Uncategorized – Page 7

Soaring with a Smokejumper

In 2012, a group of journalism students from the University of Oregon produced a multimedia production for Flux magazine. They traveled to Redmond, Oregon where they interviewed and filmed smokejumpers––firefighters who launch themselves out of planes in hopes of ceasing aggressive wildfires. The producers and editors behind the video component Up in Smoke take their audience through a day in the life of these aerial heroes. A clever arrangement of composition, POV, and shooting style exude the sense of danger and urgency smokejumpers face every day at work.

My favorite scene in Up in Smoke uses a time lapse to show the tree-climbing process during refresher training. At (2:01), we see a smokejumper hoisting himself up a 50+ foot tree. The shooting style of this time lapse helps initiate a relationship between the viewer and the smokejumper. The movement of clouds as the sun sets and the sheer height of the tree elicit a sense of encouragement and awe from the viewer’s perspective. The producers enhance this effect by using a wide-angle lens to exaggerate the relative size of the tree, making the foreground more prominent and striking––all while capturing the expansive background of the forest. The camera follows the smokejumper steadily, creeping closer and closer to the top of the tree. This shooting style effectively aids the story; the camera movement following the trainee through the process puts us there. I hope to use this style in future pieces where I want to place the audience in the moment––to share the experience firsthand.

At (2:08), the scene then cuts to another tilted shot upward that moves the viewer closer and closer to the subject. The angle of this time lapse continues to show the viewer the physical demands of this climb as the sun continues descending and the sky gets darker and darker. At (2:22), the producers conclude the scene by pulling away from the jumper as he retreats down the trunk of the tree.

A fade to black transitions to the next scene: an angled profile shot in daylight on the tarmac of the crews’ Jump Spot plane––preparing for takeoff (2:27). The shallow depth of field emphasizes the propellers of the plane while high levels of natural sound from the engine allude to viewers that training is over; the time has come to free-fall 100-feet with your jump partner and 70 pounds of gear in tow.

As one of the jumpers approaches his leap, a medium shot (2:44) from inside the plane captures gear double-checks at mere seconds before the descent. The camera then turns on him––a GoPro attached to his hard hat (3:05). The point-of-view shot answers the unanswered question: Will he land safely?

The shot cuts to the Jump Spot safely on land (3:27) where the audience witnesses safe arrivals from all across the base camp. We see a series of three jump cuts; tensions are high and people and cargo are coming out of the sky.

Although different crew members are landing in real time 1,000s of feet apart, they are framed in a way that depicts their close proximity. A long lens is used to compress the shot; the large depth of field helps juxtapose members all safely in one–conclusive spot. At (3:41), he finally joins the rest of his team as the angle from the point-of-view GoPro shows the abrupt, but safe landing of the jumper.

The use of wide angle lenses, long shots, jump cuts, and POV help make this piece effective in telling the story of a day in the life of a smokejumper. When stakes are high and I want to engage my viewers with an unanswered question, I plan to use the same fast-paced, POV shooting style that the producers of Up in Smoke have utilized in service of the story.

Child, Bride, Mother: Nepal

Please find the full video here, at the bottom of the page.

This is a short, documentary-style video piece providing a glimpse into the lives of three females married around the age of 14 in Kagati village in Nepal. Disclaimer: It’s hard to watch at times.

“Too Young to Wed: Nepal” appears to have been shot with a single camera, as never more than one angle of a certain scene is shown. The lighting is all natural, which feels appropriate for a story taking place in the rural Nepalese hillsides, and it is shot entirely in a witness point of view. The combination of these things makes us spectators of life in this village — we are watching them survive, looking into their lives in what feels a very authentic way.

Our intimate look into these lives is accomplished through wide and tight angle shots. Wide-angle shots are used often to give us context or detail about the story environment, while tight shots narrow in on more poignant moments: hands working in the kitchen (02:45), a somber expression (04:17) or detritus from a ceremony (01:51). We see these two angles work together starting from the first minute, when wide-angle shots of the community are punctuated with tight shots of a young bride getting ready for her wedding ceremony.

