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The judges selected "Road Hogs" as the clear winner. It was easily the most memorable story of the bunch. The judges were impressed by the teamwork and commitment to building a better than average story. Judge Tom Riehm said "They took the time to find the story. They could have so easily said here's a traffic accident. They took the time to find the story in the story." "Road Hogs" stood for its great storytelling, memorable video and a memorable script that included the line "Hog heaven ain't looking so great, either." Judge Kristen Bergeron praised the photographer's commitment saying "The photographer did a great job weaving his audio and for the most part had steady, composed shots- and he wasn't afraid to get right in there with the hogs. It could have just been another accident, another pileup, another set of frustrated drivers. But they took the time to find the story behind the average story."
"A Day in the Life" is a standout in a field of very, very good stories. This story showcased some of the strongest attributes of storytelling- beginning middle and end, action/reaction, characters- that really pushed it over the top. Pretty pictures yes, but finding moments and making the most out of them is what made this the winning entry.
The top 3 stories; “The Star Who Fell, “Erik’s Heroes,” and “The Notes,” were all very close in our opinion. In fact if we were to give grades they would be an “A+,” an “A,” and an “A-”. After much discussion we felt “The Notes” deserved the nod. The photographer and the reporter had a great approach to the story. Love stories are, in our opinion, extremely difficult to convey. And this story had only the wife to convey the love. The reason why these 3 stories were the best in our opinion, the photography brought us into the story. All gave us the sense we were right there following along. Each photographer in these 3 stories had outstanding interviews. I highly suggest checking them out if you can. “The Notes” took us on a fabulous journey with a great payoff moment. A kind of thanks for waiting around, here’s why you’ve been waiting around. We are glad to have had the chance to watch these stories. A three-way tie could’ve been easily decided. But, in the end we decided “The Notes” had just a slight edge.
After discussion, upon discussion, upon discussion, the judges could not single out a winner. So they settled on a tie for two very worthy stories. The stories, although spot news, were very different in their approaches. "You Can Lose Everything" was a reaction to an event after most of it had occurred. "Bolts on the Beach" was unfolding before out eyes as the crew was there before the spot news even began. Both stories were shot impeccably.
"You Can Lose Everything" was textbook in its approach. As viewers, we felt as if we were at the scene. We felt the pain and a connection to the residents affected by the flooding. The photographer and reporter were perfectly in synch. They found and presented the emotion perfectly. There were great tight shots and very well composed shots including a tell-all closing shot. Judge Christine Haas described the story "as a short period of time perfectly humanized by a hardworking team".
"Bolts on the Beach" could not be ignored for its rare perspective on a spot news event as it happened. It was a combination of luck and skill. Capturing the lightning bolt and the ensuing scene made for a great spot news story. The photographer showed great decision making in a chaotic atmosphere. All of the photographer's were so perfect, they could have told the story without a reporter's track. Judge Kevin Peter's commented "the fact the photographer thought out his shots so thoroughly in a very stressful and crazy situation made this story stand-out from the rest."
The judges felt "Healing Fields" was clearly the best story of the bunch. The judges loved the way the photographer worked the reading of the names in with the story of the story's characters. They also liked how the photographer never really showed the speaker full frame because they were not a character, but more of a natural sound byte through the piece. What stood out particualrly was the variety of angles and natural sound. The judges said "we couldn't stop watching this story. It made us want more. The closing shot left us with goose bumps." The great us of interviews and allowing the characters to tell their stories is what really made this story stand out.
"Got No Game" was the cream of the crop. This reporter based story was a different approach to a story done many times. It was creative and full of well thought out shots. The teamwork stood out and put it ahead of of many well shot nat sound pieces that just didn't tell a great or complete story. "Got No Game" was perfectly edited and had great pacing with nat sound edits in all the right spots, yet the story was allowed to breathe. The surprise was wonderful and was revealed at just the right moment. The sound was crisp and clear and the closing shot was a perfect ending to a great story. A special mention should be given to "They Really Light Up", which had some beautiful, well composed eye candy. A treat to watch.
A special note from the judges to those doing nat sound pieces. Make sure you have the proper narrative to explain your stories. Too often during judging, the judges were scratching their heads asking the basic who, what, where, when why and how of the stories they watched.
The judges felt all of the entrants were worthy of NPPA Regional wins! They expressed how impressed they were with the hard work that each story showed. In the end, they felt three stories stood out from the rest; "Cowboy Jones", "Smells like Baseball" and "What Happened Here". The judges said "all 3 photographers did a great job of telling a story, capturing moments and demonstrated just plain good photography." Two judges split on "Cowboy Jones" and "Smells like Baseball", two others felt "What Happened Here" should be honored for the extraordinary effort and challenges that the photographer faced covering the story. One judge remarked "it's one thing to shoot compelling sequences/moments in semi-controlled situations. It's another to cover a story 90 miles an hour and do a good job!" It was this effort that put "What Happened Here" over the top.
"Panic and Confusion at 10th & Lincoln" is a true representation of Spot News: immediate, compelling, and natural.
Despite the location, nothing was forced, everything played out naturally in front of the camera and in the edit. In chaotic situations it's hard to keep the mantra "Wide.Medium.Tight.get the moment" this situation would have been more difficult yet the photographer kept it all together by getting crisp natural sound, action - reaction, and wove everything together seamlessly. The photojournalist put us right in the middle of the story and made it very memorable, emotional, and experiential.
