You’ll probably watch this news package and not even register the editing. This video has been manipulated aurally and visually – but that’s not a bad thing. We often associate the word “manipulation” with wrong-doing, but here, it just means the use of editing to help tell a story.
I think we can all agree that this heartwarming story is worthy of being told. Part of the reason this package won an Associated Press Award for Best Feature Story was because of how it was told.
At the beginning of the story, we have an introductory graphic with a title, and at the end we have a fadeout. This adds to the dramatic elements of the naturally cinematic feature.
We have elevated b-roll audio that has obviously been recorded in one take of the family and loved ones talking as we hear narration and see cuts of different connections. Jump cuts make this snappy but effective as we see the true capacity of love among the group.
We see clear examples of audio editing with level raising whenever the father is holding the baby close. The baby’s sounds are present throughout, and elevated.
That ending bite is also elevated, when the father utters “I could hold you forever,” into the baby’s ear. What a punchy ending, that truly summarize the point of the package.
Once you “see” the editing, you can’t un-see it. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It is vital to the package’s worth. How different would the story be without manipulation?
Gabrielle Anania 