Takeout Cuba!
Fun story with well-sequenced b-roll. Subtitles and voice over control the narrative while the b-roll tells a visual story. Nice light, good motivated moves, fun interview with lots of character!
b-roll
The Regular, NYTimes – One in Eight million
One in 8 Million is an award-winning series produced by the New York Times. It uses the basic multimedia format of an audio slideshow. The photographs produced in black and white by Todd Heisler are accompanied by audio interviews that profile New York City residents who live interesting but uncelebrated lives. Unfortunately, the series was abandoned after 53 episodes.
Think of the storytelling photographs as b-roll and the audio interview as primary story and you will begin to understand the basic building blocks of multimedia and video stories.
Jim Carrey On Painting.
You can not tell a visual story effectively without compelling b-roll. That’s where the magic is! Check out this short, and take note of the camera movement and the various views – from wide establishing scene-setter, to medium, to tight detail shot. Listen how the audio narrative is woven together in this piece with synced and unsynced sound. Notice the powerful color and lighting captured in the frame.
If you want to make a movie, this is an excellent model to deconstruct. If you list the components of this video profile on Jim Carrey’s process and motivation to paint, you will crack the code to start your own project. Don’t forget to find a subject with an interesting story to tell and one that is visually interesting. And don’t forget that well-edited sound recording with proper mic placement and gain levels are also critical for success!