Niamh Larson: Gridiron Girl - ID# 448

Riverside Brookfield

Documentary

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Entry Description

Follow the inspiring journey of Niamh Larson in this groundbreaking documentary. Witness her remarkable rise as she defies stereotypes and becomes the first varsity football kicker at Riverside Brookfield High School, shattering barriers and rewriting history.

Copyright Info

Recent Teacher Comments

• 4/25 8:47 am - A very emotional opening that pulls viewers directly into the story. Really nice but the eyeline is is reversed and the shot is well exposed and well lit however it would have benefited from a little bit more shallow depth of field particularly with the LED light in the backdrop of the studio. The exterior interview is well shot and composed and the sound is excellent for a field interview. With regard to b-roll, don't limit yourself is just voice over and music any visual that you use that has sound. Sound, including nat sound, should be present in some way as it becomes a critical additional element in storytelling. this was a well told story about a very topical issue. Excellent work!
• 4/17 8:59 pm - Keepers: Really nice visual introduction with the slow motion and the various shots establishing Niamh. Really nice work there. Visually, the slow mo vibe works in conjunction with the music for a specific aesthetic. Improvements: Watch your close ups on the interviews. Typically your subjects should look to the long side of the frame, rather than the short side. In other words, place your subjects on the other side when following the rule of thirds. These rules can be broken, but on the whole, looking to the short side of the frame is a bit strange. In terms of story, lengthen this a bit. What were her struggles? What adversity did she face? Another interview subject would have been nice. Also, as cool as the slow motion footage and new age music is, it gets a bit stale. Break this up with some broll in regular speed with some nat sound of her with her teammates, on the sidelines, during practice, etc. I think what your style was for this was very good, but I think it needed to be broken up a bit so it wasn't so all one note stylistically. Finally, watch your mix. The music is too loud and competes with the dialogue. Read your VU meter. Dialogue typically lives at -12 to -6 db. Music is typically -30 to -24 db when talent is speaking. Great visual piece. Keep working and improving.
• 3/4 6:51 pm - + I like that you did the interview on the football field +Nice interview set up for coach +Unique story angle -Music is a little too loud, it is overpowering the dialogue at times -Adding a third interview would have been nice. Maybe a parent or teammate

Judge 1

Positives: Nice job with your interview looks. Both were unique and the lighting worked nicely.

Improvements: Wondering if there were other music choices you had considered? The etherial music was a curious choice for this story. Wondering if you could have interviewed a couple of her teammates to see how much they appreciate her and have no reservations about her being on the team.

Judge 2

Positives: 1. Really unique story that I haven't heard before. Great job taking me to a world I haven't been before. 2. Fantastic broll showing subjects success as a kicker. Very good "show me don't tell me". Amazing interview shots too! Good use of natural lighting.

Improvements: 1. Story could be expanded/enhanced possibly by interviewing fellow students commenting on Niamh's journey. Felt a bit cut off at the end. 2. The music was a bit distracting/loud at times.

Judge 3

Positives: I think the story was very nice and paced well, it was short but didn’t feel rushed at all. Some really good B-Roll in it as well. Everything felt very deliberate.

Improvements: I think there was a few points where the music overtook what was being said making it harder to hear. Having the tube lights behind Nia Larson is cool for the special shots of her in different sports, but I was not a fan of them in the background of Sam Styler. Definitely creative and has cool glow on his face but I think having those take your eye away from him take a lot away from the shot. Credits, please add them.

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