Video clips are now available for the winning entries from Q1 – Q4. Click on the thumbnail image to load the entry page. QuickTime 6 Required.
“Picking a national quarterly winner for the spot news category was easy”, said one judge. The judges selected “Goin’ Places” from the smaller than usual pool of first place winners. It easily stood out among the competition. “Goin’ Places” was a quick moving nat sound piece with a great storyline and plenty of solid characters. The judges were impressed by the commitment of the photographer to work in the adverse conditions that were the genesis for the story in the first place. The photographer overcame cold, snow and traffic and shot “one heck of a story”. The judges were also impressed “Goin’ Places” was so well done, no one even realized there wasn't a reporter present until it was all over. “Goin’ Places” is the blueprint for how nat sound pieces should be done.
Overall we found the category to be a good one but three stories separated themselves from the pack.
There was a fairly spirited debate between “Buck’s Big Blow” and “Hometown Hero". The winner “Hometown Hero” was packed with powerful images. The judges all commented on the fact that there were no wasted shots. Freeze almost any frame of "Hometown Hero" and you would have a powerful still image.
A VERY close second — “Buck’s Big Blow", was a well structured story with some great moments. It was not a story filled with “wow” shots, but it was shot with a quiet skill that told the story very well.
"The Voter’s Choice” also was well liked. All the judges remarked how nice it was to see such a well produced story that could have been a very straight forward MOS story about politics.
Every entry was solid. Great work. Bassick Pride was chosen as winner because its classic storyline was well executed. The story’s introduction established the main characters and their background. Their challenge was revealed by those in the story, not by the reporter. We could identify with the underdogs and really wanted them to win. A twist in the story at the end was presented well. And you can’t beat a crying football player. We loved the raw emotion. Even though the ending was a bit abrupt we still felt the story rose above the others. Fly Bird Fly came in a close second. The story of this random event just begged to be told. The production value of An Evening with a Harmonicat was outstanding. However it scored third on most of our judging sheets because very little of it was genuine. The subjects consistently played to the camera. Much of the story was manufactured in the main character’s home. We would have rather seen more natural environment emphasized.
There were many well done stories in this category, but it wasn't hard to pick a winner. “The Art of Compassion’ was not only superbly shot and edited, but brilliantly told. Some of the judges have seen this story before in other contests, but were still choked-up after watching it a second or third time
The story clearly involved a lot of pre-planning too, which deserves recognition.
Region 4’s “Brush With History” was the second favorite in the group. The editing was beautiful and looks like it must have taken forever! Again, the way the story was told, surprise after surprise, made it stand out.
The judges selected "History" as their winner because it had every element a good spot news story needs. It was the clear winner. The team was ready to record the event (the photojournalist was shooting the weather from the passenger seat). The writing was clear and clever at the same time. The photojournalist caught the moments and did not clutter them with forced edits. One judge summed up the winner with this "I suspect the stars were lining up that day."
The judges went on the say the remaining stories had great elements. They all had solid shooting and most photographers were in the right place at the right time. None of the remaining entries possesed all the elements that made "History" the clear winner.
The judges felt the general news category had a lot of good stories, but in the end felt just one story stood out. "The Contender" was the most memorable story of the bunch. It was a very solid story from beginning to end. The judges felt the entire story was solid from the storytelling to the use of steady, sequenced video and use of crisp, meaningful natural sound. The judges proclaimed temwork was key to the success of this story. One judge said "Of all the stories in this competition this is the one that had the most focus and commitment to that focus." They also felt the stand-up in this story was creative and very well done.
A lot of hard work and attention went into most of the stories we saw, however, there was not that one story you will remember forever. Good sequencing, surprises, and nice natural moments abounded through out, but the story that had it all in addition to absolutely stunning video was Region 9’s “Mike”. Region 5’s “Charlie” was also high on the judges’ minds but it fell short when it went head to head with “Mike”.
