Sequences in a Video Post

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/us/26runaway.html

Running in the Shadows is a video accompanying a print article about the lives of homeless youths who have struggled due to financial troubles.

The accompanying video from this New York Times article has sequences at the following:

1:32 close
This shot, the last in a series of stills, shows the living conditions for one of the youths who is squatting after her parents could no longer afford their home. Specifically, this shot is a close up of how she cooks her food - using what appears to be a small skillet and electric grill. I thought that the shots were obviously not beautiful or appealing to the eye, but that they conveyed the subject matter appropriately. The shots, especially this close up, did not attempt to glamourize the youth's situation, and the uncomfortable positioning of the shot helped convey and reflect the experience of squatting, running away, and financial difficulty.

1:53 medium
This shot shows the youth while she speaks about her academic goals and how they set her apart within her family. She is sitting on a couch in an empty room inside the house holding a basketball, and she obviously does not appear happy. I like this shot a lot because it shows the emptiness of living alone, of squatting and being a young person facing so much financial burden and responsibility.

2:38 wide
This last shot shows the youth walking in her neighborhood. It is a wide shot with lots of depth, as the fencing goes far back on both sides, while the subject walks slowly and alone. It reflects again, the loneliness and disparity of her situation, but strangely, I was surprised that she doesn't appear all that different from any other teenager. I thought that was an interesting way to leave this.