"I Hope He said Thank You," "I Heard Something Go Boom," and "North End Harford Shooting" also demonstrated unique and refreshing Spot News. The stories had exceptional shot variety, great moments, and extreme attention to detail - which made all the stories a joy to watch - but fell short to the immediacy and clean audio of the winning story.
The judges felt the category was stacked. Virtually every entry was solid. Amazing sequencing and multiple scene elements packed into these daily turns are two components evreyone should strive to include in their daily stories. Typically there isn't that much time in our days to finesse a detailed sequence. However, if we constantly practice our basic storytelling and technical skills, when the time does come where we have a great shoot and time to edit, we're able to make magic with ease. It's apparent to us that this group of photographers seem to subscribe to that philosophy. The unique, visual, and compelling story appeared...each was prepared to tell it! "We Gotta Clean Up" did this better than any of the other entries in a very strong field.
The stories that made the final cut were, "Kitty Kitty," "Top the Cops, "A Day with the Heels, "Can't Fly Out," and "Sounding Better." "Top the Cops" was shot very well, but needed more natural moments, reactions, and a personal story with a stong ending. "Can't Fly Out" was a very nice, well shot feature. It had a beginning, middle and end, plus some cute moments. "A Day with the Heels" was a great 24 hour effort by the videographer to document Tar Heel fan's excitement while winning a national championship. "Kitty Kitty" also required long hours. The videographer worked overnight to capture what happened in a vet hospital. The difference between the two was that the "Heels" fan story was "made for TV." The standard celebration in the streets and a staged event at the end (which was weak.) Even though it did capture the excitement, there was nothing journalistically special, nor was a personal story told. Fan reaction, is just that....fan reaction. It was a very good effort and shot well, but "Kitty Kitty" was the winner. This story involved real human (or pet) drama. It drew the judges in the most with a variety of emotions and story lines. It was driven by natural sounds, moments, and sound bites. It involved both "action" (trying to save pets) and "reaction" (joy and sorrow.) The videographer was given access and used it well. He (or she) captured the efforts of the vets and the helplessness of the pet owners. That is why the judges picked "Kitty Kitty" as the winner. It was the strongest journalistically and strong visually. However, it was not perfect technically. It did have a few unneeded and distracting slow motion shots and black and white shots. Effects can be distracting when they get in the way of reality. Good job otherwise.
"The judges chose K-9 Grad as their winner. They were sold on the photographer's commitment to the story. The judges said "the photojournalist was there every step of the way, demonstrating great teamwork between the photojournalist and the reporter." The judges were very impressed with the editing, particularly the sound editing. The said, every track, every moment had a great nat exclamation point edited in, at just the right point. "The photojournalist paid great attention to detail and grabbed some incredible sequences of the K-9 dogs in training. Wonderful story." The judges said "A Work in Progress" was a close second, saying "the photojournalist had a vision for the story, executed it very well, and it really paid off!"
This story was a clear cut winner, standing head and shoulders above the other entries in the minds of the judges. It was the only story of the eight entries that had compelling, memorable characters that told the story. It is frequently difficult to remember the need for a strong human element when covering a spot news event; flames, floods, and bullets often rule the day. The photojournalist can get caught up in capturing the action - and forget this crucial element to telling a good story. This was the case with many of the other entries.
We were all very impressed with the quality of the photography and storytelling. But I have to say that we were a little disappointed with the over use of dissolves and other effects and thought it might have the hurt the pacing of some of the stories.
Some pieces stood out above the rest. We felt that "Plenty of Fish" was a close number two. It had great characters, wonderful moments, and flawless editing in what was an awesome photographer/reporter team effort on a daily turn. Some others worth mentioning were, "A Final Salute" for great sequencing and emotion, "Wide Spread Cheating" for the brilliant photography, and "Reboot" for pacing and creativity.
In the end, "A Fighting Chance" rose above the rest. It was extremely solid in all aspects of photography and storytelling. Some of the nat sound was as crisp and clean as it gets. There were great wides and tights, the photographer's work ethic really showed throughout. Extremely emotional storytelling with a solid beginning, middle, and end. The commitment was there to tell the whole story--and it shows. GREAT JOB!
We watched the best of the best 11 good story with great commitment for storytelling, but only two pieces stand above the others!! Winter Camping ( nat sound piece ) & Panda Athletic Club (reporter&photog piece).. Winter Camping with the excellent composition, steady-smooth video & great effort by photog and then Panda Athletic Club, judges felt they were inside the club close to action and reaction with the surprise interduction of the pet chicken!! Great nat moments,good photog & reporter work, over all good storytelling. That's what we were looking for. Panda Athletic Club was chosen as the best 48 HR Feature of 1st Q of 2005.
Overall, all of the entries we judged were excellent, in fact picking only one winner became a debate. What made "Tabi's Journey" stand out was the attention to detail and storytelling techniques. All the interviews were solid: great composition and lighting. The photography was dynamic and flawless. The winner didn't just follow the family's journey and throw the story together - a lot of thought went into bringing it to life. There were transitions, and added touches (like great use of calendars, clocks, and planes) that kept the viewers connected throughout Tabi's long journey.