I particularly love the way layered sounds, both narrative and environmental, are used to tell and support this piece. It’s not fancy, but it provides a very strong sense of emotion and place.

I think this is done through a great deal of sound and picture juxtaposition, the most frequent example being when the voice of the interviewee is played over visual vignettes of their daily life (for example at 01:08). This heightens our experience with this person; it helps us know them better. We also find sound/picture juxtaposition in smaller moments that strengthen our idea of where we are, for example, when the rooster crows during a shot of an earthquake-damaged building (00:16).

A series of jump cuts take us through the story by carrying us to different moments in the storyline, the day or the scene, in addition to different storylines altogether.

One of the largest transitions I noted is in Anita’s story at around 02:30: One moment she is being ornamented for her wedding, the next she is in the middle of the celebration, if we can call it that. This is a significant change in tone and scene, but it works with the support of a brief L-cut, when we hear the sound of music and horns, before we see the band and the dancing.

This scene is especially emotional, in part because of the topic, but also in part also because of the focal distance. During this scene we are viewing the story at a much closer angle, and at eye level. This gives the feeling that we are standing in this crowd of people, part of the story. The natural audio is very strong and, as is a theme throughout the piece, few bells and whistles are needed to tell the story. It’s powerful, seemingly, all on its own.

Shabby Photography: Visual Storytelling and The Motel Life

Corky Scholl is a news photographer for 9News, a NBC affiliate in Denver, Colorado. Scholl earned several accolades for his visual essay, including a national Edward R. Murrow award and a National Press Photographer’s Association award.

The video resonated with me. It draws the viewer in by presenting a stylized snapshot of the world in which its subjects reside. The screen shows a neon landscape of broken down motels. The narrative guides the viewer, showing sequence after sequence that illustrates stories from individuals living “the motel life.” The result is that the environment becomes a central element of the story. In addition, the people are better understood because their living situation becomes a context to explain the action.

The opening shot shows a neon motel sign just before dawn. The natural light is dim and cool, contrasted with the sign’s glow. We hear a tired voice say, “The motel life is very, very hard.” The neon sign switches off; a guitar chord rings out. The music strums on as the viewer watches the sun rise through time lapse photography. The natural light transitions from cool to warm. The sun reveals the shabby motel world Scholl is presenting to his audience.

Scholl displays masterful composition despite mundane subject matter. For example, the first person shown speaking on camera sits in an empty parking lot. An empty parking lot can rarely be described as aesthetically pleasing. However, Scholl frames the subject on the right third of the camera, with the edges of the building, the edges of the curb, and the yellow lines of the parking spaces all guiding the viewers eye, vectoring attention towards the speaker. It’s a subtle touch, but it displays a level of detail woven throughout the piece.

Some of my favorite individual shots are of the motel signs. Most shots are medium with the signs filling the frame, some are more creative and show the signs reflected in pools of water or in sunglass lenses. The contrast of gritty texture and neon light creates atmosphere.
The sound editing is paced tightly. There is no silence. Natural sound punctuates much of the dialogue. The crackle a grill, the whir of police sirens, these offer transitioning between soundbytes. Another nice touch to the soundscape is a guitar player who Scholl incorporates into the story. The guitar offers gritty solo work, which lends itself to the poignant narratives throughout.

The video features several intertwining elements. The narratives are short and varied. One gets the feeling that Scholl is more interested in creating a series of sequences rather than focusing on one cohesive story. One criticism I have of the piece is that it runs a bit long, weighing in at more than eight minutes. However, when thinking about what I would have cut to make the story more focused, I found it difficult to pick an element to erase. I fell in love with the subjects; I suspect Scholl did as well.

