Sarah Albert's WHNPA Makeup Assignment

Sarah Albert, Make-Up WHNPA Assignment Analyzing winning entries from The Eyes of History 2011 Contest

1. “Roll Call” 1st place On Capitol Hill category of still photography
link: "http://www.whnpa.org/contest/eyes2011/stills/oncapitolhill/index.shtml

I think this picture deserved to win not only because of the subject but also because of the skill involved. First, the expression on his face is priceless. Often politicians look as though they have no emotion, and yet this photographer was able to capture a moment in which he appears nervous. The controversy surrounding Representative Rangel’s ethics violations were huge, and this picture gives a glimpse into his personal world. In addition, he (as well as the man next to him) stand out thanks to the contrast between their black suits and the gray/white of the rest of the picture. Had the picture been darkened any more, I don’t think it would be as powerful.

2. Debates, 1st Place Political Video Editing category of Video Editing
link: http://www.whnpa.org/contest/eyes2011/editing/political/index.shtml

This piece took the topic of presidential debates and made it interesting. The professor who was focused on made the point that debates are the only “real” moment in politics where the politicians don’t have full control over the situation. Not only was it interesting, but the technical side of it was excellent. The intro was bits of various big memories of debates, such as Palin asking if she could call Joe Biden “Joe”, and the quick, clean editing of the audio and video made you want to hear more. In addition, they kept cutting between video of the actual debate and video of the professor talking. However when they cut back to the professor, he was in a very dark room with up to three monitors, all showing the scene from the debate they had just shown. This helped the continuity of the piece and helped it flow. There are also great shots from behind the professor’s glasses, showing him watching the debates, and towards the end they show a close-up of the professor’s face and all you see is his face lit up from the various glares of the television screen. The artistic shots that are placed throughout the video are unexpected and definitely make it a winning piece.