How to write a Feature Story

In class on Friday we we're able to explore the winning video by, Lina Sattarin. It was about sophomore, Abby Rist, and her love for golf. It started with a strong opening shot and voice over. She used the rule of thirds very well and made sure her shots were visually appealing. Lina also made sure her editing was precise so there would be no jump cut and that her video would flow. At the end of her video she had strong voice over with a memorable clip of Abby hitting the golf ball with the Nat noise in the background. Overall her video was very well put together and she did a very good job of collecting Abby's love of the sport. Below I have written a list of tips that I collected from the Honorable Mentions in my class:

How to get the appropriate out come to your feature story:
1.  Have a strong beginning shot and voice over
2.  Used the 6 shot system (using a mix gives it more variety and makes it more visually appealing)
3.  Make sure you have Nat noises (Nat: Natural noise)
4.  Have a good mix of B role and pieces from your interview. Note:  You can use your subjects voice as a voice over under B role
5.  Make sure you don't have any jump cuts try to edit your video to the best of your ability.
6.  Don't forget to have voice overs of yourself speaking about the topic throughout the video.
7.  Make sure you don't say I, We, or your name in the feature story.
8.  Have a strong ending with an impactful saying from the person your interviewing or say something to sum it up at the end of your video.

Feature Story Experience

I had to think of a narrative lede to start my story and so I used a quote from Jake himself. I didn't enjoy the writing portion of the assignment because I didn't feel like it was as personal. However, I enjoyed the creative freedom of writing it. 

My feature story was about Jake Bartley an Olathe Northwest junior that lives to dance. He told me about his experiences dancing and how he feels free when he dances. I also interviewed his mom who is so encouraging and proud of everything he does. I feel like Jakes dancing says all it needs to say about him. I didn't want to have a second interview because I didn't want to distract from all the amazing things Jake can do. I wanted my voice over to be as meaningful as Jakes dancing so it was hard for me to come up with the right things to say. I ended up having my mom help me with my voice over because she used to be a write so I wanted that feel to the story. I enjoyed watching my best friend do what he loves to do so it really brought me joy to be able to add his talents to the thing I love to do. my favorite part of my video is my beginning shot with the silhouette of Jake.

“I think the best word to describe how I feel when I’m dancing is probably free. Just because there's no other feeling like it. It’s hard to describe but it’s a good thing,” Jake Bartley said.

For some people dancing is just a casual way to have fun, but for Olathe Northwest junior, Jake Bartley, it’s a way of life. Jake dances all over the Kansas City area with an occasional class in New York City.

Bartley also participates in aerial dance which consists of silks, lira, and trapeze. He goes to classes at Lucia in Town Center to continue to work on his unique skills. Jake was inspired to start silks when he saw P!nk perform the intriguing style in concert several years ago.

Bartley is currently looking at colleges in Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, and New York. He is hoping to pursue dance as a career in the future. Jakes family and friends are all very supportive of his dancing and love watching him succeed in what he loves to do.

When life becomes stressful or he just needs a break, Jake Bartley turns to dance.