Gore Criticized for High Electric Bills

By Sarah Damian

I watched an Associated Press video online about Al Gore’s high electric bills. The reporter’s voice was very clear and pleasant to follow along with. I know that online news video has to keep listeners’ interest, but I felt a certain urgency in the package; it was a bit speedy, and the extra quick pace almost made it seem like it was put together just as fast when I noticed how some audio was cut off and overlapped by the succeeding clip.

The video montage at the beginning was well done, with one clip flowing into the next as the reporter mentioned Gore’s documentary and appearance at the Oscars. The nat sound was good as well, with the voice of Gore in an interview softly in the background, bringing you to the scene but not distracting you from the message in the reporter’s voice over.

There was much use of titles over pictures of Gore’s Nashville mansion. I think with all the statistics in the package, having words with the audio can be a helpful supplement for the benefit of the viewer’s understanding. But after awhile, I thought it was a bit much and detracted from the professional look of the story. I enjoyed the graphic though showing the ways that Gore was being environmental-friendly. With a green background, the graphic listed his use of wind-generated energy, methane gas, and solar panels.

So overall it was a cohesive piece. The B-roll correlated with the sound bites, and despite a couple choppy audio cuts, the story flowed well, made sense, and dealt with the most immediate newsworthy information.