What It Means to be Human Documentary; MMEA - ID# 247

Waubonsie Valley

Division: A

Documentary

Entry Description

short documentary on "what it means to be human"

Recent Teacher Comments

• 4/23 7:51 pm - Good variety of subjects. Shaky interviews.
• 3/8 2:33 pm - Opening with music and montage is very powerful- the VO works great. Falls apart when we hear vocals in the music track competing with the dialogue track at an important time. After opening- I’m wondering who this guy is? He is not introduced- who is he-- then delayed, we see the classroom shot. For a lay audience, this is too late… Get his interview on a tripod and turn off autofocus!!! Awkward transition when we meet the 2nd subject- who’s running - and where to? Again the music competes with the sound bites. By the time we get to the 3rd subject- mom whose son committed suicide, I’m wondering- why are all these disparate stories married together? Only the 2nd and 3rd work thematically. I would have made at least 2 or 3 different stories rather than stitch them together. Very emotional and lyrical story, but the narrative structure fails to merge these stories into one whole. Compelling visuals, but I recommend static images (tripod) rather all handheld...
• 3/5 3:15 pm - You have a very powerful story and I wish you set it up better. For example: seeing them in their natural habitat before jumping into the interview would allow the audience to identify with these individuals. Also, the story does not come to a "resolution." You do go back to the idea of "what it means to be human" towards the end - which was wise, but only one of the individuals you talked to address the question. The music gets in the way of the interview and competes for attention.

Judge 1

Positives: Great stories and each was done well. For the most part the camera work was well done and appropriate within each story.

Improvements: Music with lyrics is tough to use with interviews - it was very distracting based on the levels - fighting the interview. Some audio edits are very rough - spend more time tweaking cuts and levels. Not sure that the use of a commercial music track is appropriate and within the rules.

Judge 2

Positives: Excellent exposure of topics not many others might cover. Great use of cinematography and camera.

Improvements: The song is a bit distracting and could have been instrumental rather than singing.

Judge 3

Positives: With this subject matter it would be easy to veer into melodrama, yet the film maintains its focus. The result is poignancy and a strong message. The director did an excellent job creating a relationship and atmosphere where the subjects could open up about their struggles, which is difficult to achieve. The interviews are edited well and given breathing space for audience reaction.

Improvements: Occasional compositions on b-roll and interviews highlighting the side of a person or object makes for an odd framing. In later films I would be interested to see what the director could do by experimenting with sound design in place of the musical selection (though the song here works well with the film).

Judge 4

Positives:

Improvements: