Video Example Critique - Tomeka Weatherspoon

The New York Times has a video story called, "The Women of Parkour," which is on their Web site. Parkour is defined as the art of moving efficiently. The story focuses on a select group of women who have been invading the sport. The men and women practice in a park-like atmosphere, performing various stunts and acrobatic moves.

It is a very visually appealing, while still offering a solid explanation of the sport.

There were weak spots in the interviews and lack of basic information about the story's setting. Though men and women were featured doing stunts, only women were interviewed. Of those only one name was credited. Specifics such as location and date were simply left out. These could have quickly been explained using narration.

The story would not have translated well through text. The most interesting aspect is in how unique their techniques look. It may be impossible to explain those kinds of images using words.

You can find the story here: http://video.on.nytimes.com