Austin Druse

Welcome back to the blog! I hope you enjoyed reading about (and hopefully followed) Three Point Stance. In this post, I’ll be talking about a multimedia journalism project that is not only good, it’s great. This is a review of “All In” by Russell Heitmann.

I know, I know – it’s another review of a former-classmate’s work. But I went to college with some pretty remarkable people who created some pretty remarkable things, and I feel it’s my duty to show them off when given the chance.

Background

At Hastings College, Russell Heitmann and I called (and played) plenty of basketball together. Our friendship fostered chemistry that was palpable on the broadcast, and Heitmann’s passion still inspires me to this day. His love for hoops prompted Heitmann to profile seven members of the Hastings College basketball team for his senior capstone project; a project that stands the test of time.

Each video is branded and follows a theme. While Heitmann has come a long way in his production journey, the seeds he planted with “All In” propelled him to become the News and Sports Director at Fort Hays State University. Heitmann has held this position for several years, tirelessly molding the broadcasters of tomorrow.

What makes it “good?”

It was clear from the jump that Heitmann would be tackling a monster of an undertaking. He had to shoot, edit, and publish seven videos that not only captured the profile of each player, but included facts about them as men, tying in their roles as basketballers. Heitmann does this in each of his videos, all of which highlight his dedication to the craft.

My personal favorite is the first story on Rich Williams, as Heitmann sets the stage with his narration and allows the player to tell the story.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9hyT3745MEM%3Fstart%3D36

Heitmann’s scriptwriting and narration introduce goals in general, but he whittles down the vague concept of goals into two particular ones for his subject. Heitmann then brings in Williams’ quotes about his goals on cue. It’s almost straight out of a textbook, Heitmann’s storytelling ability.

Heitmann sums up the video by describing Williams’ ability as a hooper.

“Rich knows he is good. And with the continued affirmation he receives from coach, other teams are soon going to know it, too.”

Additionally, Heitmann had to branch out from video production to graphic design, creating his own graphics package that he’d use for the videos.

While I could fawn about this project all afternoon, I’ll simply encourage you to watch the series and learn more about some former Hastings College basketball players.