Concert Day - ID# 56

Deerfield

Documentary

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Entry Description

A behind the scenes look at a high-stakes public concert showcasing the newly-renovated school auditorium.

Copyright Info

Recent Teacher Comments

• 4/24 9:16 pm - The documentary opens up and immediately showcases strong production values at the very beginning. The interviews are solid. I can see that they're lit. It would be a little bit better if there was a greater sense of shallow depth of field in the interviews. The cinema verite sequence where the teacher is on the stool with the cutaways of the students listening as she gives a pep talk before the concert is just pure gold. Good job creating narrative tension, the post-mortem out through the concert in the buildup and the actual show all work very well with the true beginning, middle and an end. Good job!
• 4/11 4:23 pm - Keepers: First off, I have to say, Pam Holt is a personal friend of mine. She is GREAT people and you're school is lucky to have her as your band teacher. This is a great way to show what nearly every music concert is like for the students who put it on. This documentary captured that very well. Really nice job on the broll. Great variety of shots and set ups that does a great job of visually capturing the new elements of the auditorium space. I feel like I have a good sense of it. Interview set ups are good. Really nice work on the mix. Improvements: When Ms. Holt is addressing the band, I think you needed a secondary shot of her. I understand the super wide shot in this instance, but it grows stale over time and you needed another angle and some additional broll to capture that. Give me more shots of the students taking in her message. Let's see some shots of the audience waiting for the concert to start, people walking in, getting programs, etc. Showing that raises the tension and the stakes in the story. It underscores the nerves of playing music to a live audience. Some of your broll shots didn't really have good reasons for being in there other than to use as a cutaway. Cutaways are important, but they need to advance the story. Ms. Holt's door plaque, the shot of the mixing board with no hands manipulating it, these things aren't necessarily serving the story. Instead, show the stage crew at work, the live broadcast crew getting ready, to heighten the stakes before the first notes are played. In terms of the interviews, use varying voices more often. I should have heard from students more often in this piece. I also think having Mr. Hengels speak to the renovations or the meaning of this concert would have been well served as well. Overall, nice piece, but keep working on your ability to drive stories forward and cover them from multiple angles and voices.
• 3/4 6:14 pm - +good b-roll as an attention getter at the beginning +Nice interview set ups, using the rule of thirds +I like the angle of prepping for a concert +I like the inclusion of the pep-talk -student interview set up could be improved -It would be nice to hear from more students/ band members.

Judge 1

Positives: Nice job creating the buildup to the concert by reminding the viewer of the time.

Improvements: There were a lot of wide shots. Try varying the shots especially right before the concert when the conductor was talking. Would have been nice to get soe tighter shots of her as well.

Judge 2

Positives: 1. Great job leaving "breathing room" for the concert moments vs having constant interview the whole time. 2. Well constructed narrative and lots of great cut away broll use. Also good work including reflection from people besides the band director as it creates a more well rounded piece.

Improvements: 1. Some audio was a bit "tinny". 2. Could be nice to hear more from the students.

Judge 3

Positives: The edit on this was very good, I think I heard enough from everyone at good points and also very good stuff from them was said. Was a big fan of the way info was shown of the concert itself. Sound was really cool on the instruments the band was playing. They sounded very cool and I think it was used really well.

Improvements: The sound in the way people spoke. The interviews were good but definitely could have captured there voice better. If your fine with showing the mic which is always a good/acceptable thing to do in a doc, make sure the mic is pointed up towards the people talking. Credits, you always need to put credits in.

Judge 4

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Judge 5

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