Discovering Happiness

John Hersey High School

Documentary

Entry Description

A trip to the Dominican Republic led to conversations amongst the people on how they find happiness while living under such tough circumstances.

Judge 1

Positives: WELL DONE! I love the fact that you showed the good and bad... if this were longer, I can imaging the detail you would have included. The best part is that you see and hear this through the eyes of those who live there. SHOT WELL!

Improvements: Think about opening up the pacing... The sound bites as back to back with very little space between. I found it a little hard to follow since it was so quick. I feel I missed some of it while truing to read the subtitles - if the pacing was slower, that would solve the problem. Audio edits are rough - As an editor, close your eyes and listen to the video... you will be amazed at what you notice.

Judge 2

Positives: Camera work was strong. The mix of motions in there worked worked well. And you did a good job talking to a variety of people there and getting a sense of the place.

Improvements: Editing and sound was flawed. Sound was often out of place and rough, and the edit was often a little random. I would focus on a stronger narrative to make this compelling place even more compelling.

Judge 3

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Judge 4

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