Month: March 2019

Written by Omar Rivera

Vice News – I Got a Tattoo from One of Yelp’s Worst-Rated Tattoo Parlors

Vice News is one of the many properties under the Vice Media umbrella. The Vice News platform regularly releases video content exclusively for their YouTube channel and implement a reflexive approach to journalism. For their One Star Reviews series, reporter Taji Ameen visits business and services listed on Yelp.com with a low one-star review rating average to see if they really are as bad as people have reviewed it or if the businesses and services are just misunderstood (the unanswered question).

In this reflexive narrative, Ameen willingly lends himself as a protagonist to the story. Ameen is in search of getting his first tattoo and begins researching online for one-star reviewed tattoo parlors. Here, we see a composition method, or tool commonly used in online video which is implementing the use of computer screen capturing (or screen recording). What this does is allows the viewer to not only see what the on-camera character is looking at on their computer screen, but to also drive the narrative along as the character is searching for a possible route to take the story. Ameen scrolls through his options and comes across Fat Kat Tattoo and the artist mentioned on multiple reviews named Nate.

Next, there’s a sequence in this video that gives the illusion of a montage. As Ameen is asking Nate questions, the audio is layered over as the shots are faded in and out on top of each other to give the illusion of time passing and making Ameen seem more annoying throughout Nate’s creative process of drafting the tattoo. Question after question, shot after shot the tattoo is finally drafted and Ameen sits down on the chair ready to interview Nate and get his one-star tattoo.

The journalistic approach to the one-starred reviewed tattoo parlor shop begins to shift at the moment Ameen is being tattooed. He goes from a reflexive approach and combines interview. “I noticed some kind of, like, negative reviews on the internet in regards to working with you.” Nate then open up to the reporter and talks about struggling to be professional in his line of work, struggling to balance his personal life and his business. I believe what Ameen did to lead into the interview built the trust between himself and the “supporting character” of his narrative.

The story ends with Ameen writing a positive five-star review of Nate and Fat Kat Tattoo Parlor with a voiceover. This final voiceover wraps up the narrative nicely, teaching the viewer that we must not always judge a book by it’s cover it’s Yelp review.

Here’s a fun music video that doubles as a mini Bollywood movie. I was inspired by some of the some slick camera moves and eye-catching editing techniques I hope to use to enhance my Winter Project about a Bollywood DJ. There are several videos included in the link below. The one I’d like to highlight starts at 2:23.

The short video is a compressed storyline of  boy meets girl, does boy get girl? With a Cinéma Vérité approach the plot starts with a taxi driver passing a supermodel photo shoot – and he is struck with love at first sight. There’s a cool frame through the cabbie’s window at 2:37 providing the audience with POV showing (not telling) us what’s going on.

Next we see some matched action shots (starting around 2:40) with medium and tight shots of the taxi driver on his phone renting a luxury car thinking he might stand a better chance of getting the model’s attention if he has a cool ride. The guy goes on to totally reinvent himself to come across as some kind of jet-set super rich dude to score points with his love interest.

Slow motion is used throughout the video congruent with the pace of the music, as well as the storyline. The video editor slows down the pace with slow motion to emphasize the dreamy pursuit. An example starts around 3:08.

To convey passage of time, the editors use a series of crossfades, like these starting at 3:52. It also lends a another dreamy, romantic feeling as we watch their budding romance blossom.

Drastic and artsy angles are used throughout the video providing an edgy feel and interesting aesthetics. Here’s an example at 3:35.

Smooth and gliding gimbal and pans are used in much of the video conveying motion and congruent with the flow of the music.  Here’s an example at 3:35:

The mini Bollywood movie approach here is fun, energetic and entertaining just like the music video’s song. The gimbal shots and crossfades lend well to the dreaminess of a love story in the works and convey passage of time. Drastic angles edited to beats also emphasize the song’s style and feel. The deliberate use of slow motion sets the pace in accordance with the music and storyline. The matched action and framing gives us context and moves the story along with a ‘show don’t tell’ technique.

Now, I wouldn’t recommend faking someone out with a false persona to get a date.  But, it seemed to work for this guy and the answer to the Unanswered Question appears to be yes – he got the girl! 🙂