Best of Photojournalism 2006: TV News Editing: Winners
Editors Feature (editors) Finalists
(In Alphabetical Order)
- Ram Guzman, KTVT-TV, Dallas, TX
- “Katrina Closer”
- Josh Maranhas, KDVR-TV, Denver,CO
- “What it Sounds Like to be American”
- Robert Marshall, MSNBC
- “The Battle of Fallujah”
- Michael Nunez, KCNC-TV, Denver, CO
- “sk8er bois”
Winners
- 1st Robert Marshall, MSNBC “The Battle of Fallujah”
- 2nd Michael Nunez, KCNC-TV, Denver, CO, “sk8er bois”
- 3rd Ram Guzman, KTVT-TV, Dallas, TX, “Katrina Closer”
Judges' comments
“The winner in this category did a remarkable job of editing,” Ron Kabele said. “The story followed the exploits of a group of soldiers in Iraq. Everything clicked; good use of sound, varied pacing, and tension. Many photographers might feel that it was the pictures that made the story. I totally disagree. The editor took this piece to a completely different level that transcended almost anything I saw during the week. It was a piece to be truly proud of.”
“I also liked the story about kids skating. With a runtime of less than a minute, the editor managed to convey the reasons why these kids loved to skate and packaged it in a dizzying array of images and sounds. I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job with the material.
“I expected a lot of good entries in this category, and you didn’t disappoint us. But if there’s any advice I can offer, it’s to not always rush your stories. Plenty of the entries would have been better had you opened up the stories with more sound. If the idea is to somehow connect with the viewer, you’ve got to respect the fact that the viewer is seeing this for the first time and won’t have the chance to see it again.”
Judge Sandy Spencer said, “The editor’s feature is always a challenging category because of the fact that many stories are submitted that possess excellent storytelling. This is the category that, in some cases, an editor fights for in a news operation. And in most cases, an editor enjoys and strives to perfect in order to showcase his or her talents. Many photographers do not like handing off their feature stories to editors, but a skilled editor can add another aspect to the photographer’s vision for a piece.”
“This was the case for the winning entrant in the Editor’s Feature (Editor), ‘The Battle of Fallujah.’ The editor gave the story pacing and flow. ‘The Battle of Fallujah’ started out as a somewhat typical war story and crescendos in intensity to show a day in the life of a Marine on the front lines. The editor successfully used musical interludes as a means of transition and pacing. The mark of a good story is that it does not feel as long as the actual total running time. In the case of ‘The Battle of Fallujah’ at 6:30, it left me wanting to see more.
‘“Sk8er bois,’ the second place winner for Editor’s Feature (Editors), was good because it captured the feel of a skate park and the kids who frequent them. ‘Sk8er bois’ did a nice job of breaking up the sound bites with natural sound. The editor successfully used the tried and true power of three’s rule of editing.
“Second place winner, ‘This is the Reason,’ is a good example of how a traditional, straight cut story can showcase great photography. ‘This is the Reason’ has seamless sequencing and transitions. This package is a good news story on many levels. It shows viewers that handicapped individuals are capable of almost anything.”
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