The ultimate "super saver"

To many Steven Bellman, seems like the average consumer. He frequents the food store, malls, and clothing stores. However, to friends and family, John is the ultimate "super-saver." Steve realized the value of saving after his career. Being a husband and main provider of a household, he is more careful with money matters then most. Steve realizes how much he saves collecting endless coupons and going out of his way to find really good deals. His family quotes, "he walks out of the grocery store with them (the store) paying him." Bellman goes through collections of coupons before going out shopping. He also hangs on to every reciept he is given from a purchase. For my slideshow I plan to focus on just how much work Steve puts in to saving his money and monitoring his purchases. The project will include Steve's spending records (what he bought and the price he paid) and how he decides where his money goes. I feel that he would be a great person to focus on for the slideshow because he is the prime example of what it takes to save and the attention that budgeting calls for. If you thought you knew how to save your money and budget yourself, you haven't met Steve Bellman.

Beat related article

In an article entitled Austere Times? Perfect,the gleefully frugal are starting to cut back on spendings willingly. Becky Martin is one of them. Ms. Martin has cut up her 10 credit cards, borrows movies from the library, and has begun to grow her own fruits and vegtables in her backyard- all the while her family is sitting comfortably. With a job as a real estate investor, and her husband working as a plastic surgeon- their home sits on the grounds of a 12-hole country club in Cincinnati.
American spending is down and savings are up. There are other people out there just like the Martins. People are frugal and loving it. Whether its driving out of your way to save a few cents on gas or only buying food on sale at the market, saving has made people feel better about themselves.
In some places, there are groups forming to ecourage the frugal lifestyle. Whether it's for moms or fashionistas, these groups encourage penny pinching shopping options. The Frugal and Fabulous Moms is one group that reaches out to the coupon-clipping, stylish mom that loves a great deal.
The gleefully frugal hope that the recsession brings about a new generation of budgeting.The article did a good job of painting a picture of what people are doing to save a buck. I would include some of the extreme, or unique things people are doing. This would really pull readers in. I would also like to hear about what some men are doing too to cut back. The article seems to focus on the actions of women, however I think it would be helpful and interesting to learn about what men are saving money on also. The story used captive quotes and even included some humor which made it more appealing.

Looking for editing techniques

The chosen shots, angles, and images can make or break the story you are trying to cover. These elements are very important to bringing your story to life on the screen.

National Geographic is one source that does an excellent job of capturing footage. The angles and images work to tell the story and to correlate with the dialogue. This helps the viewer follow along and get a better understanding of the tone and depth of the material. The segment titled Investigating Baby Mammoth does a good job explaining the story with the versitile camera shots. The shots are detailed and give you a good look at the main subject being discussed. It includes wide angles of the scientists and their tasks. The footage also includes tighter angles to focus on the actual subject. This is an affective way to reveal the information and events.