Midwest Fencing - ID# 417

Glenbrook South
Documentary
Entry Description

Filip Dolegiewicz's journey from Midwest Fencing Club to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Copyright Info

Recent Teacher Comments

  • 3/31 7:35 pm - KEEPERS: Really solid storytelling and production value. The broll shots - particularly at the fencing club were beautiful and varied. Your interview setups were really cool. I liked the lighting with the fill side of the faces in shadow to the camera. Cool look. IMPROVEMENTS: From a story stand point, it was quite strong, but you needed a better ending to the doc. Words of wisdom, from Filip, what he learned, advice he has, etc. The doc sort of just ended and I feel like you were missing a cleaner way out. Build up the stakes of the Olympics more. It's the climax of the piece...it's Filip's dream. Play it up even more. Stories like this are all about the stakes. What are the stakes of the Olympics for Filip. Get that out of him in interview and build to that moment with music and tension. The release of that becomes the footage from the Olympics. You had that part in there, but build to it more effectively. For your interviews, consider flipping Filip's brother to the other side of the frame for his interview to give yourself some additional contrast. Look for opportuities to use nat sound and televised fencing footage to break up the wall-to-wall talking head audio. Let's hear some coaching of the fencing students, comentary from the Olympics, etc. That is so important to have in a documentary to keep the sources of the story fresh. You have such amazing broll at the fencing club but I cannot hear ANY of the natural audio. Let's hear some of it! This subject is rich in audio potential and I feel like you underutilized this component as a storytelling point. I feel like you needed another song to happen underneath the portion of the story dealing with the loss at the Olympics. Increase that emotional pull there. Overall, good work!
  • 3/4 9:47 am - What Worked Well: ✅ Unique Topic – Choosing fencing as a subject was a great decision; it’s a unique and engaging topic that stands out. ✅ Strong Interviews – The documentary includes experts that add credibility and depth to the piece. ✅ Effective Use of B-Roll – The mix of stock footage, pictures, and original footage creates a dynamic and visually engaging experience. Areas for Improvement: Music Selection – While the background music doesn’t distract, it doesn’t enhance the mood or tone of the documentary. Consider adjusting the music to better support the narrative. Interview Lighting – The lighting for Flip’s interview feels overly dramatic for the subject matter. Continue refining lighting techniques to better match the intended tone of the documentary.
  • 2/24 1:38 pm - STORY: Interesting story about a person who has achieved amazing things. I think the narrative is effective. PRODUCTION: There is a stark contrast between the interview lighting styles. You have some interviews that are set up with low key lighting, and others that are high key. The low key lighting looks like something from a film noir, and it just doesn’t match the upbeat and positive vibe you have established with your background music, your b-roll, or even the content you are talking about. It’s distracting.
Judge 1

Positives: Story kept me engaged, no fluff - all clips had a purpose. Great pacing, I love the story arc: training, getting into the Olympics, not winning, and now coaching at the fencing club. Also, great job balancing interview clips with b-roll. Overall, an excellent story.

Improvements: This was very well done, so finding areas of improvement is going to be a bit of a challenge. I think the ending could have been stronger than Filip stating he's "taking it one day at a time." Shadow-side camera gives a nice depth, but I feel like the contrast might not be appropriate for this particular story. A fill light or bounce would've balanced the look a bit more.

Judge 2

Positives: I liked the dramatic beginning with the music, B Roll, and graphics. Piqued my interest in the story. Great lighting and composition in the Filip interview. Nice that you have variety in the composition of interviews. Creative edit on the medals.

Improvements: Edit the photos used for B Roll in post. Fix the exposure, color correction, etc in post.

Judge 3

Positives: Great broll and taking us into the fencing club! You did a great job showing relevant broll/photos for what was being talked about. The olympics broll and photos was fantastic! You told a story I have never thought about and brought me into a world few go to. I like the story direction and I think you did a great job asking questions that would tell the story you wanted to tell. Great work, I really enjoyed watching this and hearing a story about a sport I havent thought much about before.

Improvements: Some of your sound is abrupt and not edited together as smooth as it could be. There are dips and rises in the sound and I think with a bit more attention to the levels, fades, etc this could be fixed. I think you could improve the lighting and framing of some of your interviews. Filip's interview was a bit too dramatically lit and a bit too contrasty from light to dark on his face. I liked what you were going for, but maybe try to even out the contrast next time?

Judge 4

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Judge 5

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