Multimedia Reporter Jessica Dimmock followed a group of 20-30 young drug addicts from 2004-2007. This group had transformed an elegant apartment on the ninth floor of a Fifth Avenue building into an area of extreme chaos. The living situation was deplorable: the group did drugs whenever they could and did not take care of the space. Dimmock documented the process of this group getting evicted, their struggles to get off of drugs, and the many tribulations facing them during the process.
Dimmock's story is certainly not something one would see on a nightly newscast. It is more than 13 minutes long and features some pictures not suitable for air. It is a longer form story and goes into great depth. Though there is no video, Dimmock's sequence of still photographs tell the story. Her use of different music and short descriptions of each person work well together to humanize this story.
The aspect I enjoyed most about this piece is the inclusion of audio clips of personal reflections from the addicts. These can be compared to "nat pops" a reporter would include in a package. I was so moved by Dionn, a drug addict, talking about seeing his newborn baby for the first time. He told Dimmock how his daughter looks at him "like he is the best thing in the world" while he thinks "if she only knew." That segment brought me to tears. One of a journalist's main goals is to evoke emotion in the viewer. This journalist certainly accomplishes this goal.
I enjoyed viewing this piece and learned how important it is to humanize a story. It gave me, the viewer, a sense of being there with the subjects and empathizing for them throughout their struggles.
Nicely done!
ReplyDelete