Christ, Pre-Video Assignment

Good Example:

This New York Times video is an excellent example of a multi-media project. Starting off, the topic choice is both relevant and fascinating. Nepal is recovering from a devastating earthquake in April, so by picking a topic that is recent the journalist is already attracting viewers. In the video itself, I like how it started off by introducing a woman with cataracts. Despite a language barrier, the journalist is able to explain how cataracts impacts her life and prevents her from being able to work. He then introduces the doctor who is fixing cataracts in Nepal. There are close ups of the surgery itself and we see just how simple the surgery is. I also like how the journalist puts cataracts in perspective, saying how in the U.S. a surgery like this is very common and a simple fix. The video goes full circle by showing the woman from the beginning being treated. It ends by showing her reaction to her fixed vision, which provides the perfect closure for the story the journalist told.

Bad Example:



While the topic of this video is very important, I think The Washington Post could have done a much better job at telling it. Throughout the video, the main subject tells his story of recovering from substance abuse and tries to encourage those suffering from the addiction to come forward. The Post relies on a formal sit-down interview with him and photographs to tell the story. I think it could have been improved by including B-roll footage and perhaps following him around in his day-to-day life.  I think it would have been better to have a narrator instead of text on the screen giving context to the story. I also would have liked to see more statistics on the number of people who suffer from addiction in the U.S. and maybe more information on how AIDS became less stigmatized in this country.