Best of Photojournalism 2006: TV News Editing: Winners
Video Editor of the Year Finalists
(In Alphabetical Order)
- Steve Fedoriska
- KCNC-TV / Denver, CO
- Jason Hanson
- KSTP-TV / Minneapolis, MN
- Matthew Rafferty
- WJW-TV / Cleveland, OH
Video Editor of the Year Runner Up
Matthew Rafferty WJW-TV / Cleveland, OH
Video Editor of the Year
Jason Hanson KSTP-TV / Minneapolis, MN
Judges' comments
“Individual stories were often terrific,” Ron Kabele said. “Consistency was a problem, though. And I was happy to see many good examples of natural sound.
“Opens and middles were also generally good. But lots of stories had problems with their closing sequences, often ending on an innocuous sound bite with flat sound. That's certainly excusable in certain live situations, but it's all, too, often a huge letdown in feature stories.
“Another thing to watch out for: segments categorized as ‘Under Deadline’ often veered into ‘Feature Category’ territory. You're not helping yourself by trying to push the rules.
“The winning tape didn't always have the BEST stories, but all were solid. I especially liked the ‘Under Deadline’ about K- 9 bloodhounds. It was visually creative and had terrific pacing. It also had plenty of good news content and didn't rely on too much visual gimmickry.
“Recently, I edited a ten-minute story that had no dissolves, no effects, no music, and no narration. It was hard to do and made my head hurt. But editing this style really helps sharpen my skills. Next year, I'd like to see people take more chances on editing a straight, traditional feature. Effects are great, but going minimalist can really build your storytelling skills. And these days, if you want to differentiate yourself from the competition, going minimalist might be a good strategy.”
Sandy Spencer said, “The overall quality of the entries this year was very high and quite difficult to judge. The majority of the entrants demonstrated a superior talent for their craft.”
“The winner of the 2005 NPPA EOY Competition has a wonderful mix of news, feature and effects. The effects were appropriate and added to the storytelling of each piece. In each of the packages, the editing was a large part of the pacing of the story. The slight placement of music added instead of distracted from the packages. This editor has an excellent feel for editing.
“The way the editor depicted the 911 call in the ‘Freeway or Bust’ story was superb. He was able to make the viewer feel as though they were part of the event. Sometimes it is hard to bring life to events after they have happened with little to no video.
“The editor added a touch of class and humor to the ‘Boat Party’ through the shot choices, effects and pacing.
“It seems as though some of the stories from the other EOY entrants relied too much on effects and music to tell the story rather than good solid editing.”
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