Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Niles West High School Entry Title: Lights, Camera, Action: A Day Behind the Curtain in High School Theatre Entry Credit: Lizzie Keane Judge Comment: Love the concept behind this video! The length is just right. The pace is fast. The first minute is really strong, with good audio and interesting b-roll. But then the technical quality of the audio noticeably declines and some of the b-roll looks shaky. What do you think caused these changes? Also, the ending feels abrupt. But overall, this is a solid video!
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Niles West High School Entry Title: Crochet, Culture and Confidence: Junior Emilia Rydzewski Does It All Entry Credit: Lizzie Keane Judge Comment: This had the potential to be an outstanding video, but three things undercut it: (1) It’s too long; it should be cut in half. (2) It tries to cover too much ground; a focus on only one of Emilia’s activities, such as her crochet business, would have been the right move. (3) There’s too much footage of Emilia as a talking head; we really need more b-roll. But again, lots of potential here! For future videos, remember to give careful attention to the three things mentioned above: length, focus, b-roll.
