Best of Photojournalism 2008: Video News Editing: Winners

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Clips from the Video News Photography and Editing winners in the Best of Photojournalism 2008 are viewable at Poynter Online.

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Editor of the Year Finalists

(In Alphabetical Order)

Shawn Montano: KCNC/Denver, CO
Matthew Rafferty: WJW/Cleveland, OH

Runner Up

Matthew Rafferty: WJW/Cleveland, OH

Editor of the Year

Shawn Montano: KCNC/Denver, CO

Judges’ comments

Lori Allred

We as judges were hoping the quality of entries would provide a long hard debate, but instead, it took just seconds to decide. Shawn Montano was the clear winner. For the most part, the reason his stuff stood out is-he went back to the basics. He did a good job with pacing, eye movement, natural sound, and creating memorable moments. His editing did not get in the way of the story. That said, I wasn’t a fan of every piece. And once I learned whom we had selected, I was surprised I didn’t see thirty minutes of great editing, because I know he is capable of it.

For the competition over all, I was expecting much more from the editors. There is no doubt the talent is out there…we saw examples of it all week.

This years entries just didn’t measure up to previous years. I understand the editor is being asked to do more or more, and yet, the deadlines seem to get tighter and tighter.

Every art form has its challenges. If the editors want to continue to be respected for their craft, and not be considered merely ‘button pushers,’ they will need to figure out a way to overcome those obstacles. At the end of the year, I’d hope you would have the opportunity to create at least 5 or 6 pieces you’re proud of, to show for all your hard work.

John Hyjek

Let me first begin with the basics. Check your tape in another machine before you send it in folks. We had one entry that was beta SX dubbed onto SP tape in SX mode. It would not play back on any SP machine. The person who sent it in was a leading contender (based on their playable entries in other categories) for EOY.

In the end, editing comes down to the basic skills; clean cuts, a varied pace, rich sub textual natural sound and sequenced storytelling. Shawn Montano, this year, again proved he was master of the basics. His tape had a consistent level of pace, eye movement, and emotion. Enjoy his reel.

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