Worthy - ID# 331
Neuqua Valley
Documentary
Entry Description
I captured my aunt, Cathy Greer's, compelling story of her and her daughters horrible journey.
Copyright Info
This song was obtained from bensound.com in which our school, Neuqua Valley, has paid subscription to.
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/22 12:49 pm - This is an incredibly sad but tremendously put together piece. The story is so well told and so much thought was put into the composition and use of images. It was horrifying to see what Michelle went through and the video of her laying in bed at 70 lbs just breaks your heart. The fact that her mother came back from a near fatal prognosis at the same time is also incredible. When she speaks of holding her daughter in the hospital at birth and ultimately death with the picture of Mom and daughter as a baby is just an exceptionally honest moment. This is just tremendous from use of music, composition of shots, and movement of pictures. Congratulations on a terrific job!
Judge 1
Positives: Our number one goal as storytellers is to make the viewer feel something - Excellent job making me feel throughout this story. I am never a fan of using one person to tell as story - but in this instance, Cathy is a fantastic storyteller - so much so that I don't mind her voice being the only one. Excellent use of pictures/footage - the footage of Michele in the hospital bed is hard to see - but necessary!
Improvements: Best way to grab the viewer off the top is to use an image, picture or video, try to avoid using the interview look at the first footage we see. Pictures or footage of Cathy and her family would have been a nice way to start off this piece.
Judge 2
Positives: Deeply moving story. Thoughtful and respective to the family. Captured the mother's experience without over dramatization. Editing was smooth.
Improvements: At times, I thought the music might be a bit loud in relation to the subject's voice. I did not understand the use of the hourglass in relation to the title.
Judge 3
Positives: One of the most important things about making a good documentary is choosing the right topic. This is an amazing story, beautifully told from beginning to end. Riley Ebert's choice to have her aunt tell it is an excellent one. The editing drives the story making effective use of the music and photos. How rare it is to have a photograph capturing the moment where a mother is grasping her daughter's hand in the last stages of her life. Riley not only has a compelling story, but incredible elements to support that story as well. This piece is a gem that this family can treasure for generations to come. Powerful story of tragedy and love.
Improvements: Where possible, I think interview subjects should not be up against a flat wall. In this case, I can overlook the setting because the story is so moving and the words are so powerful.
Judge 4
Positives:
Improvements: