just “sophomore in orchestra,” “WN Orchestra Teacher,” etc.) While most of your camera movement is executed quite well, there are some instances of unmotivated/meandering camera movement and zooming (i.e., mostly with wide shot of the orchestra). Make sure that your zooms/pans/tilts are controlled and precise. Great job!

Judge 2

Positives: Great concept. Excellent soundbites. Editing was seamless. Lighting was great. Excellent use of coverage - loved how filmmaker used sweeping shots of orchestra to cover talking heads. Beautiful use of music. Great open.

Improvements: Needed more set-up. What school is this? What is the name of the orchestra? How long has the orchestra been in existence at the school? Who is the teacher who left? Who replaced him? What is the intention of the piece? The intention was unclear. Are we talking about how great the orchestra is or what music means to the students? There were too many themes and the message was unclear.

Judge 3

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Judge 4

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