Gypsy Woman - ID# 30
Lyons Township
Documentary
Entry Description
This is a documentary about Theodora Bitsas, who left her homeland of Greece after a strange encounter with a gypsy woman, and came to America.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/24 9:04 pm - It's a compelling story and one that should be told. However, the narrative structure and breaking of the fourth wall doesn't establish much of a narrative structure except the recounting of this one particular story. That means that additional archival material scenics b-roll things that would really tell the story and make it come alive in a visual medium are largely absent. It's clear that you want to go for a warm tone but the color grading overall does seem quite orangey-yellow. No doubt that this piece would be much stronger with the archival footage, the first person narrative and primary source material to really create that visual backdrop to her really interesting story, But kudos for putting this character in front of the camera because she is very dynamic.
- 4/2 8:35 pm - Keepers: I applaud you for attempting to create an observational documentary, which is a bit different from the normal format and style we often see here. Interesting camera placements and the dinner table conversational setup is really interesting as well. Terry is a great storyteller and it's easy to see why should would be beloved member of that family. Improvements: In order to make this style work, the piece as a whole needs to be more active. If Terry is doing the storytelling, it would be better if she was walking and talking and pointing out photos, etc. This would solve the issue of broll. Obviously, that isn't what happened so the piece feels a bit disjointed. It needs more broll and simply more interesting visuals for it to work. The story is great, but it needs visual supports or at the very least, a more physically active storyteller pointing out photos, and taking the viewers on a more interactive visual journey.
- 3/4 6:04 pm - +interesting attention-getter +Interviewee is very interesting and charming +Interesting approach of having her tell the story at the dinner table -A short documentary should aim to have 3 interviews -Lacking b-roll -Format seems a bit off. Does not necessary feel like a documentary, more just a recording of someone telling a story at the dinner table.
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