It is very well done and certainly tugs at the heart strings.

But I don't see what's so remarkable about this execution of a brilliant idea. Good crew, good gear, competant editor. Given the same budget and crew most here should have been able to pull it off. Maybe they don't realise they could but it's remarkable what one can do when you just take a deep breath and get down to it. There's certainly nothing in the video that Vegas would not have handled, included recording the location audio.

Bob.

ditto bob's remarks.

i used to, and still do occasionally handle 3+ camera tapes, and not necessarily synchronously shot. with good planning (incl. pro shooters who DON'T screw up tc) what we saw was actually pretty simple in editing terms.

it happens to have been nicely done, with a good purpose in mind, and a sizeable budget i would guess.

leslie

btw, prior to nle i used to regularly cut music video's using three source vtr's, grass valley desks, and abacus / ampex ado's. with vegas it's a doodle (unless you need heavy duty keying / compositing)

Interesting comments, Bob. What you're saying--what I understand you to be saying--is 'I or we could have done that.' But none of us did.

Also, I think it is an excellent example of "less is more"!

Leslie, it's not just a matter of "editing" or splicing clips together. More often than not, it's a matter of concept and execution.

As has been mentioned above, the sound recording and final mix is what's so extraordinary. In this example, it was no mean task!

The reason none of us did this was none of us were asked to by the person who had the idea. It's that simple.

If the guy who had the idea to make this came knocking on your door with a wad of cash in hand I'm pretty confident you could have pulled it off. You hire the people with the skills you need and get the job done. That's how most things in this business get made.

I'd be pretty certain you could have shot it and recorded it too but as there's serious expense just getting to those locations you'd perhaps hire a good sound person, perhaps a DoP. Can't imagine you'd have a problem editing it, you'd probably be able to handle post on the sound as well.

Bob.

"But I don't see what's so remarkable about this execution of a brilliant idea."

I would agree. I think it's a great idea and it certainly does what it aims to do (pull the world together), but as far as editing is concerned I would have to say there is nothing outstanding here.

"but as far as editing is concerned I would have to say there is nothing outstanding here. "

Well it could well have a far from trivial task. That depends on the work done in preproduction and during the shoot logging shots. In terms of what you see on the screen the edit was perfect, certainly a case of as Jay said "more is less". For this video there is nothing outstanding to be done, in fact in my view of good editing, it's a good edit when no one comments on the editing.
This is an invisible craft, not unlike being a location recordist, you only notice it when it's bad.

Bob.

The reason none of us did this was none of us were asked to by the person who had the idea. It's that simple.

Bob, your wrong. You may wish it was that simple, but few things are as simple as they appear. Read my previous post about "concept."

I've lived far too long and heard far too many people say, "I could have done that" and "If I only had..." Yeah, right.

EDIT:

Carrie E.A. Scott observed, "A popular phrase among contemporary art skeptics is 'I could have done that,' and it applies especially in regard to art that seems easy to rip off, such as that of Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol.

"And though they are right, though they could splatter a bunch of paint against a canvas and mash cigarette butts into it, they didn't think to do it in the first place and, therefore, the product that they would construct as a sequel to Pollock's splattering wouldn't have the same degree of value because, in art, the visual product is not the only thing that matters.

"With art [film/video] in this epic age of mechanical reproduction, it's the idea that's most remarkable and valued; it's the concept that matters most."

This video is sort of like watching a ventriloquist make the dummy talk while drinking a glass of water. Not the kind of thing that impresses most people, but that will have other people familiar with the art really scratching their heads and wondering just how it was done.

"it's the idea that's most remarkable and valued; it's the concept that matters most."

Of course it's the concept that matters most, please show me where, when or how I ever said otherwise?
In no way did I say anyone here could have come up with that concept.
I specifically stated "asked to by the person who had the idea" i.e. someone already had the concept, someone other than anyone here, had the creative genius.

Bob.

Often a good concept even though not well executed will still have good results, whereas a weak concept well executed will most often fail.
A Sound engineer, friend of mine, said that the real test of a good sound engineer is recording outdoors live. My sound engineering skills are weak, and this is an area that I eadeavour to work on this year. So for you fundis and gurus out there, when I post for assistance, I would appreciate your advice.

I also never found video 777 comment offensive. I was more taken by the sincerity & the humanity in the clip and only by other people's comments , gave deeper consideration to the audio mastering. So, if somebody expresses how they honestly feel, we shouldn't jump on them, because after all we all learn from each other, myself, more so than most.

I wonder how many producers out there are producing content that they really feel passionate about. For most of us, we produce what the client wants....

Rory

see that the filmmaker did a previous documentary along these lines, pan-global performances and interviews with the street musicians, in PLAYING FOR CHANGE: A CINEMATIC DISCOVERY OF STREET MUSIC, available on Netflix (an now in my queue).

Yes sir I added it to my Blockbuster queue but (I'm sure for good reason) it shows "very long wait"

... and on Youtube:



Don't forget to double click on the video and select "watch in high quality" on the Youtube page.

Amazing how much better the video and audio quality is with Vimeo, even compared to YouTube high quality.

YouTube has an advantage for SEO.

But Vimeo is the ticket for just showing video though.

Well, the Youtube version looks better on my phone. ;-)

That's a very good point.

Shows the importance of having multiple formats available.