Magic Behind the Movement - ID# 21
Maine South
Documentary
Entry Description
Studio 22 High Tek is a dance studio that provides dance education, performance, and competitive opportunities for young dancers across the Chicagoland area. Jackie Graney, the owner and founder of Studio 22, gives an in-depth analysis on the impacts of the studio within the community.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/28 9:59 pm - KEEPERS: Nice story about this dance studio and the story about its creation and impact. I LOVED that you had multiple interview subjects for the piece. Hearing from different voices is so important. The broll you filmed of the dancing was really well done. Editing was paced well and as a viewer I felt like I got a real sense of Jackie's passion and her impact on the local dance community. IMPROVEMENTS: From a story stand point, there is one thing I can point to that I wish was in this documentary and that's "reality" footage of Jackie at work. Show me how hard she works. She says she works 24 hours a day. Mic her up and follow her into the studio in the morning and film her going about her day. That is so much more fulfilling as a viewer than simply being told "I work hard." How can you show us and do it in a way that evokes a sense of realism? Mic her up and follow her around the studio for an hour and you will have great footage to intercut into this piece. Also, as good as your broll is, what else can you show in a dance studio besides dancing? Show the workers behind the scenes, students getting ready, hanging out, etc. Boost the nat sound so we can hear the space as well as see it. In terms of skills, work on your subject's eyelines. Having subjects look directly into the camera is a bit off putting. They should be looking at the interviewer's eye and the interviewer should be seated to one side of the lens or the other. Typically they're seated so the subject is looking to the long side of the frame. This is sort of a fundamental look of documentaries so make sure it's polished.
- 4/25 12:52 pm - You did a great job with your lighting, camera shots, and audio recording. You had great footage used for your b-roll and your interview set ups being different was very impactful. The shot of your individual who owns the dance studio showed a higher level she holds compared to the dancers who were placed in their dancing environment. Great work there. You could have possibly added a little more front lighting on your subjects being interviewed as there are some shadows being casted on their faces. Having the images are also great for information related to what they were talking about, good use of having some movement with those as well. Overall, great documentary piece.
Judge 1
Positives: Nice use of both pictures and video to "cover" the deferent beats of your story.
Improvements: There is a lot to unpack throughout this story. Is there a way to seamlessly blend the general "themes" of this story? Themes: Jackie's inspiration, time management, why one of the students enjoys the studio, the impact of the Studio on Jackie, the family atmosphere, the student who dealt with cancer, the pandemic etc. Main focus idea - we all need the support of a loving family. The dance studio provides support and a family atmosphere to everybody from the owner to the students. If that was a clear focus/theme from the opening - I think this story could have been more seamless and more impactful.
Judge 2
Positives: Good pacing felt like it matched the excitement of Jackie and the dancers. Learned about dancing and dancers in a new way.
Improvements: At times, the talent sounded a bit stilted. This might improve with practice and production guidance. Not sure the story of the dancer who danced through cancer was a perfect fit.
Judge 3
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Judge 4
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