Overall, I commend Scholl for this outstanding work. The editing is tight, and the compositions are solid. However, that is not what makes this piece great. Many photographers have outstanding technical skill. What sets Scholl apart is his courage. Capturing people living disadvantaged lives is challenging. It is mentally exhausting. Seldom is the journalist comfortable, and neither are his subjects. Both parties have a natural pride which inhibits their actions. Sometimes this pride is a barrier to showing the truth. It takes guts to bring a camera into someone’s world. In the end, this video reminds me to challenge myself. Few great stories are told from a position of comfort and detachment.

Let Us Roam – Atiba Jefferson

“Let Us Roam” is an ongoing short film series supported by Leica Camera. This short film features the story about Atiba Jefferson, a professional photographer from Colorado Springs, CO.

It starts with an L-cut, an edit transitions from the window view of Los Angeles, CA to Jefferson’s life as a photographer.

At 0:10, we can see Match on Action examples of him packing the cameras.

At 0:16, music transitions from the background noise to piano music. As A-roll, the video keeps rolling with Jefferson’s daily life. B-roll as the supplemental footage intercuts between the piano, skateboarding, and Jefferson’s art philosophy.

close-up detail shot: his foot on the piano pedals, fingers bouncing on the keyboard
medium shot: from the back to show the audience who is playing the piano
creative shot: Jefferson’s reflection from the piano
establish shot: his piano area inside his house
close-up detail shot: Jefferson’s face

At 0:43, Jefferson starts talking about how he discovered photography in high school and how his desire to capture the movement of skateboarding pushed him to chase his dream of becoming a professional photographer.

Starts at 0:57, the film cuts back and forth between videos and still photographs. Through the lens, this short film tells the story of the path that led Jefferson from skateboarding to photography.

At 1:31, the film shows a face-to-face interview of Jefferson talking about the story behind his success.

At 1:41, the film cuts to a super-8 video clip and transitions to Jefferson’s previous life in Colorado Springs, CO.By using still images, it helps the video to visualize his previous life in Colorado and how he started his career in skateboarding.

screen-shot-2016-10-13-at-11-59-19-pm When the background music shifts over his voice, the video transitions to a new stage of his life. At 3:48, the video cuts back to the A-roll of him driving on a freeway in Los Angeles, CA.

As his story reached the peak of his career, the background music fades out. At 4:33, the video transitions to a slideshow of his famous photographs : NFL, NBA, Kobe Bryant, Katy Perry, and Ice Cube.

screen-shot-2016-10-13-at-11-54-34-pm

With the music coming to an end, the film slowly transitions from Jefferson’s crazy life to himself skateboarding in the alley. It eventually fades into the title “Let Us Roam.”At 6:48, the title was overlaid with Leica logo and floor marks.It is neat and clever.

I really love this short film because it combined video, audio and still images perfectly together. In short, Jefferson’s story illustrates the inside of the skateboarding culture and how it breeds creativity in different paths of expression.

A-Roll

B-Roll

Trapped – Short Story

This piece makes great use of symbolism through natural sound and images to help portray what it feels like to feel trapped.

Throughout this piece, there are voices of people telling you about their experiences of feeling trapped, though you never see them, you get a glimpse into their life through feeling trapped.

The entire video goes from one image to another that symbolize the feeling portrayed by the characters describing their circumstances and emotions. For example, when you hear a man describe calm, the video shows an island covered in trees with really calm natural sound, but when people describe feeling trapped you hear sounds like shackles or doors slamming.

This story isn’t about a single person’s experience with feeling trapped, it’s a collective representation of what it feels to be trapped. People’s voices come in and out of the story, without any identifying features in the audio or visual pieces of this story, yet you can still build an image of them in your mind, and in a way, are able to follow each of their stories.

The audio in this piece is so strong it could stand alone without the visuals, but the images add so much to each metaphor.

Feeling trapped is such an natural human feeling, and this video covers the entire range of feeling trapped, from feeling trapped at work, to being trapped in a wheelchair. I think this is a piece that almost anyone can connect with and relate to.