http://www.pbs.org/video/2365489505/
Robin Williams – On Masks
The music that the producers of this digital story added matches the words perfectly, and adds another wonderful element of this production. Music is often overlooked, but I feel the most critical and emotional component in digital storytelling, and filmmaking. It changes everything, and adds a visceral element, that is impossible to replace. Requiem for a Dream has one of the greatest scores of all time, without the score, this movie loses everything.
- Indicate what assessment/evaluation traits you selected and why (in other words, what’s your rationale as a critic of this story?)
| Story | How well did the story work? This trait can address structure, engagement, character transformation or any of the other qualities of story discussed in Part II. In fact, an entire rubric can be devoted to evaluating the quality |
| Originality, voice, creativity | How creative was the production? Did the student exhibit an original sense of voice and a fresh perspective? |
- The extent to which these traits are successfully present and utilized in the given story
The story in this piece is incredibly heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time. The realization that Robin Williams committed suicide due to his depression and inner demons affects the way I look at everything he says in this piece. However, I also look at him in a very fond way as far as a comedian and entertainer. There is a wonderful story here about his views on the world and on comedy. The execution of the original sketches that have been created for his words are wonderful as well.
- What these traits fail to capture about the selected story (that is, what other characteristics of the story are noteworthy, and why?)
I think his backstory and history since this was recorded more than 20 years ago have a huge impact on this story and how it is perceived by its audience.
- Based upon your trait evaluation, what modifications and changes to this digital story might improve aspects of narrative, production, media usage, and/or audience engagement?
I do not have much constructive criticism for this digital story as it is done incredibly professionally by PBS about a famous and beloved actor who recently committed suicide. They did not cut any corners in the making of this piece and it is very well made. I would have liked to see more real images of him in this photos included, or videos, but that may also take away from the director’s vision of an animated and audio driven digital story.
dcucdenver 