How not to make a video profile
I picked today’s video because it’s actually an example of how not to do a character-driven narrative. In the past we’ve gone through some really cool videos, so I thought it would be good to post a video that is problematic for multiple reasons.
The gist of this video is that Dan Les takes clay from the earth and molds it into beautiful sculptures. The adjectives here, I think, are ones like ‘beauty,’ ‘tradition,’ ‘art,’ etc, but the problem is that the video does not go out of its way to shoot them.
The first issue I have with the video is that there is an annoying background music track playing throughout the entire piece. I think silence would have been much more effective here. Pottery to me seems like a quiet exercise where the only sound is that of skin on clay and the spinning pottery wheel. The music gives it a cheesy 90s vibe.
My second issue with the video is that it doesn’t really take the viewer on a journey. Much like I did with my blacksmith video, the videomaker seemed content to merely tell me about the claymaker. There was no showing — where does he get his clay, what does his family and friends think of his work? Who sees his work? Is he a starving artist, an unknown genius?
The cinematography is very pretty, I will give the video that. Lots of varied shots, lots of sequencing, lots of interesting colors and lighting situations. Unfortunately, there was no cinematic moments, I think. I got the impression that it was a collection of b-roll shots laid over an a-roll track.
I want to like the video simply because the subject matter is so interesting, but the lack of a narrative bored me. Honestly, I only watched up to about 2 or 3-ish minutes, and then I skipped through the rest. And that is the kiss of death.
