Details
Category: Feature
Media: Audio Slideshow
Turnaround time: More than a month
Description of story
Since 1984, Curt Brown has been a foster parent to several adult men with autism, living with them in his home in Gardiner, Maine. He has forged a deep bond with many of the residents, but the commitment has also entailed personal sacrifice, including long-term relationships. As he turns 65, Curt confronts what lies ahead for him, as well as for the seven men living with him.
Feedback requested
Bond b/w Curt and Timmy is almost only in the audio. Is this a good use of multiple media to tell a richer story, or a weakness that the images do not more literally reinforce the audio? Is 3 parts effective, or would a longer single piece be better?
Gear used in production
Stills: Nikon D200
Audio: Olympus DS-2 with ATR-55 mic
Audacity for audio editing
Soundslides for audio slideshow production
Kevin:
Overall I really like this project.
I do think you are asking good and important questions.
I am not a fan of “show and tell” where you see what the audio is referring to or vice versa. I think there are times, like with the bowling, that bringing the natural (nat) sound makes sense. I thought you had interesting and compelling images and a solid interview.
I liked the three chapter format because it made sense in how to tell their story. I think a longer single piece, first and foremost bumps up your load time because of the audio. What is nice with the chapters is that you give me the opportunity to continue if I want or come back, skip ahead, there are some options.
I think the bigger question, and something I struggle with, is how many strong images do I have, how many secondary but story telling images are there, and then how long is my audio. The piece has a nice steady rhythm to it that works, both visual and audio, and they compliment each other well.
My only technical nit pick is that the sound seems higher in chapter three, took me out of the story for a moment, but nothing big.
Your piece raises a lot of questions, which is good, I am left wanting to know more.