The Coast. Feat Danny Supa. Skateboarding

Hey Ben,
I've made a bunch of stuff for Current TV so I'm responding to your request for comments here, so that other VC2 producers can learn.

First, there are a lot of things I like about your film. And some criticisms that you can take or leave, if they help you or not.

First: really good footage. I really like the skateboarding shots and the shots describing the scenery, the inserts and the contrast between New York City and Santa Monica.

A little weaker is the interview with Danny sitting on a bench in Santa Monica. He's dark complexioned and you have him sitting in the sun against a bright background. The problem with this, as I see it, is that the people in the background distract from your subject. In addition, the contrast is too dark on his face and it's too hard to see him. Especially if you're filming dark-complexioned people, you have to light them properly or have them against a shady background so they will be better exposed by the camera.

Who did the camerawork? You should credit him or her in the credits to the right sidebar, not just at the end. Bring him into the Current.com fold.

Perhaps the most amateurish aspect of this video is how you have included yourself so obviously. Why do you show yourself giving the interview? Nobody does that unless they're famous. ;) Take out your questions and any footage of yourself - except maybe the cameo at the end. The piece needs to be about Danny and not you. If you want to make a first-person piece about your relationship to skateboarding, that's great, but then you need to address the camera and put in a lot more of yourself and your point of view. That would be an entirely different style that what you have going on here.

You can put a lot of the interview audio over shots of Danny skating and B-Roll. Don't put subtitles over the audio unless it's completely unintelligible. Try to cut this piece down to get rid of the filler and cut the interviews to their most interesting, punchy core. Overall the piece is too long, you should cut it shorter and re-submit it. It's a great topic for Current TV. Current loves skateboarding.

Definitely put in a lot more footage of the skateboarder himself, other skateboarders and the footage shot FROM a skateboard. That's the most interesting stuff. I think you have a third character almost near the end of the film. Not sure why you put his name up there but never interview him. Either take his name out or introduce him more solidly.

Overall I think you have a very creative eye, you just need to edit it tighter and keep it moving.

Hope this helps,
Julie
p.s. as Buddha said of the Dharma, Take what works for you, let the rest go. That goes for my critique as well.