This is the exact type of thoughtful half-hour piece we were hoping to find when we decided to run a Katrina show. It's well produced and gripping. The three men interviewed are great story tellers, and their conversation is nicely woven together without narration. The only small criticism I have is that the piece takes a very different turn about 2/3 of the way through, when all the action ends and the criticism/analysis begins. The mens' comments about the way the Katrina situation was handled and their general complaints about the administration are important to hear, but it begins to wear on the listener after a while, making the beginning of this documentary much stronger than the end. I wonder if those big-picture observations at the end of this piece could have been sprinkled throughout the entire half-hour more evenly to keep the listener more engaged to the end.
Having said all that, I think this is a really excellent production, and I was very happy to find it. It's a story that should be heard, and it's told here very well through a producer who knew what he was doing.
This is the story of the Soul Savers' recollections of the days during and after Hurricane Katrina. The three men speaking have incredibly compelling stories. The interview is nicely mixed and makes you want to listen despite being a half hour long with no narration and no natural sound. Music adds to the piece nicely. I think the news reports at the beginning and ending are meant to give the piece context. But I would have loved it to be fleshed out with natural sound and really use the power of audio to add to the voices.
Comments for Soul Savers in The Big Easy
Produced by Stephen Grant
Other pieces by Stephen Grant
Rating Summary
2 comments
andrew walsh
Posted on September 01, 2006 at 07:34 AM | Permalink
Review of Soul Savers in The Big Easy
This is the exact type of thoughtful half-hour piece we were hoping to find when we decided to run a Katrina show. It's well produced and gripping. The three men interviewed are great story tellers, and their conversation is nicely woven together without narration. The only small criticism I have is that the piece takes a very different turn about 2/3 of the way through, when all the action ends and the criticism/analysis begins. The mens' comments about the way the Katrina situation was handled and their general complaints about the administration are important to hear, but it begins to wear on the listener after a while, making the beginning of this documentary much stronger than the end. I wonder if those big-picture observations at the end of this piece could have been sprinkled throughout the entire half-hour more evenly to keep the listener more engaged to the end.
Having said all that, I think this is a really excellent production, and I was very happy to find it. It's a story that should be heard, and it's told here very well through a producer who knew what he was doing.
Ahndi Fridell
Posted on April 09, 2006 at 05:20 AM | Permalink
Review of Soul Savers in The Big Easy
This is the story of the Soul Savers' recollections of the days during and after Hurricane Katrina. The three men speaking have incredibly compelling stories. The interview is nicely mixed and makes you want to listen despite being a half hour long with no narration and no natural sound. Music adds to the piece nicely. I think the news reports at the beginning and ending are meant to give the piece context. But I would have loved it to be fleshed out with natural sound and really use the power of audio to add to the voices.