We picked “Come As You Are in Your Family Car” as the winner. It was funny, used great techniques and told a good story. It had the whole package, so to speak.
Overall, the category was good, as you'd expect from regional winners. The top stories in this bunch, though, were clearly better with “Come As You Are...” being the ultimate pick. It, along with the finalists “Motown Adams” and “The Big Eddy” displayed excellent storytelling with plentiful natural sound, great moments and artful, even inspired techniques.
The judges felt there were 3 outstanding stories in this bunch. "Cody's Rescue" was the clear winner. The judges commented "This story had it all. Drama, as well as some lighter moments, anticipation, emotion, and a great payoff. Clearly this photojournalist knows how to tell a good narrative story." It was the right choice to do this as a photo-essay. A reporter would have just gotten in the way.
Overall the entries were solid. The fight for 1st place was a tough one because there were 3 stories that stood out. But the story "You Make a Difference" was our final choice. The photographer of this story gave us a complete package from the beginning to the end of a very emotional event. The sound was crisp and the use of handheld camera was relevant and steady. It was obvious the photographer had to work his tail off to stay ahead of the story while capturing the moments that made it stand out.
We wanted to add that "Water Hazard" was a close 2nd. A very clever way of telling a weather related story without standing on an overpass. I gave us all a chuckle and had some great moments with the golfers and high water. It also made us want to run out and check our golf courses the next time it floods!
There was no clear cut winner that stood out above the others. In fact, there were three stories that were all very close in the ability of the photographer.
All three stories showed great photo chops, editing, and use of natural sound. Working in coordination with the reporter was also evident, and one, "Pole Vaulter", had a great standup.
"For Love of the Game" won because of the great hustle the photographer exhibited. While most of the shots were medium to wide, there was solid sequencing and matched action.
The photographer brought us out into the game as he got up close and personal following the players around the field and the baselines.
This story had natural moments after moments and personalized the story in a very creative way, utilizing other bowlers." Judge Chip Baysden summed it up this way, "I loved this story. Build, build, reveal!" The judges agreed the story was amazing, funny. It made you feel for the 100 year-old who hardly spoke. Great story.
The judges had a difficult time selecting a winner in this category. There were a few stories that shined above the others. The judges felt many of the pieces were either technically solid with a very good story, or technically superior with stories that fell a little flat where some great moments were involved. Overall the judges felt there were very strong efforts all around, especially when time constraints were figured in.
In the end, the judges recognized, "Apt. Fire" as the top choice. They felt at first glance, it appearded to be your typical "spot" piece, your average apartment fire story, but it was strong in so many areas. "It grabbed us from the start, we definitely felt as if we were there" the judges remarked. They saw great visuals, with wonderful storytelling technique. One judge said "the photographer did a great job with action/reaction and rock solid tripod work put this one over the top. This was a piece that was truly technically outstanding...a lot to learn from this photographer. It could've been an average spot news piece, but it was anything but average."
The judges felt there were a few stories that could have been a winner in this category. In the end, they felt "This Is Not Really A Pep Rally" was a cut above the others. The judges liked that it had a clear beginning, middle, and end and it revealed a nice surprise. The judges said the surprise was revealed perfectly, "not giving it away right at the beginning and not waiting too far into the piece." They felt the bites were put together perfectly to tell the story. They went on to say, "The sound transition was also well edited to compliment the photographers video." The judges thought this was an extremely tough story to tackle. All funerals are tough to shoot, but this one had great photography and storytelling.
In the feature category, the judges felt all of the stories were very well shot and edited. It's a rare occasion when the judges feel every story is worthy winning. The judges enjoyed the great original content and enterprise they saw from some stories. In the end the judges felt "We're a Happy Family" was the strongest piece. The judges weighted the fact the photographer did a great job of getting hard to get moments. "The sound was sharp and clean" they said. One judge summed it up by saying, overall it was the details that made this piece stand out."
