Cowboy Poet

This is excellent; so glad to see this after hearing so much about it on the pitch sessions!

nice job, Jeff! Great piece. I wasn't a huge fan of the interview shots with the sun behind him. It's impossible to see his face, but after i saw that you had more interview stuff i was ok with it..it fits the mood well after watching the entire thing. The only things i'm bothered by are the reversed clip at 3:50, the font used (doesn't really match the mood i'm feeling while watching) and the jumpy audio levels. See if Pat can help you out with the levels. Definitely worth submitting for some awards, though. Damn good job! So proud. Let's go to Disney World!

Good job with editing this pod. I like the character showing his daily life as something not many people watching Current TV would experience often. Putting a poem in the middle and at the end was also a nice way of shifting gears and moving from one part to the next. The text cards in two places also emphasized important aspects of the information side and no so intrusive. Good job at keeping an eye on the visual storytelling aspect with details of the injuries and tattoo of the cowboy. I am not sure if this could be edited down at all, or perhaps one more variation of music could be put in to make it seem less drawn out.

Hey Jeff,
You did a great job with this! He's more of a cowboy than most people will ever meet, and you capture the spirit of his work and inspiration for his poetry really well. There are some audio issues where occasionally the music is a little overpowering, but we can work on that, and like I mentioned to you earlier, another poem around the mid section might help keep the poetry part central to the story, but again this is really great man.

"another poem .......might help keep the poetry part central to the story"

Good suggestion. I agree about the audio levels but otherwise a great job.

I like this guy and would like to meet him.

Great first cut. You definitely got me interested in his story and way of life. I feel like it's running just a tad too long right now, and I feel that this pod could work really well as a 3-4 minute slice-of-life piece. There really isn't an identifiable storyline here (which is ok), and the pod is more about his character and unique lifestyle, and I think the viewer gets those things fairly quickly. I would agree that you need at least one more poetry reading (consider putting one right at the top), but you should work on cutting down some of the interviews to make the piece stronger. Great visuals too. Excellent job so far.

Wow that was such a wonderful, balanced look at the cowboy lifestyle - well done!

This is cut 2.0 as of 5/5/08 7:30p.m.

So cool to see. Took me right back home to Wyoming.

You even shoe your own horses... Now that's a jack of all trades!!

cool poetry partner

jeff,
I really enjoyed this piece. Great contrast between the roughness of a cowboy's lifestyle and his tender heart.
great job,

Jeff you did a great job showing Tommy's life. He is my son and it was good to see so many people appreciate his life. He is a REAL cowboy - always has been. I am very proud of him and his talent. Glad you enjoyed it.

A rough draft for a rough life.

Two thumbs up!

You did a really great job with this, Jeff. I think it's great!

I appreciated the role of bringing in poetry through the daily experience of this cowboy "poet". People in previous posts have already expressed some of the positives and possible areas of change for this pod. An excellent blend of action shots which truly express the challenge that individuals have in working with horses. I appreciated several of the camera angles. Additionally, the evening sun shots on the face of the cowboy "poet" were excellent, providing for a soft glow. As previously mentioned in other discussions, certainly changing the position of the poetry readings through sunset are essential to see the cowboy's face and expression. Excellent demonstration of the will and drive to work with the horse. Well shot and put together.
Danielmklopp