Freshmen Broadcast Critique

Pre-production: We came up with the idea of interviewing freshmen because it was the beginning of the year and interviewing the new freshmen would make a good segment. We didn't do any research for our segment, we knew that we needed medium shots and close ups. The problem was that we didn't think the film through, and the segment didn't totally fall apart, but it didn't come out to great. We planned on just interviewing freshmen, and getting b-roll of the campus in general. We didn't think of interviewing teachers that taught freshmen classes. Finding people to interview wasn't difficult because we went after siblings of people we knew. Unfortunately technical issues ruined some planning. We also needed to picture what would be said as b-roll was made.

Production: Quality: For the most part, we went after shots that were straight and static, framing both the interviewer and person being interviewed. Since we had a limited time to film, we just went with the location around us. Our b-roll was fine as basic b-roll, but it didn’t really shine or directly relate to what was being said during the interviews. As far as framing for the whole piece, it was mostly medium shots, with few exceptions. The shots really are uninteresting; it would make more sense with a more exiting interview. There was very little camera movement in the interviews, but the b-roll was shaky. Lighting wasn’t a real focus; we just wanted to avoid silhouetting and extreme brightness. Our audio was a problem at first, because it did not come out at all, but when we re-filmed our interviews the audio came out well and there weren’t any distracting noises.

Script: We didn’t include any voice overs, or music in the piece, so there is no real introduction or closure, just interviews. We didn't use the script as a tool to help us, we just went after opportunities to get shots and interviews.The script needed a lot of work before it could be of any use.

Editing: There aren’t any technical issues in the segment, as far as sound being too loud or any jump cuts. The only effect we used in the segment was a close up of an interviewee as they answered a question about Freshmen Friday to give it some horror aspect and a little comedy.  Another notable edit was zooming quickly in and out of a trash can as the interviewee talked about Freshmen Friday. During the interviews we added some writing that went with what was being said, making the more exciting to watch. B-roll was put in last minute and really didn’t add to the piece.

Overall: My favorite part about the piece is adding writing that went with what the interviewee was saying, it felt better to watch it rather than just the interviews in a regular shot. It had the same feel as b-roll. I would add interviews with teachers, or another staff member that would be important to the freshmen, the only other things I would add are necessary like music and voice overs. The most important thing I can take away from this project in picturing as you plan your piece. It may be difficult at first, but it is better to think when you are still in pre-production before having to improvise near the deadline.