Brookfield Zoo - Flamingos - ID# 411
Riverside Brookfield
Natural Audio News Package
Entry Description
A look at the Flamingo exhibit at Brookfield Zoo.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/23 9:25 am - Start off with a longer establishing shot of Brookfield zoo so I know where we are. You put the thought into it, it was just on so fast it didn’t register the first time I saw it. Great original B-Roll. I appreciated that it was not shot at your eye level, but rather the level of the flamingos. As the story went on the B-Roll after a while started all looking the same, work at varying the perspectives and shots (more close-ups vs all cover shots). The story moves along in a logical sequence with interviews, I can hear how you took time editing him down into a logical flow. Good Job! It was a great piece but I would have loved to hear from someone else (a visitor etc) after a while it was just a lot of information from the one zoo keeper, fresh perspectives (or even supportive perspectives) keep a story from coming across as one dimensional.
- 4/1 1:11 pm - First shot was way too quick - you need to let it establish where you’re at. He says “They are extremely vocal” - this would have been a perfect spot to bring the audio full of b-roll with them being vocal. Didn’t hear any natural audio from the b-roll that was shown - all of the audio was from the SOT and what you hear in the background of that interview. This category is meant to tell a story with the sound bytes AND the natural audio. Mic up a zoo worker and follow them when they are on the flamingo walk - lets hear the zoo worker interacting with the public. Let’s hear the public when they see the flamingos on their walk. So many opportunities to let the natural audio from the b-roll help tell the story - I feel like those opportunities were missed here.
- 3/5 11:35 am - I loved the opening sounds and shots of the flamingos in your news package. It set the scene for us as to what this news package was going to be about. Your interviewee also provided great details about the animals and the exhibit. I would recommend raising your tripod a bit so that the top of his head isn't cut off. While I loved the sounds of your flamingos at the beginning, I wanted to hear more NAT sounds! For example, could you capture some audio of the zoo keepers interacting with the flamingos on the walk? Or groups of people visiting the zoo and observing/talking about the flamingos? This would give us even more insight as to how these animals are cared for and seen at the zoo.
Judge 1
Positives: The natural sound in the beginning is very nice. It is good to hear it throughout the whole piece. Great visuals.
Improvements: There are some jump cuts of seeing the interviewee and then they appear on the broll right after. Use a tripod. Your video is very shaky.
Judge 2
Positives: This looked like a fun story to shoot! Nice nat sound to start the piece. I love that we heard the flamingos before we saw them. Great job matching your video to the sound from your interview. Nice job getting the flamingos in a variety of settings.
Improvements: I would've loved to see you use a tripod for this shoot. Locking down those shots will allow you to get some nice wide, medium and tight shots of the flamingos. It's hard to get that kind of shot variety when you're shooting handheld. Next time, try moving your microphone around to different people. It would've been great to put a mic on one of the trainers working with the flamingos. You could ask the trainer a question or two and the mic would also pick up some great nats of them interacting with the animals. Good job!
Judge 3
Positives: Great natural sound! I loved hearing the flamingos throughout. The sound was blended well and didn't overwhelm the interviewer. The B-roll matched the narration without being TOO obvious. It was a good balance between providing a relevant B-roll based on the interviewer's words without being too literal.
Improvements: I would have loved to see some really tight shots, especially of the flamingo's faces. The color grading seemed a little washed out. I'm not sure if this was intentional or if there was a brightness issue that was being corrected. The B-roll's lack of contrast was a bit harsh compared to the really high contrast lighting of the interviewee.
Judge 4
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Judge 5
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