Drive-In Movie Theater - ID# 286

Downers Grove North

Documentary

Entry Description

A loving tribute to a throwback: the drive-in movie theater. An ironic outcome of the pandemic is the rebirth of this American classic, celebrated in all its glory in this short doc. MUSIC Surf Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLcvx2UGvRc Jelly Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnsu345wcCo&feature=emb_title

Copyright Info

Recent Teacher Comments

• 4/15 1:34 pm - Terrific job in storytelling. From the visuals to the interviews that carried the narrative, this was well constructed and very interesting. You really brought us into this Drive In and made me feel like I had been there. Very well done all around!
• 4/12 9:15 am - Cool story about drive ins! I think I saw this featured on a news program earlier in the year, so kudos to you and your team for creating a great documentary about a safe way to experience movies! Keepers: The interviews were well framed and dynamic. The nat sound I thought helped you for the most part. I'm not adverse to hearing some background noise and I thought your dialogue cut through that for the most part. You had no shortage of broll of the overall establishment, which was cool...I felt like I got a really good visual aspect of the entire space. The drone footage was well used. By that, I mean it visually reinforced the story rather than being obtrusive. Improvements: I think you needed more broll of customers. The broll you had was good, but it got too repetitive and sterile after a while because we couldn't see people. Perhaps this wasn't always possible, but shots of people waiting for a film to start, sitting in their cars, plugging in the speakers, etc. all would have been welcome additions. What about showing cars pulling into the drive in from the road? Shots of concession workers actively popping corn, doing transactions, etc. More human elements were needed to create a more visually dynamic documentary. Because your documentary lacked this, the shots you did have for broll didn't always seem well placed. At times, they felt thrown in as a way to cut to something different rather than visually enhancing the story as it was being told by the worker/owner. Watch your audio mixing. I thought your music was mixed just a bit too loudly and it competed a bit with your dialogue. Always be aware of this. Never ask your audience to strain to hear. Overall, great work!
• 3/10 3:09 pm - What a great topic to do a short documentary on. I think the b-roll that you used was really good and I appreciate the amount of b-roll that was placed into the film. I like the story and I do think it's complete. I would like for you to be more considerate of where you're doing interviews as sometimes the background noise was distracting. Don't be afraid to take people out of the setting to interview them if you have to. Really good use of the Drone in this shot as well.

Judge 1

Positives: Fun and magical footage and story. Love the drone shots as this is a good fit for capturing the space of the drive-in. Well done.

Improvements: Good music that fits the story. Perhaps, the music could be brought down a bit so it does not compete with the voices of your interviewees. It would be ideal if the shots of the drive-in screen at night were a bit more dramatic. Perhaps, varied shots as is presented with drone shots and daytime screen shots.

Judge 2

Positives: The camera work was nicely shot with great movement. The choice to record the interviews at magic hour was smart.

Improvements: The soundtrack was mixed a bit too loudly, especially with the theater owner. The footage didn't do a good job of helping to tell the story. It was just a lot of nicely composed shots thrown over some talking heads, but didn't show was was being said.

Judge 3

Positives: From the first frame and first note of music you did an excellent job immersing the viewer into the nostalgic feeling that the drive-in movie experience brings! Really liked your attention to detail in showing all of the older posters, movie equipment, etc. Music selection captured the right vibe and helped create an excellent pacing for your edit! Under 3:00 is an excellent use of time - you never want a piece to drag on for too long - this piece got the job done in an efficient fast paced way!

Improvements: My only real recommendation - we only hear from the owner and one of the employees. I would have possibly liked to hear a couple of real quick sound bites from some of the patrons and why they enjoy and/or appreciate the Drive-In experience.

Judge 4

Positives:

Improvements: